‘These are all our children’

Pastors push for equitable funding in public schools

Pastors from across the state gathered on Zoomwith more than 10 lawmakers Tuesday afternoon to advocate for legislation that “equitably funds Black, Latino, and low-income students in all public schools.”

More than 100 people watched the live meeting, which was organized by FaithActs for Education, a Black-led, faithbased community organizing nonprofit.

“Our ask is simple,” said the Rev. Jeremy Williams, pastor of the Phillips Metropolitan CME Church in Hartford, who also serves as the FaithActs for Education board chair. “The 30 pastors present and our 11,000 congregants compel you to pass a budget that equitably funds Black, Latino and low-income students in all public schools during the 2020-2021 legislative session.”

Williams described the current funding system, “based predominately on where you live, and property taxes,” as “racist and classist,” stating students’ zip codes determine their educational future.

“We don’t believe that should be so,” he said.

The Rev. Iona Smith Nze, pastor of the Bethel A.M.E. Church in Bridgeport, thanked legislative leadership for past progress made in the issue of school funding, but said, “We haven’t reached the Promised Land.”

Pointing to thousands of dollars of per-student funding discrepancies between districts like Bridgeport and Fairfield, Smith Nze said: “This is not about division and placing blame, but instead the opportunity to take collective responsibility. These are all our children.”

Senate President Pro Tem Martin Looney, D-New Haven, reaffirmed the commitment of the legislators present to doing all they can to “pass that budget.”

“Can I say that we will? Of course not. ... But to say that we will make every effort, that I can commit to you,” he said.

Looney noted that the lawmakers who attended the forum were all from “communities with low-income people.”

“Who is not here today? The legislators who represent the majority of the districts in this state, and that is our challenge,” he said, explaining that NewHaven, Hartford, and Bridgeport together hold only 11% of