Capital Prep Middletown Townhall | #RolandMartinUnfiltered
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Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖Capital Prep Middletown's application was ranked number one among six, yet its funding was blocked.
- ❖State Senator Matt Lesser and the teachers' union are accused of removing $4.5 million allocated for the school from the state budget.
- ❖Capital Prep's Bridgeport high school is the #1 high school in Connecticut for college preparation, despite being the lowest-funded.
- ❖Middletown's Black students have 78 college options on average, compared to 621 for white students, due to SAT score disparities.
- ❖Capital Prep schools operate with longer days, weeks, and years, focusing on high expectations and a culture of 'illuminators' (teachers).
- ❖The teachers' union is criticized for prioritizing employee interests over student outcomes and opposing charter schools due to non-unionized staff.
- ❖A lawsuit has been filed against the state of Connecticut for allegedly violating charter school funding laws by allowing legislators to remove approved funding.
- ❖Faith leaders and community organizers are mobilizing to pressure elected officials through voting and direct action.
- ❖Elected officials who oppose the school are being called out for hypocrisy, especially those who champion civil rights while obstructing Black educational advancement.
Insights
1Political Obstruction of Top-Ranked Charter School
Capital Prep Middletown, despite being ranked number one among six applicants and having widespread community support, was denied funding to open. State Senator Matt Lesser and the teachers' union are directly implicated in removing $4.5 million allocated for the school from the state budget, an act deemed illegal and leading to a lawsuit.
Dr. Steve Perry states, "we were number one... 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." Roland Martin adds, "The money was allocated by lawmakers... The money is still there."
2Severe Educational Disparities in Middletown
Middletown's public schools exhibit significant achievement gaps, particularly for Black and Hispanic students. Data shows a 32-point average difference in ELA proficiency and 30% in math between white and Black students. This translates to vastly limited college options for minority students, perpetuating a cycle of limited economic opportunity.
Richard Begansky Jr. reports, "average gap... in ELA that's 32 points... in math it's 30%... white and black SAT scores uh 152 points... white college options 621. Black college options 78."
3Capital Prep's Proven Success Model
Capital Prep schools, including Capital Prep Harbor in Bridgeport, consistently outperform traditional public schools and are the lowest-funded. Their model replicates wealthy private schools by setting high expectations (college is assumed), employing 'illuminators' who work longer hours, and fostering a deep love for children, without requiring parental involvement as a prerequisite for success.
Dr. Steve Perry states, "For 21 years, we've sent a 100% of our graduates on the four-year colleges every single year... Capitol Prep Harbor School in Bridgeport is the number one high school in the state of Connecticut for college preparation. Period... We're also the lowest funded high school in the entire state."
4Teachers' Unions Prioritize Employment Over Outcomes
The teachers' union is accused of opposing charter schools not for educational reasons, but because charter school teachers are not unionized, meaning the union cannot collect dues. This focus on employee interests rather than student outcomes is framed as a major impediment to educational reform.
Dr. Steve Perry asserts, "The teachers union has zero interest in putting children first... they use children as shields in order to get more money for systems... 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 Mobilization and Accountability
Faith leaders and community members are urged to mobilize voters and demand clear stances from elected officials on supporting Capital Prep Middletown. The strategy involves making this issue a primary litmus test for all candidates, threatening removal from office for those who obstruct educational progress.
Roland Martin states, "If you are voting against the interests of children... you are not an education advocate. You are not an ally. And in fact, I will use another language. You are actually my enemy."
Bottom Line
Connecticut, despite its affluent image and proximity to elite institutions like Yale, has the greatest achievement gap in the United States, indicating a deep-seated, often undiscussed, systemic racism in its educational system.
This challenges the perception of 'Northern liberalism' and highlights that educational inequality is not solely a Southern or urban issue, but a national problem with unique manifestations in seemingly progressive states.
Advocates can use this data to expose hypocrisy and pressure state-level actors who might otherwise hide behind a progressive facade, forcing a more honest conversation about systemic issues.
The political opposition to Capital Prep is not based on merit or educational philosophy, but explicitly on the teachers' union's financial interest in collecting dues from teachers, even if it means denying a top-performing school to underserved children.
This reveals a cynical prioritization of union revenue over student welfare, making it clear that the 'fight for education' is often a fight for control and money, not necessarily for quality outcomes.
This insight provides a clear, tangible target for community activism: expose the financial motivations of political actors and unions, framing the issue as corruption rather than ideological disagreement, potentially swaying public opinion and non-unionized teachers.
Lessons
- Demand clear answers from all elected officials, from local to state level, regarding their stance on supporting Capital Prep Middletown and other high-performing educational options.
- Mobilize community members, especially during primary and general elections, to vote against any politician who obstructs educational advancement for children, regardless of their party affiliation.
- Educate your community on the data of educational disparities and the proven success models of schools like Capital Prep, emphasizing that quality education is a civil right and a pathway out of generational poverty.
Notable Moments
Dr. Steve Perry recounts being asked by a parent why only rich kids get good schools, which inspired him to start Capital Prep Hartford, which has since sent 100% of its graduates to four-year colleges for 21 years.
This moment highlights the foundational motivation for creating Capital Prep and its consistent, long-term success in achieving its mission, providing a strong counter-narrative to claims of impossibility.
The host, Roland Martin, directly challenges the state senator's credibility for praising a civil rights law while obstructing educational advancement for Black and Latino children in his own district.
This exposes the hypocrisy of politicians who claim to support civil rights but actively work against tangible progress for minority communities, framing education as a core civil rights issue.
Dr. Steve Perry brings Capital Prep students to the town hall, highlighting their presence as 'educated, motivated young Black and Latin people who ain't scared of nobody,' and who are fighting for children they will never meet.
This powerful visual and emotional appeal underscores the moral imperative of the fight, demonstrating that the students themselves are active agents of social justice and the ultimate beneficiaries of the proposed school.
Quotes
"If there is a system created that allows for us to be in control of a school system and we control the curriculum, we control the hiring, we contracts, then I absolutely want to be a part of that."
"You would not see an explosion in this country of parents demanding school choice if they were successful public schools."
"This is not about elected official. This is not about a teachers union. It is not about anything but the education of children, specifically our children."
"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."
"The teachers union has zero interest in putting children first. They just don't have any. And they use children as shields in order to get more money for systems."
"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."
"This state has a long history of trying to stop black educational advancement."
"If you are blocking the educational advancement of black and Latino children, you are no different than Jim Clark in Mississippi. You're no different than Bull Connor in Alabama. The only difference is you have a smile on your face."
Q&A
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