Capital Prep Middletown Townhall | #RolandMartinUnfiltered
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Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖Capital Prep's Hartford school has sent 100% of its graduates to four-year colleges for 21 years.
- ❖Capital Prep Harbor in Bridgeport is the #1 public high school in Connecticut for college preparation, despite being the lowest-funded.
- ❖Middletown's Black and Hispanic students have significantly lower SAT scores and fewer college options compared to white students.
- ❖State Senator Matt Lesser is accused of illegally removing $4.5 million in allocated funding for Capital Prep Middletown, allegedly due to the school's non-unionized teachers.
- ❖The State Board of Education Commissioner Charlene Russell Tucker was informed of the alleged legal violation but did not act to restore funding.
- ❖Community and faith leaders are mobilizing to hold elected officials accountable through voting and direct action, demanding support for the Capital Prep Middletown school.
Insights
1Capital Prep's Proven Success Model
Capital Prep's Hartford school has consistently sent 100% of its graduates to four-year colleges for 21 years. Its Bridgeport high school is ranked #1 in Connecticut for college preparation across all public high schools (black, white, Asian, rich, poor, suburban, urban, rural), despite being the lowest-funded high school in the state, receiving less than half the per-student funding of other districts.
Dr. Steve Perry states, 'for 21 years, we've sent a 100% of our graduates on the four-year colleges every single year since we started that first school.' () He also notes, 'Our Capitol Prep Harbor School in Bridgeport is the number one high school in the state of Connecticut for college preparation. Period.' and 'We're also the lowest funded high school in the entire state.' (, )
2Academic Apartheid in Middletown
Data reveals a significant and persistent achievement gap in Middletown, Connecticut, where Black and Hispanic students severely underperform compared to white students. This disparity translates into drastically limited college options for minority students, with white students having 621 college options based on average SAT scores, while Black students have only 78 and Hispanic students 94.
Richard Begansky Jr. details average SAT score differences: 'white and black SAT scores, uh 152 points... white and Hispanic 149 points.' He further specifies, 'white college options 621... Hispanic college options 94. Black college options 78.' (, )
3Political Obstruction and Alleged Illegal Action
State Senator Matt Lesser, allegedly influenced by teachers' unions, removed $4.5 million in allocated state budget funding for the Capital Prep Middletown school. This action is deemed illegal by Dr. Perry, citing state law (General Statute 10-66), which mandates the State Board of Education, not legislators, to determine which approved charter schools receive funding when multiple are awaiting it.
Dr. Perry states, 'state senator who is deeply connected to the teachers union... decided that they were going to take the money out of the budget for the school.' () He later clarifies, 'That's an illegal act and that's why we're suing the state.' () He explains the law: 'if in a fiscal year more than one charter school has been approved and is awaiting funding, then the state board of education shall determine which school is funded first.' ()
4Teachers' Unions Prioritize Employment Over Outcomes
Capital Prep's success is attributed, in part, to its non-unionized faculty, allowing for longer workdays, weeks, and years, and a focus on student outcomes rather than employee benefits. The teachers' union is seen as prioritizing 'employment, not about outcomes,' and opposing Capital Prep because its teachers do not pay union dues.
Dr. Perry states, 'One of the things that the teachers union does is it takes the emphasis off the product... and puts it on the employees. It makes it about employment, not about outcomes.' () He adds, 'The reason why Jan Hockadell, who is the teachers union's president and state senator, is against Capitol Prep, is because the teachers are not paying into her union.' ()
5Call for Political Accountability and Mobilization
Community and faith leaders in Middletown are uniting to pressure elected officials, including State Senator Matt Lesser and Governor Ned Lamont, to support the Capital Prep school. They advocate for using the ballot box to remove politicians who obstruct educational progress for children, emphasizing that education is a civil right and a key to economic mobility.
Roland Martin states, 'you have to connect policy community outcomes with the ballot because the individuals who are in public office... are spending billions of dollars... and their job is to be responsive to the needs of the people.' () Bishop William McKisick affirms, 'we must continue to move forward together... from a political perspective.' ()
Bottom Line
The historical context of educational suppression against Black communities in the US, from slavery-era laws to modern political obstruction, suggests a continuous pattern of resistance to Black educational advancement, even in 'progressive' northern states like Connecticut.
This historical pattern implies that current struggles for educational equity are not isolated incidents but rather manifestations of deep-seated systemic issues that require sustained, multi-generational activism beyond typical political cycles.
Activists can frame current educational battles as continuations of historical civil rights struggles, leveraging historical narratives to galvanize broader community support and underscore the urgency of political action.
The host's direct public challenge to elected officials, including threatening to publish their contact information to mobilize social media followers, represents an aggressive, modern tactic for political accountability, moving beyond traditional lobbying or public statements.
This approach bypasses traditional media filters and directly leverages digital platforms to apply immense public pressure, potentially setting a new standard for how community leaders confront political obstruction.
Community organizers can adopt similar high-pressure digital mobilization strategies, using social media to expose political inaction and directly engage constituents in holding officials accountable, especially in local elections.
Opportunities
Replicable High-Performance Charter School Network
Develop a charter school network that replicates Capital Prep's model: focus on high expectations (college assumption), extended learning time (longer days/weeks/years), a 'love-based' teaching philosophy, and a curriculum controlled by the community. This model proves that high outcomes are achievable with less funding by prioritizing effective pedagogy and community alignment over traditional union structures or lavish resources.
Lessons
- Mobilize and organize your community to demand educational choice and accountability from elected officials, especially during primary and general elections.
- Challenge politicians directly on their stance regarding educational initiatives, particularly those benefiting underserved communities, and be prepared to vote them out if they obstruct progress.
- Educate yourself and your community on local educational data and the performance of schools to make informed decisions and counter misinformation from politicians or special interest groups.
- Support independent, Black-owned media platforms that are willing to highlight local issues and hold powerful figures accountable, as mainstream media often overlooks such stories.
Community Mobilization for Educational Equity
Gather and disseminate clear, compelling data on local educational disparities, particularly for minority students, to underscore the urgency of the issue.
Identify and directly confront elected officials who are obstructing educational progress, demanding clear 'yes' or 'no' answers on specific initiatives.
Organize community town halls and public forums, inviting all relevant officials to face their constituents and explain their positions.
Leverage social media and independent media to amplify the message, expose political inaction, and rally public support.
Mobilize voters for primary and general elections, making support for educational equity a non-negotiable litmus test for candidates, and actively work to remove unsupportive officials from office.
Notable Moments
Dr. Perry's personal connection to Middletown and his motivation to open Capital Prep there, despite growing up in poverty and remedial classes, highlights the deeply personal stake in the fight for educational equity.
This personal narrative grounds the broader policy debate in lived experience, emphasizing that the fight for better schools is about transforming individual lives and communities, not just abstract data points.
The host's direct challenge to State Senator Matt Lesser, threatening to publish his contact information to mobilize social media followers, marks a significant escalation in tactics for political accountability.
This moment demonstrates a willingness to use modern digital tools to apply intense public pressure, bypassing traditional political channels and directly engaging a large audience in holding elected officials responsible.
Dr. Perry's emotional address about his students fighting for children they will never meet, emphasizing that 'this fight is led by the children,' powerfully conveys the moral imperative and intergenerational commitment to social justice.
This highlights that the struggle is not just about policy or politics but about instilling values of advocacy and collective responsibility in the next generation, making the cause a living movement.
Quotes
"My position has always been the same. If it works, I support it. But if it doesn't work, then we should not be continuing doing the same thing over and over and over again."
"If you ask any child here to the youngest of these, if they're going to college, they might... look at you like, 'What do you don't like?' really don't ask me that question because the expectation has to be set."
"If you are voting against the interests of children and the proper outcomes, you are not an education advocate. You are not an ally. And in fact, I will use another language. You are actually my enemy."
"The state board of education shall determine which school is funded first. If the state board of education shall determine which school is funded first, doesn't mean the state board of education shall determine which school is funded first. What does the state board of education shall determine which school is funded first? Mean their attorney said, 'We're done.'"
"You cannot be credible praising the signing of a civil rights law if you're standing in the way of your own district's kids being taught. What that says to me that you don't actually support civil rights because a proper education is also silver rights."
"I'm the dog in the fight. I'm the Kane Corso in the fight. I want more dogs in the fight. I need this community to come and be a dog in this fight with me because tonight was just the beginning."
"Connecticut has the greatest achievement gap in the United States of America. So you're actually in the belly of the beast, the epitome of racism."
Q&A
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