June 28, 2010 – Dan Malloy and Nancy Wyman, the Democratic Party’s endorsed candidates for Governor and Lt. Governor, today released their formal plans for education, which are available at www.danmalloy.com/policy/education.
Malloy and Wyman’s plan focuses on finding fairer and more equitable ways of funding education, maximizing opportunities for every student, and beginning new initiatives to improve our education system that include:
- Focusing on early childhood education
- New innovations in teaching and learning
- Connecting students to college and the workplace
- A modern higher education agenda
“As a young boy who faced a learning disability, I understand the importance of schools in helping all students reach their potential,” said Malloy. “If not for the help of caring, dedicated teachers who treated me as more than a test score, I would never have been able to overcome my disability, graduate from law school and have a successful career as a prosecutor and Mayor. That’s what schools can help you do, and on my watch that’s my dream for Connecticut’s children: that they are given every chance to succeed, and that the environment in which they learn leaves the same impact on their lives that it left on mine. The plan we’re introducing today will put Connecticut on that path.”
Comptroller Wyman brings a wealth of education experience to this effort. During her eight years as State Representative, she served as House Chairperson of the Education Committee and Chairperson of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Elementary and Secondary Education. From 1979-1987 Wyman served on the Tolland Board of Education and was Vice-Chairperson for four of those years.
“Job growth is the single biggest issue facing our state right now and I believe that our schools must become better at serving as pipelines between the classroom and the workplace,” Wyman said. “That means we must prepare our students not only for college, but for technical and vocational careers that are vital to Connecticut’s economy.”
Concluded Malloy: “I won’t let anyone tell me that real, measurable gains can’t be made to our education system. As Mayor of Stamford I helped lower the city’s achievement gap, established the state's first universal pre-school program for 4-year-olds, and invested more than $225 million in capital improvement projects to improve technology and school security. The result is that Stamford's school system is now routinely recognized as one of the top urban school systems in the United States. Nancy Wyman and I want to bring those same successes to all of Connecticut.”
