Students grill governor's next-in-line

FALLS VILLAGE — The Legislature didn’t stay up all night, it didn’t snow and Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele duly arrived at Housatonic Valley Regional High School Tuesday, March 24.

Fedele had to cancel an appearance last month, when the Connecticut General Assembly went into a marathon budget session the night before. He is traveling to all 169 municipalities in the state during his four-year term.

Deron Bayer, a social studies teacher at Housatonic, said he assigned his students to research their questions before the session and to be able to cite at least two sources for any information.

The students’ questions were detailed and tough.

Fedele, amiable and relaxed in what he later revealed was a Brioni suit, answered the questions frankly, explaining complexities and not always offering cut-and-dried solutions.

Sarah Godburn asked about unemployment insurance, noting an increase in the state’s jobless rate from 2.8 percent in February 1999 to 7.2 percent in January 2009. “Is the Rell administration focusing on increasing this insurance?�

“There are two issues here,� began Fedele. “Unemployment insurance is intended to be a stopgap. It was never intended to last up to a year. So the good news is we’ve kept the existing benefits and extended them to almost a year. The bad news is it’s taking that long for people to find jobs.�

Unemployment insurance is funded by businesses, Fedele explained. “As unemployment rises the fund is depleted, because we’re paying out more than what we’re taking in. Rhode Island, with 10.2-percent unemployment, has exhausted its unemployment insurance fund.�

Fedele said Rhode Island is borrowing money from the federal government to make up the difference, and noted that Connecticut did the same in 2002.

“Are we paying enough for people to get along? Probably not,� he concluded. “We’re looking at 8.2-percent unemployment� and probably the need for federal assistance.

Tim Kruger asked if Fedele supports vouchers for students in “failing� public schools.

“Yes and no,� replied Fedele. “If we allow vouchers what do we do with the kids who remain in the failing school?

“I support magnet schools, charter schools. But vouchers don’t address the failing school; plus, the receiving schools are running out of capacity.

“We need to look at the root cause of why the schools fail.�

And Kyle Greenberg wanted to know the lieutenant governor’s thoughts on graduation exams for high schools, an innovation Greenberg suggested has backfired, citing a source that claimed 62 percent of states with such exams reported increased dropout rates.

“If these exams cause people to drop out, what reason would there be to have these exams?�

Fedele said the question is one of accountability and noted that community colleges are doing “a semester, semester and a half of remedial work� to get recent high school graduates up to speed.

“Students are not dropping out because of a test,� he continued. “Look at Hartford, with about a 25-percent graduation rate.�

Of the remainder, 25 to 50 percent become part of the social services network to some extent, he said. “And do you know where the other 25 percent are?�

“In jail,� said a student.

“Right,� Fedele said, adding that it costs about $30,000 per year to incarcerate a person.

“Now think about investing those dollars up front.�

And in response to another question about the future of the state’s colleges, Fedele sounded an optimistic note.

“The number one reason employers come to Connecticut is not taxes — it’s the educated workforce. Blue Sky Studios [a digital animation company] relocated from White Plains, N.Y., to Greenwich. They brought with them about 200 jobs and they’re still hiring. The community college responded by offering digital image classes.�

And Fedele defended his boss when Julia Finkelstein, noting the proposed Region One budget for 2009-10 is slated to rise a sparse 1.99 percent, asked “What help can the state provide to our region to allow worthwhile programs and personnel to continue to function?�

“If we had unlimited funds we could solve a lot of problems,� responded Fedele. “The Rell administration has provided unprecedented funds to towns for education, and we kept the Education Cost Sharing level in this budget.

“Again, the problem is that costs continue to rise, accelerating at a greater pace. We have to make sure what we do spend is on the right priorities.�