It’s Time for School Choice in Connecticut

1.25.24

At a press conference yesterday, Rep. Tom O’Dea (Wilton/New Canaan) and Rep. Rachel Chaleski (Danbury) continued their push for school choice this year with a call for “money to follow the child” to a student’s school of choice, such as the charter school yet to be funded in Danbury and Catholic schools. 

O’Dea emphasized the need for at least a portion of state funding to follow students to Catholic schools, because the focus of funding should be on students’ educational success and needs first and foremost.

Watch Reps. O’Dea’s and Chaleski’s Press Conference via CT-N

Specifically, O’Dea and Chaleski touted the strengths and success of Connecticut’s charter schools and Catholic schools, like Bridgeport’s Kolbe Cathedral High School with its impressive 100% graduation rate.

Kolbe Cathedral High School Facts

$8,650 Lowest private high school tuition in CT 

100% Kolbe Cathedral Graduation Rate

100% Annual college acceptance rate

$18MM College scholarship & aid awarded in 2021

One of the factors contributing to Kolbe Cathedral High School’s success is its participation in Marian Work Study internships where:

“Selected students, based upon grades, maturity, and workforce readiness, intern one day per week during the academic year with a Corporate Mentor (corporation, business, institution or nonprofit) within New Haven and Fairfield Counties. Students attend school four days per week and one day they go to a Corporate Mentor site to acquire real-world professional experience from 9am to 3pm. To maintain their grades, students have access to our Student Success Center where tutors from local universities provide specialized learning, ensuring the highest level of academic achievement. Students also attend mandatory professional and academic training during the summer months and beyond, as needed.

Moreover, every student receives one academic credit for participating in the work-study program. Marian staff monitor student and mentor satisfaction each week and students are evaluated on their performance throughout the school year.

Kolbe Cathedral High School is a small, private, Catholic, college preparatory school located in the heart of Bridgeport, Connecticut. It was formed by the Diocese in 1976 by combining Kolbe Boys High School and Cathedral Girls High School. Forty-seven years later, it continues to be a much-needed beacon of hope and an instrument of personal transformation for its diverse, multicultural, co-ed student population in "the Hollow" section of the largest and poorest city in Connecticut.

Kolbe Cathedral High School’s student body is comprised of 45% Black/African American, 43% Hispanic/Latino and 12% Asian/White/Other.

In spite of adverse economic and social conditions, Kolbe Cathedral graduates 100% of its students and boasts a near 100% college acceptance rate.” Marian Work Study.