Ad hoc advocacy committee schedules April 18 meeting to press for full ECS funding

Rob Traeger, chair of the ad hoc advocacy committee, said the group will hold a public forum "tentatively planned for the eighteenth at 10:00 in the morning in the Central High School Library" to press the city delegation for fuller Education Cost Sharing (ECS) funding. The meeting will be two hours: the first hour an educational presentation for the public and the second hour to host the legislative delegation and take questions.

Traeger framed the event as both informational and advocacy-driven, criticizing a local report that he said presented "a false choice" between a one-time $200 payment and broader school funding increases. "The state can do more than that," he said, urging the committee to arm attendees with facts and visuals so the delegation hears a clear, data-driven request.

Why it matters: Committee members said Bridgeport has not seen meaningful ECS increases for years and argued the district needs both a short-term infusion and a long-term funding fix. Traeger cited the rainy day fund as a short-term source and referenced multiple cost estimates for fully addressing ECS; committee discussion mentioned figures including $500,000,000, $800,000,000 and a rounded "about $1,000,000,000" as variously reported or discussed.

The committee formed a five-person facts team to produce a one-page fact sheet and a checklist legislators can answer when they arrive. Traeger asked volunteers to work on the facts and visuals; Faith, Tim, Marissa and others were asked to join the facts committee. "We need some folks who are gonna put that together," Traeger said, describing a two-sided handout: facts on one side and a short checklist for legislators on the other.

Logistics agreed so far include refreshments (coffee and donuts), visuals on-screen for remote viewers, translation headsets (the committee said it has 60 phone headsets available), and room set-up options for up to about 100 people in the Central library main space. The committee also planned to include 3–5 speakers when the delegation arrives — a mix of students, parents, staff and community members — and discussed how to present youth voices briefly and effectively.

Members discussed how to handle legislators who arrive early, proposing a back room where early arrivals can be offered coffee and informal conversation until the public education portion concludes. Traeger said the outreach should present both short-term demands ("ECS fully funded, COLA, get the money short term") and long-term options for sustaining funding.

Procedural note: The meeting began with a motion to approve minutes from the prior meeting. Rob Traeger moved the motion and it was seconded; one member voiced "Aye" and Traeger recorded an abstention; the chair stated the minutes were approved. The transcript does not record a full roll-call tally.

The committee agreed to meet again ahead of the forum to finalize messaging and materials, tentatively scheduling a follow-up planning meeting two weeks later. The chair said he would circulate the CCM (Connecticut Conference of Municipalities) fact sheet and other local explanatory materials and would text the facts-team members to coordinate next steps.

The meeting closed at 07:52.

Sources: Public meeting of the ad hoc advocacy committee (chair: Rob Traeger).