As his party backed him for a record ninth term, Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. used his political campaign to rally Democrats around a second campaign — this one for “school change.”
DeStefano accepted a unanimous endorsement from the Democratic Town Committee at its convention at Barnard Environmental Studies Magnet School Tuesday evening. He seized the opportunity to issue a call to action for school reform.
“We will create the best urban school district in America,” he declared during his acceptance speech, to a round of applause from Democrats gathered in the garden at the school on Derby Avenue.
On his lapel was a sticker reading “I Support School Change.” It was one sign of a second campaign afoot, a “New Haven School Change Campaign.”
The school campaign was rolled out Tuesday in the form of pamphlets, stickers, a petition, and sturdy yellow cards promoting a new website, New Haven School Change.org. The campaign is being run by the New Haven Public School Foundation to build support for the principles behind DeStefano’s school reform initiative.
DeStefano has made school reform the centerpiece of his reelection campaign since its kickoff in February. Since then, he and the schools superintendent have been making rounds throughout the city, pitching the school reform initiative to community stakeholders.
The plan is based on four points: measuring performance school by school; recruiting and retaining talented staff; a “three-tiered” setup by which failing schools would be closed and possibly reopened as charters; and The “Promise”: A new fund that will ensure that every high school graduate can afford to go to college.
A Six-Year Pledge
DeStefano used his acceptance speech Tuesday to bring that plan into clearer focus.
He laid out a timeline to close the achievement gap: In six years, he pledged, New Haven Public Schools will reach the state average of students performing “at goal” on Connecticut Mastery Tests. To get there, the school system will have to double the number of students meeting the “at goal” standard, he said.
The Promise program, to be paid for with private funds, will be phased in starting in September 2010, the mayor said.
DeStefano also pledged to make sure each kid makes it through high school without dropping out. High school dropouts make $28,000 less annually than those who complete college, and have a shorter life expectancy, he said.
Boosting high school graduation rates has the potential to “reduce violence more than anything we can do within our police department,” DeStefano said. He didn’t attach a timeline to that goal.
After laying out the plans, DeStefano turned to the crowd of Democratic Party activists and candidates. He called on them to join the school reform effort and incorporate it into their campaigns as they go door to door.
“This is not a Newhallville issue. It is not a Dixwell or East Shore issue,” he said. “It is not an East Rock or West Rock or Hill or Fair Haven issue. It’s an issue of our own values, our vision and our own ability to work together to do more than others think possible.”
Dixwell Deja V√∫
Democrats unanimously approved the rest of the slate of aldermen, as well as Ron Smith for the position of city/town clerk, with only two surprises.
Co-chairs from the city’s 30 wards stepped forward to make endorsements. All appeared to stick by the wishes of their ward committees, including in Edgewood’s Ward 24, which endorsed Alderwoman Liz McCormack over City Hall’s candidate, Marcus Paca.
In Dixwell’s Ward 22, committee Co-Chair Cordelia Thorpe (pictured) made a surprise announcement: “I nominate myself, Cordelia Thorpe.” She said she held a private meeting with her half of the ward committee at which they voted to endorse her as alderwoman. Her fellow co-chair, Gina Phillips, nominated Alderman Greg Morehead. DTC Chair Susie Voigt broke the tie by casting her vote for Morehead, too.
“Mr. DeStefano’s missing out, because I could be a big help to the City of New Haven,” said Thorpe after the vote. Her announcement creates a three-way race among Thorpe, Morehead and Lisa Hopkins for a Sept. 15 primary. The three are no strangers: they’ve all faced off before for the same seat.
Another surprise came in Fair Haven’s Ward 14, where Democrats are looking for a replacement for Alderwoman Erin Sturgis-Pascale, who is stepping down after three years. The ward committee met and nominated Stephanie Bauer.
Tuesday, Ward 14 Co-Chair Rafael Ramos (second from left in photo) relayed that endorsement to the DTC, which added Bauer to the slate. However, his fellow co-chair, Joan Forte (in sunglasses), abstained from the vote, amid rumors that she’s running for alderwoman. She declined to address that rumor. She said only that a steering committee has been created; she wouldn’t say who the candidate is.
Democrats currently hold 28 of the 30 seats on the Board of Aldermen. Their final slate was endorsed unanimously. It includes 24 incumbent Democratic aldermen plus: Mike Jones in Ward 1; Justin Elicker in Ward 10 against Green Alderman Allan Brison; Bauer in Ward 14; Susan Campion in Ward 18 against Republican Arlene DePino; Greg Dildine in Ward 25 to replace Ina Silverman; and Darnell Goldson in Ward 30 to replace Michelle Edmonds-Sepulveda.