Distinguished members of the Connecticut Black and Puerto Rican Caucus, fellow advocates, and concerned citizens:
I stand before you today not just as the founder of FaithActs for Education, but as a Black pastor deeply rooted in the struggle for justice in our communities. For over a decade, I have walked alongside you in the fight for equity, opportunity, and dignity for our children and families across Connecticut.
The work we have done together—organizing our churches, mobilizing over 7,300 voters, and amplifying the voices of those too often silenced—has built power. Real power. The kind of power that demands attention, that cannot be ignored, and that has already changed the landscape of education in our state.
But today, I come with grave concern and urgent purpose, especially as I witness the crisis unfolding in Bridgeport Public Schools, where FaithActs was founded.
As you know, Bridgeport schools are facing a staggering $26 million budget gap. The situation has become so dire that the State Board of Education voted in January to intervene with a three-pronged plan. They’ve assigned a technical assistance team costing taxpayers up to $250,000, mandated board training, and called for new leadership—all while our students continue to suffer from program cuts, staffing reductions, and leadership turnover.
And now, on top of this local crisis, according to the Education Law Center, Connecticut stands to lose over $161 million dollars if the current federal administration follows through on its threat to end Title I funding. Let that number sink in. Over $161 million that directly supports our most vulnerable students, our highest-need schools, and our historically marginalized communities like Bridgeport.
This is not a policy debate. This is about the futures of our children. Children who look like us. Children who come from neighborhoods like ours. Children whose educational opportunities already face systematic barriers at every turn.
For our Black and Latino students in Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven, and beyond, Title I funding represents essential resources: smaller class sizes, reading specialists, after-school programs, technology access, and professional development for teachers who serve them. Without these funds, the achievement gaps that we have fought so hard to close will only widen further.
The reality in Bridgeport illustrates exactly what happens when we fail to properly fund our schools. Board members are at odds with each other, leadership is unstable, and most importantly, our children are paying the price. When board member Robert Traber asked during a recent training session, “How are we supposed to improve student learning when we don’t have the resources to do it?” he named the fundamental issue that has plagued our communities for decades.
As you look toward the nation’s Capitol for answers, don’t forget that charity starts at home. Connecticut remain’s one of the wealthiest states in the country with a 5 billion dollar rainy day fund. As the governor and legislative leadership go toe-to-toe on vital resources our communities deserve, that in fact is rightly theirs, our question to you, is will you do as Christ has taught us and stand as one body? Will this Caucus rise up like only you can. You have the power, you have the votes in the house and in the senate to shut this place down until they do right by our kids. Over the years you’ve asked FaithActs to build more power. And we’ve done just that. Now we are looking to you to use your power to take back control of this state, and give our children the education they deserve.
We at FaithActs have built a movement of over 1,000 members and 100 congregations across Connecticut. We are 7,300 voters deep and turned them out to the polls every single election. We have done this because we understand that political power is necessary to create the change our communities need.
But this power was never about us. It was always about creating a more just Connecticut where every child—regardless of race, zip code, or family income—receives an excellent education.
Today, I call upon the historic strength and leadership of this Caucus. You have been the conscience of our legislature. You have been the unwavering advocates for equity when others have wavered. You have been the voice of our communities in rooms where decisions are made.
We need that voice now more than ever.
I urge you to to get ahead of it:
First, issue a unified statement from the Caucus condemning any cuts to Title I and emphasizing the devastating impact it would have on Connecticut’s communities of color.
Second, introduce emergency legislation that would create a state contingency fund to protect our highest-need districts should federal cuts materialize, with particular attention to districts already in crisis like Bridgeport, where the state’s current $250,000 intervention barely scratches the surface of the $26 million deficit.
Third, convene community hearings across the state where families can testify about what Title I means for their children’s education.
And finally, join with FaithActs and our coalition partners in mobilizing a massive grassroots campaign to pressure our federal representatives to protect this vital funding.
The Bible teaches us that faith without works is dead. We have faith in the justice of our cause, but now is the time for works. Deliberate, strategic, powerful works.
The strength of the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus has always been its moral clarity in times of crisis. This is such a time. Our children cannot afford for us to be timid. They cannot afford for us to be divided. They cannot afford for us to be delayed in our response.
When I return to my congregation this Sunday, I want to tell them that our leaders in Hartford understand the urgency of this moment. That you are prepared to act with the boldness this crisis demands. That the historic alliance between our faith communities and this Caucus remains unbroken and unbowed.
The time to act is now. Over $161 million for our children’s education hangs in the balance. But more than money is at stake. What’s at stake is whether we will allow decades of progress toward educational equity to be erased on our watch.
I know we will not. I know we cannot. And I know that with FaithActs standing alongside this esteemed Caucus, we will not fail our children in their hour of need.
Thank you. May God bless our work together.
