“With this legislation, we begin to change the status quo,” said Rojas, the East Hartford Democrat who also represents Manchester and Glastonbury.

“To guarantee the success of our state’s economy, we must close the achievement gap between our urban and suburban students,” Rojas said. “Connecticut cannot succeed if we do not increase achievement for all of the state’s students.”

The bill now goes to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, who is expected to sign it.

Rojas said the legislation recognizes the value of early childhood education. The legislation (SB 458) creates 1,000 new pre-K School Readiness seats, focused in high need, low-performing communities.

Rojas was a co-author of a significant portion of the bill regarding improvements to how reading is taught during the early years of kindergarten to third grade. The components include the creation of intensive reading intervention programs for underperforming schools, the introduction of technology based reading assessments, which will improve the quality of assessments and the speed at which they can be given and provides resources for the addition of highly trained reading specialists in our most challenged schools.

“No longer are we going to accept chronically under-performing schools,” said Rojas, who recommended many aspects of the legislation.

The bill establishes the Commissioner’s Network, which provides the intensive supports and interventions needed to turn around 25 of the most chronically low-performing schools in Connecticut. It grants the state commissioner of education the needed authority to develop or modify plans with teachers and parents at “turnaround” schools, while respecting collective bargaining rights.

“My work on this bill began last July and I am proud to have been a part of this significant effort in improving education for our great state and communities,” Rojas said.

The legislation will result in the creation of 10 Family Resource Centers and at least 20 new or expanded School Based Health Centers to be located in education reform districts.

The bill reforms the teacher tenure system by increasing the frequency of teacher evaluations and linking tenure to evaluations. It also requires the education commissioner to administer an evaluation pilot program in 8 to 10 districts for the 2012-2013 school year.

Funding included in the bill:

• Increases for vocational/technical and vocational/agricultural schools, charter and magnet schools, and a new kindergarten through 8th grade science initiative. Increase funding to state charters from $9,400 to $10,500 per pupil, with an increase of $500 in both FY14 and FY15.
• Requires 2 of next 4 state charter schools to have dual language theme and requires public schools to include a total of 20 minutes of physical exercise in each regular school day for students in grades K thru 5.
• No changes to the ECS formula. Allows ECS Task Force to complete its work. Requires charter school grants to be added to ECS grants and paid through towns where charter schools are located (as per budget bill).
• Requires a study of potential efficiencies for small districts (fewer than 1000 students).

The legislation also deals with teacher preparation and evaluations:

• Requires teacher prep programs to provide classroom experience in 4 semesters.
• Creates a "distinguished educator designation" which requires additional education past master's degree, certain performance standards, may serve as mentor to other teachers. Permits local districts to tie salary and responsibilities to this new designation. Requires 5 years' experience to qualify.
• Requires commissioner to establish a teacher professional development program in reading instruction.
• Requires an applicant for a professional certificate to have a relevant master’s degree.
• Annual teacher evaluations.
• Requires commissioner to administer an evaluation pilot program in 8 - 10 districts for the 2012-2013 school year.
• Teachers who receive low evaluations to work with evaluators to develop improvement plan.
• UCONN will analyze, evaluate, and validate the pilot program and submit their results and recommendations to the State Board of Education.
• Adds the term “ineffectiveness” as grounds for dismissal.
• Length of time to attain tenure is 4 years and there is no automatic granting of tenure. Evaluations to inform tenure decisions and tenure decisions will be based on effective practice.
• Requires training of those being evaluated and those conducting evaluations before evaluations begin.

House Bill 5548: An Act Concerning Domestic Violence and House Bill 5031: An Act Concerning Sexual Violence On College Campuses both go to the Senate.

“We must do everything we can to prevent domestic violence and help victims of physical and psychological abuse,” said Rojas, a member of the Speaker’s Task Force on Domestic Violence, which recommended HB 5548.

Rojas said HB 5031 also was critically necessary to help colleges and universities prevent sexual violence on campus. “Sexual violence thrives on college campuses, but this bill will help prevent the violence before it occurs and provide a response for when it does occur,” he said.

The bill protects students by requiring colleges and universities to adopt and disclose policies related to sexual assault. Improved disclosure policies required in the legislation give students the tools they need to stay safe and to make informed decisions about reporting their assaults, Rojas said.

According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice, students decline to report sexual assaults because they fear reprisal (40 percent), they do not want other people to find out (47 percent), they don’t believe the incident is serious enough to report (65 percent), or they don’t know how to report it (14 percent).

Under the domestic violence bill, police departments would set a uniform standard, but are given flexibility to tailor implementation to fit their departments. The bill also establishes a Family Violence Model Policy Governing Council to update the model policy going forward and review relevant data. In addition, the legislation permits judges to issue restraining orders for up to one year. Currently the maximum length of a restraining order is six months.

The bill also requires that courts share protective orders with schools that victims attend, upon request of a victim. Current law requires that orders be shared with the police departments in the town where the victim lives and works and the town where the defendant lives, but it does not require that schools or campus police are notified of an order.

Rojas said that with increasing numbers of people using texting as their primary way of communicating, the task force would like to see a 911 texting system implemented statewide. Unfortunately there a number of technical barriers to implementing 911 texting, so the legislation requires the Office of Statewide Emergency Telecommunications to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of developing a 911 texting system.

The founding members said the Manufacturing Caucus will examine and promote policies to help Connecticut manufacturers find trained and educated workers, operate on a level playing field with their competitors nation-wide and world-wide, and obtain the capital they need to thrive.

“Manufacturing is a critical industry in our state economy,” Rep. Rojas said. “It is also an industry in which we face stiff competition globally and domestically. For too long we have taken our manufacturing community for granted. We have often been reactionary when developing policy. This caucus, with input from industry professionals, can be more proactive in developing policy that supports growth in our manufacturing sector.”

“We’re looking forward to hosting briefings and roundtable discussions with industry experts, disseminating information, and providing resources so that the legislature can learn about the challenges and opportunities facing Connecticut’s various manufacturing sectors. We should examine every bill that we see through the lens of its impact on manufacturing,” Sen. LeBeau said.

The formation of the caucus comes as Connecticut is experiencing its lowest unemployment rate in three years and as Democratic legislators are poised to expand last fall’s landmark Jobs Bill by increasing by 3,600 the number of small manufacturers in the state (1-100 employees) who qualify for $100 million in state loans, grants and job-training funds.

But Connecticut’s manufacturing employment – both in sheer numbers and as a percentage of overall employment – are now at their lowest levels in at least 60 years, according to the Fiscal Year 2012-2013 Biennium Economic Report of the Governor.

In 2010, there were 168,000 residents employed in manufacturing in Connecticut (10.4% of all jobs), down from a high of 442,000 in 1970. In 1950, 49.6% of all state residents were employed in some type of manufacturing.

That same report notes, however, that even with those declines in overall manufacturing employment, the ratio of manufacturing employment to total state employment still defines Connecticut as one of the major manufacturing and industrial states in the country. Based on the level of personal income derived from this sector, Connecticut ranks 18th in the nation for its dependency on manufacturing.

Rojas, vice chairman of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee and member of the Education Committee, received the recognition for showing a strong commitment to early childhood issues in his district and at the legislature.

“Rep. Rojas has been a champion for Connecticut’s children during his time in the legislature and he understands how important it is for a child to be healthy, safe and ready to learn,” said Maggie Adair, executive director of the Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance. “He has taken a special interest in grade-level reading and early literacy, making sure children acquire this important life skill.”

“As a father of three young children, I see firsthand the benefits of access to quality early childhood education. It is a critical investment in our children’s future,” Rojas said. “I’m honored to receive this recognition and want to thank everyone at the Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance for this award and for all the great work they do.”

The Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance is a statewide membership and advocacy organization committed to improving developmental outcomes in the areas of learning, health, safety and economic security for children ages birth to eight.

A handful of legislators and experts joined by a large crowd of teachers met Thursday morning to try to refocus the school reform debate here around our biggest educational outrage of all: our failure to teach poor children to read.

This ought to be the focus of all school reform in Connecticut, instead of tedious arguments over union work rules, tenure, labor contracts and charter schools.

What's mystifying is that successful research-based strategies to teach poor children reading have been around since the 1990s. Some of the most significant work has been done here in Connecticut at the Haskins Laboratories in New Haven. In some places, such as at Hartford's Noah Webster School, there are dramatic results.

And yet, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's school reform proposal pays too little attention to the science of reading instruction. Another reform bill, backed by the General Assembly's Black and Puerto Rican Caucus and focusing on third-grade reading instruction, was gutted by a legislative committee this week.

"I don't understand it when we know that something works, but we don't use it. What in the world stops people from doing something about it?" asked Reid Lyon, one of the country's leading experts on reading instruction, who spoke at the state Capitol forum, which was also sponsored by the state's Commission on Children.

I first interviewed Lyon about Connecticut's reading failure when Bill Clinton was president. He hasn't changed his view.

Lyon reminded the group that in 1998, fourth-graders eligible for free or reduced-price lunch scored 35 points below their counterparts in reading. Fourteen years later, the figure hasn't changed. There are similar figures for black and Hispanic children.

"We know a great deal about what it will take to ensure that most kids learn to read," Lyon said. This includes explicit instruction, from a trained teacher, in decoding words, language structures and specific intervention strategies.

Lyon pointed to gains in school districts in Houston and Montgomery County, Md., where poor and minority students with poor reading skills have improved dramatically.

"Where the rubber meets the road is in the schools and within the school day. We have studies that indicate clearly that if we do it right we can move the majority of kids up to grade level," Lyon told me when we spoke later in the day. "Reading is a very complex skill. The only way that all readers will reach their maximum potential is by using assessment data to inform and adjust instruction where needed."

And yet a professor from Saint Joseph College told the gathering that, in general, schools of education are failing to instruct students how to teach reading.

"Overwhelmingly, Connecticut educators are not being prepared to assess and teach children to learn how to read," said Jule McCombes-Tolis, an associate professor at Saint Joseph who has studied what teachers are taught in Connecticut's colleges and universities.

Supporters of Malloy's school reform proposals say if reading was made the priority, it would add urgency to the plan. This is particularly true for provisions resisted by teacher unions, such as handing the commissioner of education new authority to remake failing schools. It's pretty clear that we need to give the state the power to revamp a school that has failed to teach children to read.

I asked Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor, who attended Thursday's meeting, why there wasn't more emphasis on reading instruction in the governor's reform plan. He said that there was — and that he is now talking with legislators are about adding more.

"We need the authority and flexibility to implement proven practices and to innovate," Pryor said. "We are in discussions as to how to build in more elements of what the caucus has proposed."

Give the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus credit for placing reading — the most glaring failure in the state's lowest performing schools —at the front of the agenda.

"It's just so fundamental to learning everything else we want our children to learn," said state Rep. Jason Rojas, whose district includes East Hartford, Manchester and Glastonbury and a sponsor of the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus's reading bill. "There's not much you can do without a strong foundation in reading."

The good news is that researchers have shown that we can make striking progress, despite poverty, if we make the right changes. It starts with making learning to read the most important job for failing schools.

EAST HARTFORD -- The Community Resource Center is holding a neighborhood chat next week to gather input from families at the Veterans Terrace housing complex.

The resource center, which is based at the East Hartford Middle School, links families and children with programs and has already hosted two other neighborhood chats.

A previous neighborhood chat at the Summerfield Townhouses on Plain Drive resulted in the creation of the "Summerfield Homework and Tutor Club," where students can get help with school work at the complex's community center.

The supervised after-school homework sessions begin on March 5 from 4:30 to 7 p.m. and students can use computers and printers to help with their work.

Resource Center Coordinator Lisa Díaz-McMahon credited the center's collaboration with East Hartford's ChildPlan, the Youth Services department, Summerfield's management company, state Rep. Jason Rojas and others for enabling the homework club.

Díaz-McMahon expects about five to seven students to attend the club initially and hopes it will grow.

Residents at Veterans Terrace are invited to meet with resource center staff to express their suggestions and ideas from 6 to 8 p.m. on March 7 at 102 Columbus Circle. The chat was originally scheduled for Feb. 29, but was postponed due to inclement weather forecasts.

The funding builds on last year’s commitment, which allocated more than $130 million to this effort, bringing the total commitment to nearly $500 million over the next ten years

“This is a long overdue investment in already existing assets that have been neglected for far too long,” Rojas said. “All of our communities that host state-owned properties will benefit from the important commitment and the families that call public housing home will be better served and have their quality of life improved.”

The proposal emphasizes the governor’s commitment to creating housing for low- and moderate-income residents as a driver of economic growth and making Connecticut a more vibrant place to work and live.

The package builds upon the initiatives Governor Malloy included in last year’s budget, including an increase of $30 million in bonding for each of the next ten years for public housing to bring deteriorated and vacant units back on line; an additional $20 million that will increase affordable housing options; an additional $12.5 million in capital funding to re-invigorate the state’s elderly congregate housing; and an annualized $1.5 million for the Rental Assistance Program (RAP) to support an additional 150 RAPs for scattered site supportive housing, which assists low-income families with securing affordable decent, safe and sanitary housing.

It is estimated that these housing initiatives included in the current two-year budget will create or retain over 6,700 construction and other related jobs.

“Investing in housing where there are is already infrastructure is smart policy and this advances an agenda for making affordable housing more available especially since we have high housing costs,” Rojas said.

Governor Malloy is also proposing a reorganization of the state’s housing functions into a new State Office of Housing within the Department of Economic & Community Development to provide leadership and facilitate coordination, consolidating a number of offices from several state agencies in order to strengthen the state’s structure and vision on housing initiatives.

 “For the past twenty years, the State of Connecticut has languished in its affordable housing commitments, not investing in this critical area that is needed to help individuals and families find stability and employment. It’s time we changed that approach and make Connecticut a better, more affordable place to live,” Governor Malloy said. “As many studies have shown, every dollar spent on affordable housing generates multiple times that amount in private economic activity. Housing is going to be a key component of our success to get Connecticut moving again.”

“Our commitment to increasing the availability of affordable housing is an investment in families and our economy that will result in a solid return for Connecticut residents,” Speaker of the House Christopher G. Donovan (D-Meriden) said. “I look forward to working with the Governor on this important initiative.”

Financial-aid counselors and college staff will be available to talk from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and give one-on-one advice about financial aid and planning for college. In Manchester, a forum will be held at Great Patch Academy, on the Manchester Community College campus.

Rojas said that participating in College Goal Sunday gives students and their families a great first step on the pathway to college. It gives the students and families an opportunity to learn about preparing for college and financial aid in a comfortable setting, he added.

Rojas said that in a single afternoon, students and their families can become familiar with college entrance requirements, learn about planning for college and obtain on-site assistance in filling out financial aid applications. In addition, there will be information about the benefits of attending college, student support services, areas of study and different degree programs. Spanish interpreters will be available.

For more information about the event, call (888) 277-2270, email info@collegegoalsundayct.org or visit website: www.collegegoalsundayct.org

Rep. Rojas was chosen by Rep. Gary A. Holder-Winfield, chairman of the legislature’s Black and Puerto Rican Caucus, who noted Rojas’ work on the Education Committee and dedication to narrowing the achievement gap between minority and white students and increasing achievement for all students in Connecticut.

“I am honored to have been re-appointed to Connecticut’s Achievement Gap Task Force. This is my third year of working on education reform for the state and I look forward to the next legislative session where education will be a primary focus,” Rojas said.

“While our work will be a bit different than that of the first task force, the goal remains the same. We need to close our achievement gap because it is the right thing to do for all of our students and because it is critical to the success of our state’s economy,” he said.

“The primary responsibility of the task force this time around will be to provide oversight to an inter-agency council on the achievement gap, which will be made of representatives from a number of state agencies who we believe have existing resources and policy expertise that can prove vital closing our achievement gap. These agencies have operated in silos in the past and the Task Force will bring them together to focus on this pressing issue. I look forward to getting to work,” Rojas said.

The East Hartford lawmakers also praised the legislature for approving the state’s commitment to Jackson Laboratory – a critical investment in a $1.1 billion project that unlocks the potential of thousands of jobs in genomic medicine and the biosciences.

“We all worked together in a bipartisan manner and Connecticut is the winner,” Genga (D-East Hartford) said, referring to the comprehensive jobs bill.

“What we accomplished today can be used as a blueprint for success tomorrow,” Rojas (D-East Hartford, Glastonbury, Manchester) said during the special session of General Assembly. “We need to keep looking for new ways to help companies, especially small business, grow and expand.”

Larson (D-East Hartford, South Windsor) said Connecticut’s legislature, unlike many others across the country, was able to create a bipartisan agenda to support small businesses, grow jobs and spur innovation. “The work we accomplished today will help put Connecticut back to work and usher our state into a new era of science, technology and job creation,” he said.

The lawmakers also lauded the legislature for approving Jackson Laboratory’s plan to build a $1.1 billion research facility at the University of Connecticut Health Center campus in Farmington. The State of Connecticut will invest $291 million and Jackson Laboratory will raise the balance of $860 million for the project.

According to the state Department of Economic and Community Development, the project is expected to create over 660 positions at Jackson Laboratory in Farmington within 20 years. The department estimates more than 4,600 bioscience jobs would be generated through spin-off companies and another 2,000 would be added to local service and area retail stores. The project would yield more than 840 construction jobs as well.

“Connecticut’s investment in bioscience will pay dividends for generations,” Genga said.

“By approving this project, we are sending a clear message to everyone outside of Connecticut that this state is open for business and that we want to be a world leader in the field of bioscience,” Rojas said.

The goal of the comprehensive jobs bill is to jump-start job creation and foster long-term economic growth through small-business incentives, less government red tape, incentives for innovation, economic development tools and workforce development and training.

A key part of the legislation is the Small Business Express Package, which will make $50 million a year available to small businesses through incentives, grants and loans.

“Small business continues to be the engine that drives our economy,” Larson said. “Investing in the future of Connecticut’s small businesses is essential to our continued economic growth.”

Another vital component is aligning programs at vo-tech schools, community colleges and universities with high demand job needs of employers, including the state’s manufacturing technology companies.

Other components of the jobs bill include:

• Consolidating and increasing the tax credit for new hires
• Creating investment incentives for angel investors in emerging technology
• Building innovation centers in key cities and investing in innovative ventures
• A second “First Five” program
• Cutting the business entity tax
• Streamlining the business permitting process
• Remediating old industrial sites/brownfields
• Computer upgrades to foster seamless communication between business and the state
• Workforce development, education and training
• Allowing the Airport Authority to designate new Development Zones
• Investments in roads and bridges
• Replenishing the Manufacturing Assistance Act
• Main Street commercial centers improvement initiative

Karen Jarmoc, the coalition’s interim executive director, said Thursday that Rep. Rojas is among the first leaders in Connecticut to make a commitment to ending domestic violence in the state.

“Jason is a great leader who is committed to helping our organization and its member programs as we work to educate and reshape the public understanding of domestic violence,” said Jarmoc, a former state representative from Enfield. “The First 100 men have committed to stand with us as we help make victims safer through heightened awareness and the preservation of core services.”

Rep. Rojas co-sponsored legislation enacted this year that strengthens laws concerning domestic violence.

“Stopping domestic violence along with protecting and supporting victims is an ongoing challenge,” Rep. Rojas said, noting that 30 percent of criminal court dockets involve domestic violence. “This year much of our focus was on improving law enforcement and victim services.”

Provisions in the new laws aimed at combating domestic violence include:

• Increasing access to restraining and protective orders
  
  
• Strengthening regulatory authority over bail bond agents and addressing “undercutting”
  
  
• Maintaining funding for 24/7 staffing at the state’s domestic violence emergency shelters
  
  
• Improving information sharing between state agencies
  
  
• Allowing victims who have experienced a pattern of threatening or stalking to request a restraining order and clarifies that people of any age, including teens, can request a restraining order to protect them from a partner who has subjected them to abuse
  
  
• Requiring offenders to surrender their firearms to police or sell them to a federally-licensed firearms dealer if the offender is barred from possessing them due to a restraining or protective order
  
  
• Providing restitution to the families of victims of domestic violence like that provided to families of other crime victims
  
  
• Fixing a contradiction in the statutes that exempts people in dating relationships from arrest when a domestic violence crime is alleged to have been committed, so that police have clear authority to make such arrests

Todd Whitehouse, association president, praised Rojas, the vice chairman of legislature’s Finance Committee, for being a longtime friend and strong supporter of small and family-owned businesses during the association’s 14th annual golf outing Sept. 20 in Farmington.

“Jason Rojas, has been a strong supporter of the CCA and was instrumental in our recent legislative victory, which kept the sales tax off our carwash services. He is a true friend of the CCA and extremely worthy of this honor,” Whitehouse said.

“There is a lot of attention being paid to the concerns of small business and I am proud to have played a role supporting the hundreds of small and family-owned car washes that employ hundreds of people in Connecticut,” Rojas said.

“They had real concerns about how a sales tax on car washes would be implemented and asked to meet with me as vice chairman of the Finance Committee. They provided me a great view into the world of small business and the challenges they face every day. I am glad I was able to play a role in supporting their businesses and am honored that they chose to recognize me.”

Irene knocked out power to more than half of Connecticut when it hit the state on the last weekend of August, with tens of thousands of homes and businesses still in the dark a week later.

“Frontline CL&P workers and crews brought in from out of state did an incredible job under extremely difficult circumstances, but when people had to wait up to a week or more to get their power back there are some tough questions we have to ask as we work to find ways to improve the response,” said Rojas. “In many cases, when the power goes out people are also without water and that adds serious health issues on top of inconvenience. Thankfully, this didn’t happen in the cold of winter.”

The legislature’s Energy, Public Safety, Planning and Development, and Labor committees will conduct the hearings to examine what went right and wrong with the hurricane response and to make sure the state and utility companies are better prepared for the inevitable next major storm.

On September 19th, the first hearing will begin at 9:30 a.m. with representatives of CL&P, UI and municipal utilities, followed by municipal representatives and officials from telephone, cable and wireless utility companies. The hearing will conclude at 4:30 p.m.

On September 26th, members of the public will have the opportunity to appear before the committees beginning at 9:00 a.m., followed by union representatives and the electric utility companies. Members of the public will have an additional chance for comment before the hearing closes in early afternoon.

And for those who cannot attend, Senate and House Democrats have set up Facebook and Twitter accounts at http://www.facebook.com/pages/After-Irene-CT/262762473747233 and http://twitter.com/#!/AfterIreneCT to accept public comments and suggestions about experiences with the storm and the state’s readiness for and response to it.

Rojas, a member of Planning and Development), is asking residents interested in providing input to email him their suggestions, concerns and experience with Irene at Jason.Rojas@cga.ct.gov
so that he can get that information to other legislators in a timely fashion.

“Government’s top responsibility is to protect and serve the public, and the time is now to prepare and figure out what can be improved upon when the next Irene strikes,” Rojas said.

“These sidewalks are in serious need of replacement, many original to 1950’s era housing,” said Rep. Luxenberg. “When we went door to door during my first campaign to represent the north-end of Manchester in the State House - people told me they wanted two things - jobs and better sidewalks - and now thanks to this delegation and Governor Malloy - we have delivered both. The feedback has been nothing but positive.”

Construction of the final phase is anticipated to begin toward the end of summer and completion is expected to take three months and wrap up before the end of the construction season. The project funding will provide six to eight construction positions.

“I would l like to thank Governor Malloy for his support of this project and Rep. Luxemberg for taking the lead on securing these funds for the Green Manor neighborhood,” said Rep. Rojas. “The replacement of sidewalks is usually something we take for granted but it’s been my experience that proper maintenance of sidewalks leads to a higher quality of life for residents, reduced costs over the long run and a reduction in tripping accidents which can lead to costly litigation for the town”

The sidewalks will be standard concrete and are anticipated to last another 60 years. They will be a foot wider (5.5 feet) than the old sidewalks with intersections ADA compliant with ramps. Local drainage issues will be addressed as well.

“We’re excited about the opportunity to complete phase 3 of the sidewalk replacements thanks to the funding from the state,” said Mark Carlino, Director of Public Works in Manchester. “We completed phase one last year and will complete phase two within a month.”

The Queenie Foundation, a Manchester nonprofit, will hold its 16th annual observance of International Homeless Animals Day on Saturday, Aug. 20, on Hubbard Green, Hubbard Street, Glastonbury, from 3 to 7:30 p.m.

For the first time, the event will include a pooch parade and costume contest with prizes for dogs in three weight divisions and the best pet and owner lookalikes.

Celebrity judges are Clark Denis, lead singer from local band DiamondBack; Rep. Jason Rojas, D-East Hartford, and Bob Kester from Rock 102FM.

Meet adoptable dogs and cats; eat delicious food from Hartford's Lion's Den, browse at vendors' booths while listening to groovy music provided by local duo Unsung Heroes.

Sponsors include Design 4 Paws, Be the Dog, Leaps & Bones, Sweet Pea Natural Pet Food, Lesson Pros, and BJ's Wholesale Club.

Sponsored services are ear cleaning and nail clipping, paw reading and massage from Zodiapet, reiki for you and your companion from Cosmos & Sage, and a dog wash.

Vendors will offer a variety of items from chair massage to jewelry to homemade dog clothes and accessories. Visitors can also commemorate the day with their companion's paw print. Raffles include a wide array of items from fine wine to gift certificates for grooming.

The event will conclude with an interfaith Blessing of the Animals and a candlelight remembrance of the companion animals who were killed in shelters this year.

All proceeds benefit The Queenie Foundation's rescue and adoption program.

MANCHESTER — Representatives of the state Department of Children and Families told Nutmeg Drive residents Tuesday night that they will consider new policies to address neighbors' concerns about a group home for troubled teenage boys on the street.

Some of the approximately 70 residents who crowded into the Lincoln Center hearing room asked DCF to close the group home, located at 89 Nutmeg Drive. Others asked for the home's directors to be stricter with the teens who live there.

"We fear our own safety and we fear the safety of these children because sooner or later something bad could happen," said one resident.

Mike Williams, a DCF regional administrator for Hartford and Manchester said, "We acknowledge your anger your frustration and all the concerns that you bring. We know that they are real. We are not sidestepping it. We are not trying to ignore it or disrespect it."

In addition to considering new policies, DCF representatives said they would meet more frequently with residents of the neighborhood to hear any future concerns, according to Jay Moran, a member of the town's board of directors who lives near the group home. The meeting Tuesday was organized by state Rep. Jason Rojas, D-East Hartford.

The Nutmeg Drive home, which opened in 2006, is one of several small, residential facilities operated for DCF by Southington-based Community Residences Inc. as a DCF STAR (Short Term Assessment and Respite) facility. STAR facilities serve as temporary homes and treatment centers for teenage boys and girls who have been "abused and/or neglected and are in crisis and/or homeless," according to the Community Residences website, http://www.criinc.org/star.html.

Residents' long-term concerns about neighborhood safety and their questions about the amount of control the home's directors have over the teens were heightened recently with the arrest of Charles Wilson, 19, accused of shooting and killing a local convenience store clerk in May. Wilson had lived at the Nutmeg Drive home several years ago, according to Police Chief Marc Montminy.

Beyond safety concerns, local police have said that a major problem is the many calls officers must respond to regarding residents of the home who are absent without permission. In 2010, police responded to 74 calls at 89 Nutmeg Drive. Through June 20 of this year, police have been called to the home 70 times. Of those 144 calls, 120 were for teenagers who were reported missing, Montminy has said.

In the great majority of cases, the boy returned or was brought back the same day. However, when police receive such reports, an officer must gather information from the home staff, file a report in a national database and go back to the home to ensure that the child has returned, Montminy has said.

Besides the missing children reports, police also have been called to 89 Nutmeg Drive and other local DCF-contracted group homes for reports of illegal drugs or larcenies from area residents, Montminy has said.

HARTFORD, Conn.— The Connecticut House of Representatives on Tuesday bypassed a decision on raising the state's kindergarten age and, instead, passed a bill to create a task force that would study the issue as part of an effort to reduce the achievement gap among students in rich and poor districts.

The bill, which already passed the Senate and now heads to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's desk, creates the new group to come up with ways to reduce the state's academic achievement gap. As part of that task, the same group would study how to narrow the kindergarten age range. A report is due July 1, 2012.

Rep. Jason Rojas, D-East Hartford, said lawmakers originally planned to change the entrance age requirement from age 5 by January 1 to Oct. 1 of the school year, starting 2015, but held off because many children would be turned away from kindergarten. Proponents of the bill have said there aren't enough available preschool spots for those children in the meantime.

Rojas said lawmakers still hope the state will be able to make the age change in 2015.

Under the bill, the new task force must develop a master plan that identifies achievement gaps between racial and ethnic groups, socio-economic groups, gender and English language-learners and English-speaking students. The plan will include annual benchmarks for closing the achievement gap.

The bill also permits local or regional school boards to increase the number of school days each year to improve student performance. Current law requires at least 180.

The Connecticut House of Representatives passed a bill early Tuesday that essentially accepts Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s proposal to plug a $2 billion hole in the upcoming $40.1 billion budget with $1.6 billion in union concessions and an additional $400 million in spending cuts and surplus revenue.

But it remains unclear if the governor’s plan will balance out. The nonpartisan Office of Fiscal Analysis issued a fiscal note Monday saying it could not verify the savings and concessions estimated by Malloy’s administration due to lack of information.

According to an Associated Press report, the 277-page bill passed early Tuesday morning in an 84-63 vote, after six and a half hours of debate.

The union concessions – which include a mix of wage freezes and modifications to current health care and pension agreements – still have not been ratified by the state’s more than 45,000 unionized employees, while the additional $400 million in savings relies mainly on funds from the $1 billion in surplus or “rainy day” account built into the coming budget.

Republicans and some Democrats who opposed the bill argued that the state should not be dipping into its “rainy day” fund to balance its budget, according to the Associated Press report. Yet, supporters said it was important to approve the plan before the legislature adjourns for the year on Wednesday.

“The passing of the implementer was another step in bringing closure to the budget process that was begun almost five months ago by Governor Malloy,” State Rep. Jason Rojas, a Democrat who represents parts of Manchester, Glastonbury and East Hartford, said. “While I did not support the budget for a number of important policy reasons this implementer was key to articulating policy that came out of the budget statement that was passed in early May.”

“There are two sections that that I am very supportive of: canceling the need to issue Economic Recovery Revenue Bonds, which were passed during the last biennium allowing for the elimination of the Competitive Transition Assessment on consumers electric bills, and the creation of a Regional Performance Incentive Grant Program that provides funds to municipalities for jointly performing a service they currently perform separately which will allow for great cost and service delivery efficiency,” Rojas said.

The bill moved to the state Senate for debate Tuesday.

Monday’s report by the OFA appears to further complicate the process, according to CT News Junkie, an online news Web site.  

Republican Party Chairman Chris Healy issued a statement soon after the OFA analysis criticizing Malloy and legislative Democrats for producing a budget that he said “doesn’t add up.”

“Gov. Malloy’s grand plan to ring $1.6 billion in savings from state employee unions has been long on rhetoric and short on reality,” Healy said in the release. “Now it has been revealed to be a outright fraud.”

And then there is the issue of the union concessions themselves, which would need to be ratified by July 1, the beginning of the new fiscal year, in order for the state budget to balance by that date.

Matt O’Connor, a spokesman for the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition, which represents more than 45,000 of the state’s unionized employees, said that union leaders had finished informing rank and file members about the basics called for under the concessions deal, and would be holding a series of votes to ratify the agreement. He said that at least 14 of SEBAC’s 15 unions would have to ratify the agreement for it to take affect, and that he expected the voting to conclude by June 25. (The SEBAC’s analysis of the concession agreement is attached as a PDF to this article Page 1, Page 2)

O’Connor said that although union members were having difficulty accepting some of the concessions for contracted benefits they had previously negotiated, he expected the agreement would be ratified. He said he thought the agreement of no layoffs of state employees over the next four years would overrule all other factors.

“It’s going to be a tough decision for everybody, no question about it,” O’Connor said. “But I think workers realize that it’s fair.”

CT News Junkie reported Tuesday that Malloy told a group of reporters during a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Connecticut Center for Advance Technology in East Hartford that he was “confident” that his administration would reach “those dollar amounts” called for under the implementer. 

SEBAC also provides this link where unionized workers can watch a series of YouTube videos explaining the concession agreement.

“This bill is a continuation of the work that was begun during my first term and I am proud that we were able to move this legislation through the House in a bi-partisan manner,” Rojas said.

“The legislation (HB 6629) makes a number of significant changes to current law. Most importantly, it requires law enforcement officers to arrest a person who commits a family violence crime against someone he or she is dating,” Rojas said.

The bill improves the state’s response to domestic violence in a number of ways, including strengthening access to restraining and protective orders, improving information sharing between state agencies, facilitating victims’ access to services, providing law enforcement with the tools they need to protect our communities and requiring the judicial branch to look at long-term solutions, Rojas said.

“We have all seen the terrible incidences of domestic violence over the past couple of years and we must continue to work to improve our state's ability to mitigate domestic violence as well as work to adequately respond to it,” Rojas said.

The legislation expands the ability of victims who have experienced a pattern of threatening or stalking to request a restraining order, and clarifies that people of any age, including teens, can request a restraining order to protect them from a partner who has subjected them to abuse.

The bill also fixes a contradiction in state law that currently exempts people in dating relationships from arrest when a domestic violence crime is committed, so that police have clear authority to make such arrests.

“We have seen a lot of progress since the Tracey Thurman law in 1986, but tragically domestic violence continues to plague families in each one of our communities,” House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan (D-Meriden) said. “One of our priorities is to strengthen the response of law enforcement to domestic violence and develop a statewide law enforcement model policy that articulates best practices, for example, for responding to violations of restraining and protective orders.”

The task force heard concerns about a lack of timely response from law enforcement to restraining order violations. To improve response time, courts will be authorized to issue a standing post-trial criminal protective order for certain offenses against children, which will promote more timely and lawful arrests of those in violation.

This legislation will improve access to domestic violence services by requiring police officers to provide victims with information about their regional domestic violence program so they can obtain trauma-informed counseling and other emergency services.

It also creates a task force charged with developing a statewide law enforcement model policy that articulates best practices for police when responding to incidents of domestic violence, including a thorough examination of the state's “dual arrest” policy.

The bill will allow families of victims of domestic violence to receive restitution like that provided to families of other crime victims. It also requires offenders to surrender their firearms to police or sell them to a federally-licensed firearms dealer if the offender is barred from possessing them due to a restraining or protective order.

The bill also requires judicial branch staff to disclose to the state Department of Children and Families (DCF) information indicating if a defendant poses a threat to a child. It also permits judicial branch family relations counselors to disclose information about a defendant to pretrial programs to ensure they provide appropriate services and to adult probation officers to ensure appropriate sentencing.

“I am very happy both the House and Senate unanimously approved this bill (HB 6286),” said Rojas, who sponsored the bill. “The legislation requires the MDC to set aside 25 percent of all contracts or portions of contracts for bidding by small contractors and minority business enterprises. The contracts could amount to $500 million of work for locally owned small businesses.”

The MDC is undertaking a $2 billion, 15-year sanitary sewer improvement project, known as the Clean Water Project, to comply with consent orders from the U.S. Department of Environmental Protection and the state Department of Environmental Protection.

The project will reduce the amount of sewage and nitrogen flowing into the Connecticut River and be funded primarily with money approved by taxpayers through a special sewer service charge on MDC customer water bills.

In 2008 the MDC established a Small Local Business Enterprise program to provide contracting opportunities that allowed the MDC to increase its small local business participation by approximately 10 percent above its normal participation while maintaining competitive pricing.

Unfortunately, the Small Local Business Enterprise program has been limited to non-Clean Water Program contracts and this was the result of Department of Environmental Protection regulations, which restrict the awarding of contracts based on geographical limitations, Rojas said.

“This current legislation will amend the 2008 legislation and allow for greater participation for small and local businesses from MDC member towns, which are the primary funding source for the project,” Rojas said.

The program is a collaborative effort by the foundation, a non-profit organization based in Centerville, Mass., and the university, which was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, one of the country’s founding fathers.

“I am honored that I was first nominated to apply for this leadership program by House Speaker Christopher Donovan and subsequently chosen to participate this summer,” Rojas said.

“Jason has already proven to be an important voice in the legislature and has demonstrated day in and day out his leadership capabilities especially in the areas of education, finance and planning and development,” Donovan said.

“The Emerging Leaders Program will be held at the Darden School of Business and I am confident that this experience will make me a better legislator and leader for the people I represent,” Rojas said. “Some of the seminars I will be taking include “Political Leadership in a Flat World,” “Ethics, Values and Political Leadership” and “The Global Achievement Gap.”

The Emerging Leaders Program has been designed for men and women who are judged by their peers to be likely future leaders in their state. Rep. Rojas was one of the 50 leaders from 39 states who were chosen to participate in the program. The program includes a series of intense interactive and often provocative discussions led by distinguished University of Virginia Darden School of Business faculty. The legislators are given numerous opportunities to measure their expertise and knowledge against some of the most successful political and business leaders in the nation.

The cost of the program is paid through grants from major businesses throughout the country.

“I am looking forward to learning important lessons and bringing them back to Connecticut. I am also particularly grateful to Chris Donovan choosing and supporting me for this terrific educational program,” Rojas said.

Ashley Seward, an eighth-grader at East Hartford Middle School, was handing out lemonade drinks and taking money as fast as she could. Business was good at “Annabelle's Stand," which Seward named after a childhood friend. For the second year in a row, Seward has been a participant in 'Lemonade Day," a nationwide program that teaches entrepreneurial skills to youth.

Town Council Chair Rich Kehoe at a lemonade stand run by 6-year-old Elisha Muzin Robar, a student at Hockanum Elementary School. Photos by Frances Taylor.

“Lemonade Day," on May 1, gave youngsters from elementary school through high school hands-on experience with running their own businesses. Students are required to learn advertising and marketing, planning and budgeting in order to make their business a success. They must also create their own product, their own version of ice cold lemonade.

“They learn where to place their business to get the best foot traffic, they learn how to market their product to get customers," said Jeff Crandall, a spokesman for Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT), which sponsored the event. CCAT is a non-profit corporation that fosters economic development through a range of local and regional programs. East Hartford Childplan, Inc., and Maffe Foundation were co-sponsors.

Students brought their products into CCAT the day before, where judges awarded prizes for best-testing, best marketing and other categories. Seward, who won the award for the most successful stand last year, won best-testing for her strawberry lemonade this year. Seward named her stand after her friend, who died of cancer at age 8. Proceeds from the stand will be donated to Connecticut Children's Medical Center. Each stand is expected to give some portion to charity or a community organization.

“It’s been fun making the lemonade," Seward said. “We have all different flavors.”

A yellow school bus carrying the judges and local leaders made the rounds to a half-dozen lemonade stands across town. Mayor Marcia Leclerc, state Rep. Jason Rojas (D-East Hartford), Town Council Chair Rich Kehoe, and Board of Education Chair Mary Alice Dwyer Hughes were among those who made the trip.

“It's been very impressive – all the work and commitment to the project that the kids have shown," Leclerc said.

Several stands decided to diversify their product line by selling other items. Eric and Evan Card, 10-year-old twin brothers, also sold frozen pudding pops at their stand, as well coconut flavored lemonade. “We are going to pay our mom back and save to by an Xbox," Evan said.

Anthony Velez went into business with his friends Carl Ngobeni, 12, and Davin Shields, 5. They also sold homemade cupcakes at their lemonade stand. “I'm going to give 10 percent to charity, and the rest to pay my employees," Velez said.

HARTFORD — Manchester is now slated to receive $3 million in state funding for a reconstruction of Broad Street near the abandoned part of the Parkade strip mall, after the money was approved for release Friday by the State Bond Commission.

The money will go toward the town’s “streetscape” project, which has been in the works for six years. Plans call for reconstructing Broad Street between Center Street and East Middle Turnpike to make the street and lanes uniform widths, fix drainage problems, and add sidewalks on both sides. Garden medians, brick-paved crosswalks, and trees to camouflage overhead power lines also are part of the plan.

Members of Manchester’s legislative delegation celebrated the news this month when they learned the funding was likely to be released.

“This $3 million is a wonderful investment in our community, the redevelopment of Broad Street, and its old Parkade plaza.” Democratic Rep. John W. Thompson said.

The Bond Commission, which gives the final approval for state borrowing and releases the funds for lawmaker-approved projects, also released nearly $90 million of state money to build the controversial New Britain-to-Hartford busway, as well as funding technology upgrades at community colleges in Manchester and Enfield.

In Manchester, the Broad Street project is expected to cost $5 million. The town’s Board of Directors has earmarked $2 million to match the state funds, but the town’s borrowing hasn’t been authorized yet. The money could come from the $8 million in bonding that voters approved in 2009 for a larger Broad Street and Parkade redevelopment plan.

Plans for Broad Street include tearing down vacant buildings in and near the Parkade and turning the property over to a developer for a mix of small retail, residential, and entertainment uses. Walking trails along nearby Bigelow Brook and into Center Springs Park also are envisioned.

“These are the types of strategic capital investments that will help keep Manchester Community College and the entire community college system at the forefront of affordable and accessible higher education,” Rep. Rojas said after the commission voted. “MCC has experienced dramatic growth over the last decade. In order to meet the needs of our students and workforce, investments in technology enhancements will allow us to further improve the quality of education,” Rojas added.

“I taught at MCC for 28 years and I can tell you from firsthand experience the difference that modern equipment makes to both the teaching and the learning experience,” said Sen. Cassano “Just the exposure to this kind of new technology provides will help prepare students for the modern workforce that they are about to enter themselves.” 

The money will be used to buy technology and telecommunications equipment and to make related technology infrastructure improvements. Items to be purchased include equipment for telecommunication closets, network wiring, switches, routers, servers, wireless hardware and software and related telecommunications hardware and software.

“This bonding will enable MCC to continue to be a leading educational institution in the state,” Rep. Thompson said. “We are so fortunate that our children and the adults in our town as well have this college right in our community.”

“Manchester Community College is an invaluable resource and I applaud Governor Malloy for approving these much needed upgrades,” said Rep. Luxenberg. “It’s critical to be on par with available technological advancements if we are to remain economically competitive in the global market.”

“Our community colleges service not only traditional college aged students but working professionals and adults who want a career change or who are looking to advance themselves in the difficult economic environment that we are still working through,” Rojas said. “Access to technology will provide our students the leg up they need to compete.”

MANCHESTER — Redevelopment of Broad Street between Center Street and West Middle Turnpike will move forward, probably this summer, with the help of state money.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced Wednesday that next week's state Bond Commission agenda will include $3 million for the reconstruction and streetscape project. The town intends to kick in $2 million from an $8 million bond issue that voters approved for redevelopment of the Broad Street commercial district in 2009.

Reconstruction will include work on the roadway, sidewalks, lighting and landscaping, town General Manager Scott Shanley said. The $5 million job will go out to bid within the next several weeks and the town's goal is to start work this summer, Shanley said.

The board of directors recently approved purchasing the parkade property for $1.85 million, and plans are moving forward to demolish the crumbling buildings that once housed a supermarket, department store and other shops. Demolition is estimated to cost about $2 million.

"Not only will this funding for redevelopment and construction create new jobs now, but as we make this area more attractive to businesses, we can help grow more jobs down the line, as well," Malloy said in a prepared statement. "This is a great example of a state and local partnership which will help create jobs and spur private investment, too."

The project will reconstruct the area between Middle Turnpike and Center Street by creating uniform traffic land widths, establishing curb cuts for all properties to better manage traffic, providing uniform sidewalks on both sides of the street, and eliminating storm water drainage problems, according to a press release from Malloy's office.

The street reconstruction is one part of the overall Broad Street redevelopment plan, which has a goal of eliminating blight and repositioning the district as a mix of residential, civic and retail uses.

"This $3 million is a wonderful investment in our community, the redevelopment of Broad Street and its old Parkade Plaza," said state Rep. John Thompson, D-Manchester. "Because of the foresight of Governor Malloy and our state leaders, this area of Manchester where many people, including me, used to shop, will flourish again."

"I'd like to thank the Governor for his support of the Broad Street Redevelopment initiative," said state Rep. Jason Rojas, a Democrat who represents part of Manchester. "Town taxpayers and the board of directors have committed resources and energy to the project and this appropriation will make the project a true state and local partnership which will help the town reach the goals that we have for improving this major commercial corridor."

"I want to thank former state Rep. Ryan Barry, the entire Manchester delegation and especially Governor Malloy for their leadership," said state Representative Geoff Luxenberg, D-Manchester. "This funding is exactly what Broad Street, the Parkade and Manchester need to enter into a new phase of economic development and prosperity. Tim Devanney, Chairman of the redevelopment gency, and the agency members have done an outstanding job as well. A brighter, better Manchester is now within our reach thanks to Governor Malloy."

The state Bond Commission is scheduled to vote on the item at its April 29 meeting at 10:30 a.m. in Room 1E of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford.

This section of Broad Street between Center Street and West Middle Turnpike is to be reconstructed, with new roadway, sidewalks, lighting, drainage improvements and plantings