Settlement Would Expand Hartford-Area Magnet School Offerings

GREATER HARTFORD, CT — State officials are hoping the legislature will approve a settlement that would support Hartford-area students by expanding magnet school offerings and the open choice system.

Gov. Ned Lamont and Attorney General William Tong are seeking approval for a settlement that would "meet demand for choice school seats for all Hartford students who want them," Lamont's office said in a news release.

If approved, the settlement would fund the expansion of existing magnet schools and the opening of new magnet schools. It would also expand open choice access and enhance athletics and extracurriculars at existing magnet schools.

Among the proposed new and expanded programs are:

• A dual language program at Dwight-Bellizzi School in Hartford, beginning with PK4 and phasing-in through 8th grade year-by-year.
• A new Goodwin University early literacy preschool Choice program in a renovated building in Rocky Hill.
• A new Goodwin University technical high school magnet, focused on advanced manufacturing, in a renovated building on the Goodwin property for 9th-12th grade students.
• Addition of early college programming at Connecticut IB (International Baccalaureate) Academy in East Hartford with expansion to capacity.
• Retheming and expansion of Two Rivers and Civic Leadership magnet schools to focus on computer programming and coding with partnerships with Amazon and Microsoft.
• Implementation of a half-day program at Goodwin University for Hartford and suburban students for Early College Advanced Manufacturing Pathway™ (ECAMP™) model to expand opportunities for dual-credit programming.
• Expansion of pre-k programs in existing magnet schools.

The state would also increase the number of choice seats in magnet schools over the 2020-21 count by up to 783 seats by 2023-24, up to 1,863 seats by 2025-26, and up to 2,737 seats by 2028-29.

The plan is designed to ensure equal education opportunities for Hartford-area students, and it will go through a lengthy revision process – it must first receive initial approval from the Connecticut Superior Court, then must be approved by the Connecticut General Assembly, before going back to the court for final approval.

"This agreement represents important progress because it will open up thousands of seats for Hartford students in the years ahead and responds to the demand of so many Hartford students and their families for placements in the inter-district magnet schools and Open Choice placements offering diverse educational settings," Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said.