Clips

CT Mirror • 1st April 2026

CT lawmakers' budget leaves out key funding boost for schools

Students, teachers and school administrators were gathered at the steps of the Meriden Board of Education building Tuesday in support of an increase to Connecticut’s core school funding grant when they got some bad news from their state senator, Jan Hochadel.

The legislature’s Appropriations Committee had proposed flat-funding the grant for yet another year.

A wave of “boos” passed through the crowd.
“Oh yeah. We need it louder!” Hochadel said.

“Boo!” several members of the crowd shouted.

T...

CT Mirror • 28th March 2026

No Kings rallies in CT draw thousands, old and young, in protest

Protestors and activists packed the Connecticut state Capitol lawn in Hartford on Saturday for the third “No Kings” rally since the November 2024 election of President Donald Trump to a second term. 

At the most recent “No Kings” rally, which took place in October, an estimated 10,000 people came to the state Capitol to protest the Trump administration’s actions on immigration, health care, environmental regulation rollbacks and voting redistricting.

Capitol Police on Saturday estimated that...

CT Mirror • 8th March 2026

Should CT adopt a cellphone ban in schools? Lawmakers to decide

James Tierinni has seen what happens when schools ban phones.

“About eight, nine years ago, I had to police people’s cellphones. And I’d have to talk to the same kid over and over again,” Tierinni said. Now, when he gives out a class exercise, “they turn their desks, they talk to each other … and it’s generally just so much more of a positive environment.”

Tierinni teaches math in Manchester. The district became an early adopter of a bell-to-bell cellphone ban across all schools a few years ag...

CT Mirror • 17th February 2026

CT schools on Lamont's K-12 budget: 'A trainwreck for education'

This year, Putnam Public Schools Superintendent Steven Rioux will ask the town of Putnam to give its school district an additional $1.6 million — a 7.23% increase from last year.

“When I built my budget this year, I asked the principals to tell me what you need, and the need was about $2.5 million, or an 11% increase,” Rioux said. “That’s not going to happen, right?”

So Rioux started cutting. He cut staff, resources and programs, and when he was done, he had whittled that 11% increase down to...

CT Mirror • 11th February 2026

Advocates call to end school suspensions for nonviolent behavior

When Shanlay Claude was in 10th grade, one of his friends was suspended for being in the bathroom with the wrong group of kids at the wrong time.

From that moment on, Claude said, his friend “changed for the worse.”

“He spent like two months not coming, not showing up to school, not showing up anywhere,” Claude said. “I’ve seen him posting online about guns … things students shouldn’t have in their hands.”
Both Claude and his friend were in AP math together and would compete to see who could g...

CT Mirror • 10th February 2026

CT's first 'course in a box' focuses on music history

Connecticut education leaders are expressing cautious optimism as the state Department of Education tries its hand at course development.

The department announced the release of its first-ever “Course in a Box,” An American History of Rock and Soul, in January. It’s a one-semester elective designed for teachers to deploy straight out of the box (metaphorically — the materials are stored in a digital library), using music as a primary source to explore key social movements and events.

The state...

CT Mirror • 5th February 2026

Lamont kicks off universal breakfast push at West Hartford school

Gov. Ned Lamont joined school officials and advocates on Thursday during the lunch period at the Florence E. Smith STEM School in West Hartford to renew his push for universal free breakfast for K-12 students.

Behind them sat a large group of second graders eating pasta and salad. When it came time for his remarks, Lamont asked if they wanted to join him in front of the cameras — an invitation they eagerly accepted.

This is the second year Lamont has urged the General Assembly to fund universa...

CT Mirror • 4th February 2026

Lamont diverges from Dem leaders on education budget

Gov. Ned Lamont’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2027 diverges from a handful of key priorities for legislative Democrats while providing a significant boost to school breakfast, reading support and graduate student loans.

His budget, presented Wednesday morning to lawmakers, preserves a $95 million increase for the Education Cost Sharing formula he signed into law last year. However, it didn’t include any further increases to ECS funding — something that may put him into conflict with Democra...

CT Mirror • 3rd February 2026

CT Education Committee to take up school funding, cellphone bans

Connecticut lawmakers haven’t adjusted the baseline per-pupil state funding for public education in over a decade. This year, they’ll consider raising the base rate — and tying it to inflation.

Education Committee co-Chair Rep. Jennifer Leeper, D-Fairfield, said that’s “priority No. 1” for her, potentially resolving a source of growing financial pressure for public schools. On top of that, Leeper said she wants to phase out local school districts’ financial responsibility for students who atten...

CT Mirror • 19th January 2026

Report: Federal cuts deepening food insecurity in Connecticut

This story has been updated.

Food insecurity is rising in Connecticut, and the problem is likely to keep getting worse amid major cuts to federal food programs, according to a report released Friday by the Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity & Opportunity.

The report noted that Connecticut has the highest rate of food insecurity in New England (14.3%, according to the most recent data from Feeding America) and trails many of its neighbors in spending to combat the problem. Although...

Inside Climate News • 6th December 2025

Forestry Carbon Credit Programs Have a Poor Track Record. Can a More Refined Approach Fix the Problem?

David Funk has spent decades working to restore the native forest ecosystems of southeast Ohio. Now, he’s finally getting paid for it—through a carbon credit program.


“The Nature Conservancy reached out and knew that I was very active in the preservation of woodlands in southeastern Ohio,” Funk said. “It was just a perfect fit for what we do.”


Funk runs Capstone Property Management, a nonprofit based in Athens County, Ohio. The organization is best known locally as a rental property manage...

Inside Climate News • 23rd October 2025

Ohio Has Invested Millions in Wetlands to Catch Nutrient Runoff From Farms. A New Report Suggests It’s Working.

A new report on purpose-built wetlands in Ohio showcases their success in reducing nutrient runoff from farms, validating millions of dollars’ worth of efforts to combat toxic algal blooms.


Researchers with the H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring Program developed the report, which uses data from 10 wetlands that have been restored since the H2Ohio program launched in 2019. The scientists found each wetland retained more nutrients than it released, easing concerns that the opposite might be occurring....

Inside Climate News • 14th September 2025

A Rural Ohio County Embarks on a Project to Prepare for Worsening Floods

CHAUNCEY, Ohio—This village sits between the Hocking River and a tributary, Sunday Creek. When they flood, they can completely submerge the two roads connecting the village to the highway.

The evacuation route for such occasions ends in another floodplain. With enough rainfall, residents could conceivably find themselves stuck. Many don’t even know about the evacuation route in the first place, according to Chauncey code inspector Drew Daniels. He said he’s heard of people risking a $2,000 fi...

Inside Climate News • 16th August 2025

After a Drought Last Year, Ohio Farmers Wished for Rain. Now Downpours Are Destroying Their Crops

The water in the creek was rising quickly, and Paul Tomcho could not reach his herd.

His southeast Ohio property—the aptly named Creekside Farm—was getting more rain than anyone in living memory could recall. Tomcho, who logs daily rainfall for the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network (CoCoRaHS), measured the total downpour at 4.28 inches in one hour. A calculator offered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration told him it was a one-in-a-thousand-year flood.

“My...

Inside Climate News • 20th July 2025

Efforts to Reduce Toxic Algae in Lake Erie Appear to Be Making Progress. Now They Face State and Federal Cuts

Cuts to a major water-quality program in Ohio’s biennial budget will likely weaken efforts to control the spread of toxic blue-green algae in Lake Erie. 

The program in question, H2Ohio, has invested millions of dollars in improving water quality throughout the state. Much of that money has gone toward cutting off the supply of nutrients to the aforementioned algae, also known as cyanobacteria, which bloom in massive quantities every summer. The new state budget, which Republican Gov. Mike De...

WOUB Public Media • 25th June 2025

The U.S. has a way to build homes for low-income people. Most of southeast Ohio doesn’t qualify

The country’s flagship affordable-housing program uses scoring criteria that end up eliminating many poor, rural areas. And that’s exactly how it’s designed to work.

WOUB Public Media • 19th May 2025

A tumultuous Trimble board meeting ends with a surprise vote and a daunting projection

GLOUSTER, Ohio (WOUB/Report for America) — In an unexpected twist, the Trimble Board of Education voted 3-1 not to cut additional teaching positions at its meeting Thursday evening.
The reduction in force would have eliminated an elementary preschool teacher and a kindergarten teacher, among others.

“I think it’s going to be too much, especially on the kindergarten,” said board member Kayla Simons.
It would have...

WOUB Public Media • 14th May 2025

Treasurers and auditors warn the plan to cap school cash reserves would cause major problems for districts and taxpayers

ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB/Report for America) — On paper, it looks like a simple idea.
Property values in Ohio have skyrocketed, causing property taxes to spike. Most of that money has gone to school districts, which are sitting on billions of dollars in cash reserves. Why not just take some of the money back and redistribute it to taxpayers?
That’s what the Ohio House of Representatives wants to do in its version of...

WOUB Public Media • 8th May 2025

As a troubled year draws to a close for Federal Hocking, its superintendent expresses confidence while staff share concerns about leadership

ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB/Report for America) — For Emma Wright, the nonrenewal of Jake Amlin’s contract was just the latest in a year of troubles at Federal Hocking.
Wright is the guidance counselor at Federal Hocking High School, where Amlin is principal. By the time the board voted not to renew Amlin’s contract, Wright had already made a decision of her own: hand in her resignation and pursue a new degree.
“If this...

WOUB Public Media • 5th May 2025

Local organizations warn southeast Ohio faces huge state and federal cuts to critical programs

GLOUSTER, Ohio (WOUB/Report for America) — State and federal aid programs are a defining pillar of everyday life for thousands of southeast Ohioans. Now many of those programs are facing significant reductions, if not outright collapse.
Visitors packed into a meeting room at HAPCAP’s Glouster headquarters Friday for a presentation on the upcoming state and federal cuts.
Staff from HAPCAP and Integrated Services to...

WOUB Public Media • 21st April 2025

Trimble residents want more information from their superintendent and school board as more positions are cut

GLOUSTER, Ohio (WOUB/Report for America) — It became apparent at Thursday’s board meeting that residents of Trimble Local Schools do not want to sit idly by as their district is stripped to the bone.
“We have one of the greatest communities around, and we’re not selling ourselves,” said parent Mark Brunton. “Let’s be leaders, not just trying to scrap and crawl and ‘Woe is me.’”

Brunton was one of several atten...

WOUB Public Media • 16th April 2025

Residents react with outrage after the Federal Hocking board chooses not to renew High School Principal Jake Amlin's contract

COOLVILLE, Ohio (WOUB/Report for America) — Residents of the Federal Hocking school district packed the Coolville Elementary cafeteria for a marathon board meeting to decide the fate of the high school principal.
In the end, their presence was not enough to sway the board, which voted 4-1 not to renew Jake Amlin’s contract, with Jenny Leigh the lone dissent. Angry residents, some in tears, filed out shortly...

WOUB Public Media • 15th April 2025

Federal Hocking High School students leave class to protest the potential loss of their principal

STEWART, Ohio (WOUB/Report for America) — Students gathered outside the front doors of Federal Hocking High School Tuesday morning after word spread that the district may not renew Principal Jake Amlin’s contract.
The protest took place for about half an hour during class time. A handful of supportive parents watched from the parking lot. Senior Adam McKnight spoke at length to the crowd, urging everyone to at...

WOUB Public Media • 15th April 2025

Jackson residents protest as the Ohio Legislature considers replacing the Fair School Funding Plan

JACKSON, Ohio (WOUB/Report for America) — Protesters lined the edge of the Manpower Park in Jackson on Saturday to call for stronger state investment in public education.
Organizers called for the protest after state leaders signaled they would not fully fund the Fair School Funding Plan in the upcoming biennial budget. The event then merged with a local Hands Off! protest put together by the Jackson County Dem...