AdvertisementBy Hartford CourantJul 05, 2020 at 6:00 amWhen the coronavirus pandemic hit Connecticut in March, forcing schools to rapidly shift to distance learning, Raquel Smith’s five children were all given laptops to complete their school work from home. There was just one problem — the internet connection at her Hartford apartment wasn’t strong enough to support five simultaneous Zoom calls with teachers, instructional videos and other online programs.“If three kids were on, it would boot the rest of the kids off or reboot the router. Two of my kids would have to get up at midnight to...…AdvertisementBy Hartford CourantJul 05, 2020 at 6:00 amWhen the coronavirus pandemic hit Connecticut in March, forcing schools to rapidly shift to distance learning, Raquel Smith’s five children were all given laptops to complete their school work from home. There was just one problem — the internet connection at her Hartford apartment wasn’t strong enough to support five simultaneous Zoom calls with teachers, instructional videos and other online programs.“If three kids were on, it would boot the rest of the kids off or reboot the router. Two of my kids would have to get up at midnight to...WW…

AdvertisementBy Hartford CourantJul 04, 2020 at 6:00 amWhen Shellye Davis, a para-educator in Hartford, saw that Gov. Ned Lamont planned to reopen schools at the end of August, she was excited. But that excitement over seeing her students and colleagues in the fall quickly dissipated once she saw the guidelines for reopening presented by the governor.“I thought we’d come up with a plan and once we proceeded I realized the governor’s plan had just passed the buck to schools and our board of educations,” she said.AdvertisementConcerns from both parents and teachers came swiftly last week when...…AdvertisementBy Hartford CourantJul 04, 2020 at 6:00 amWhen Shellye Davis, a para-educator in Hartford, saw that Gov. Ned Lamont planned to reopen schools at the end of August, she was excited. But that excitement over seeing her students and colleagues in the fall quickly dissipated once she saw the guidelines for reopening presented by the governor.“I thought we’d come up with a plan and once we proceeded I realized the governor’s plan had just passed the buck to schools and our board of educations,” she said.AdvertisementConcerns from both parents and teachers came swiftly last week when...WW…

AdvertisementBy Hartford CourantMay 05, 2020 at 6:40 pmSchools in Connecticut will remain closed for the rest of the academic year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Ned Lamont said Tuesday, and they may reopen with a very different look this fall.AdvertisementLamont hoped schools could reopen for a short while this spring, but he said a variety of factors, including the closure of schools in states across the region, led him to cancel for the year. Students across the state have been learning remotely online since March 17.“We’re coming up on May 20 so we had to give some pretty clear...…AdvertisementBy Hartford CourantMay 05, 2020 at 6:40 pmSchools in Connecticut will remain closed for the rest of the academic year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Ned Lamont said Tuesday, and they may reopen with a very different look this fall.AdvertisementLamont hoped schools could reopen for a short while this spring, but he said a variety of factors, including the closure of schools in states across the region, led him to cancel for the year. Students across the state have been learning remotely online since March 17.“We’re coming up on May 20 so we had to give some pretty clear...WW…

AdvertisementBy Hartford CourantMay 02, 2020 at 6:00 amLeaders of some cities and towns across Connecticut are proposing budgets without tax increases to ease financial burdens on taxpayers, despite fear that municipal revenue will decline due to the coronavirus pandemic. AdvertisementWest Hartford Town Manager Matt Hart proposed a 3.7% tax increase in March, before the coronavirus closed Connecticut businesses and hundreds of thousands of people were left unemployed.In late April, town leaders decided to cut $9.8 million of expenditures from the proposed budget to result in a tax decrease...…AdvertisementBy Hartford CourantMay 02, 2020 at 6:00 amLeaders of some cities and towns across Connecticut are proposing budgets without tax increases to ease financial burdens on taxpayers, despite fear that municipal revenue will decline due to the coronavirus pandemic. AdvertisementWest Hartford Town Manager Matt Hart proposed a 3.7% tax increase in March, before the coronavirus closed Connecticut businesses and hundreds of thousands of people were left unemployed.In late April, town leaders decided to cut $9.8 million of expenditures from the proposed budget to result in a tax decrease...WW…