by Brent Addleman
Connecticut students will have a say in how $1.5 million in COVID-19 relief funds will be spent.
Gov. Ned Lamont announced that 150 proposals from 54 school districts were selected as part of the Voice4Change initiative that empowered high school students to use critical thinking to solve real-world issues.
“This is the first time that any state has conducted an initiative of this kind, and I am very excited by the number of responses we received and the interest that was shown by Connecticut high school students,” Lamont said in the release. “Next, they will cast their ballots to decide which ones should be approved. This is their opportunity to help make a change in their schools, and I look forward to seeing the results.”
According to the release, the proposals, received through the Department of Education, will be voted on as funding from the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief Fund were used to support the initiative.
Launched in November, according to the release, Lamont spearheaded the program to empower and increase engagement with students to give them a voice in how funds will be spent.
Under the program, the student proposals presented how they would spend $20,000 in funding in their schools. The proposals were reviewed by the Department of Education to verify they met federal rules attached to the dollars, in addition to department priorities at the state level.
Students in participating high schools are scheduled to vote on winning proposals on March 29, with winners being announced in early April.
Of the proposals received, according to the release, 71% tackled social, emotional, and mental health of students and staff, 52% addressed accelerated learning, academic renewal, and student enrichment, and 38% addressed building safety and health schools.
Of the remaining proposals, 35% addressed family and community connections, and 17% tackled strategic use of technology, staff development, and the digital divide.
“The Connecticut State Department of Education is immensely pleased with and proud of the innovation and creativity present in the student proposals,” Commissioner Russell Tucker said in the release “Students responded to our call-to-action with a focus on their social-emotional well-being. Our students are not only our future leaders – they are the changemakers of today.”
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Brent Addleman is an Associate Editor and a veteran journalist with more than 25 years of experience. He has served as editor of newspapers in Pennsylvania and Texas, and has also worked at newspapers in Delaware, Maryland, New York, and Kentucky.
