States Struggle to Meet Pension Liabilities

Posted on Apr 26, 2011 in Accountability and Transparency, Blog, Research Yesterday, the Pew Center on the States released a nationwide study of state pension funding shortfalls.  The Center’s survey of the states found that 31 out of 50 states were below the 80 percent funded threshold in 2009–this is a sharp increase from the previous year when only 22 percent were below the advised threshold. Connecticut’s pension program liability is over $41...
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Ed Crane on the Size of Federal Government

Posted on Mar 24, 2011 in Blog Check out this video of Cato’s Ed Crane at an event in Florida.  He talked about reducing federal intrusion into the lives of citizens.  Under Ed’s leadership, the Cato Institute has grown to become one of the nation’s most prominent public policy research organizations. Favorite line from Ed in this clip: “I like to quote Rousseau because it makes me sound...
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The Numbers Don’t Lie

Posted on Mar 10, 2011 in Blog CapitolWatch spotted a recent Quinnipiac poll that confirms the results of the poll the Yankee Institute conducted a couple weeks ago. In the Yankee poll, Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s proposal to eliminate the $500 state tax credit was the least popular part of the package of tax increases that he has recommended in the new state budget. The poll showed that 73 percent of likely...
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School Choice Films and Resources

Posted on Jan 28, 2011 in Blog There are several independent films that depict the benefits of school choice.  Be sure to check out the trailers for the following movies: Waiting for Superman shadows several students across the country hoping to attend their local charter school via lottery selection. Flunked, which features charter schools in California, New York, Idaho, and Washington state, highlights creative solutions...
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Connecticut Education Rankings

Posted on Jan 26, 2011 in Blog Connecticut ranks 7th in the country in graduation rates – with 77% of its students graduating. Raising Hale’s Zachary Janowski discovered that the average cost of a public school diploma in CT (cumulative spending for K-12) is $133,000. With such an impressive investment, you’d think those students are all getting high marks. But unfortunately, that is not the case: our friends at National...
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School Choice in the 50 States

Posted on Jan 25, 2011 in Blog School choice options vary from state to state, with some providing several options to families, while others are more restrictive.  Some states, for example, do not have legislation that allows cyber schools or tax credits. This map from the Foundation for Educational Choice gives a state-by-state look at school choice options in all the 50 states. Connecticut has public charter and magnet...
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School Choice Benefits

Posted on Jan 24, 2011 in Blog This is National School Choice Week, celebrating the options that many parents across the country have for the education of their children.  School choice can refer to public charter schools, public virtual schools, school vouchers, tax credits, and homeschooling. Let’s look at some of the benefits of school choice: Public schools save money when students go elsewhere for learning...
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