Today in Connecticut Education

MANIFESTO

First, they encourage them to retire, and then they realize they don't have a budget to replace them.

Connecticut's technical high schools lost roughly 10 percent of their teachers in the state retirement incentive program, leaving gaping holes in many trade shops and classrooms statewide.

Some education leaders fear that only a fraction of the teachers will be replaced under the new state budget being negotiated, possibly leading to overcrowded classrooms or limited student enrollment.

Collectively, the state's 17 technical high schools lost 160 employees, including 108 teachers. The retirements also hammered the school system's leadership, with six principals, six assistant principals and even the superintendent departing.

The technical education system, the seventh-largest school system in Connecticut, is scrambling to make adjustments before its 10,000 students resume classes Aug. 27.

It's always disastrous when the state's legislators attempt to manage the local issue of education (cf. the mentoring program and the ridiculous testing program), and this situation is no different.

At this point, it's obvious that if nothing occurs in the next six weeks, "overcrowded classrooms or limited student enrollment" will result—and not only in the tech schools. Overcrowded classrooms will occur however this shakes out, because if "limited enrollment" is the answer, the overflow will go to public schools, which have already set their personnel for the upcoming year.

If tech schools try to bite the bullet and have larger classes, it will perforce affect standardized test scores, which tech school students have enough trouble with already.

Thanks again, legislators, for your typical foresight.