RSG | Press Page: Waterbury Would Benefit From Initiative $37 Million Plan Not Yet Approved

New state education initiatives could expand pre-school access, reward outstanding teachers and provide better technology in cities, including Waterbury.

The state Board of Education Wednesday approved several of Education Commissioner Betty J. Sternberg's recommendations issued as part of her Educational Learning Initiatives for Excellence plan.

Waterbury, Bridgeport, Hartford, New Britain, New Haven, New London and Windham stand to gain the most through the plan, which still must be approved by Gov. M. Jodi Rell and the state legislature, which would fund the plans. The cost would be about $37 million in 2005-06.

State board members gave top priority to three initiatives that would provide more support for teachers in urban school systems, provide more pre-school opportunities for urban children, and offer bonuses to help retain urban teachers who work in positions that are difficult to fill, such as in math or special education.

Under the teacher-retention plan, 1,000 successful urban educators who are successful in reducing the drop-out rate and raising student achievement would be eligible for bonuses of $3,000 and for two-year contracts that protect against layoffs.

The state's largest teachers' union, though, opposes the bonuses. The Connecticut Education Association says pay should be based on experience, not merit. And some state Board of Education members have said it would be hard to ascertain which teachers had the most success improving achievement and reducing drop-outs because each student has several teachers.

Waterbury Superintendent David Snead supports the state proposal.

"Unions are always against merit pay, but if somebody is going to help my kids, I don't mind rewarding them. Maybe it'll add a little competition to the mix," Snead said. "If I could get my English and math teachers to be as competitive as our baseball and football coaches, we could really kick butt."

The state board also wants to provide pre-school access to 3,810 more children in poor towns and urban cities such as Waterbury. Currently, 18,000 Connecticut children do not have access to pre-school.

If Sternberg's plan passes, half of all 3- and 4-year-olds in Waterbury and similar school systems would be enrolled during the 2005-06 school year. By the following year, programs would be offered to all 3- and 4-year-olds in urban and poor school systems.

To achieve that, at least 127 classrooms must be added statewide. The state would provide up to 80 percent of construction costs for school systems that maintain pre-school programs for at least 10 years.

Waterbury already has plans to provide more space for pre-kindergarten children. Voters Tuesday approved a bond issue to build three new schools serving pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade.

The city already has 24 pre-kindergarten classrooms at 11 sites. The program serves 400 children, but there are about 1,100 others needing services, said Kris Keidel, Waterbury's early childhood education supervisor. There isn't enough money or enough space to serve them now, but that could change because of school construction and the state's efforts.

"I can't think of anybody that would say pre-kindergarten isn't worth the cost, but space is really the big issue," Keidel said.

Pre-school children are at an advantage when they enter kindergarten because they've already practiced social skills and learned how to hold a pencil, Keidel said. They've been introduced to books and numbers, and they've learned to express themselves through drawing and building, too, she said.

Another portion of Sternberg's plan would provide consultants for 34 schools and seven school systems, including Waterbury, that have made inadequate progress in meeting the goals of the federal No Child Left Behind Law.

Other proposals would help city and poor schools enhance curriculum and would provide funding to help urban teachers advance to become principals.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.