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ROCKY HILL, Conn. (AP) — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy rejected suggestions Thursday that he asked Connecticut Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor to publicly announce he was seeking another job, instead praising him for doing "great work."
The two appeared together at a New Britain middle school to announce the release of nearly $133 million in funding for the 2014-15 academic year for 30 struggling school districts, known as Alliance Districts. Since the program's creation in 2012, the high-needs schools have received a total of nearly $250 million.
"Stefan's done great work. The average tenure of a non-elected superintendent or commissioner of education is less than two-and-a-half years in this country," Malloy said. "Stefan's got the right to think about his future and explore opportunities and has made the decision to do that."
Pryor, who has served as the state's education commissioner for nearly three years, announced Monday he would not seek a second term, should Malloy win re-election. Pryor has been a source of controversy as he oversaw the rollout of Malloy's education reform efforts, including teacher evaluations and education standards. Jonathan Pelto, a Malloy critic who is trying to petition his way onto the November ballot for governor, had called for Pryor's resignation, accusing him of being anti-teacher and pro-standardized testing. He contended such positions would be "a political disaster" for Malloy as he seeks a second term.
Asked if he called on Pryor to announce his plans to seek another job in order to smooth things over with angry teachers and parents, Malloy said, "No, I did not suggest that. It was a decision that he reached," calling Pryor, "my friend."
Pryor also said the decision was his own.
"Sometimes when you look at a transition point, and a change in term is such a point, it makes sense to pursue other opportunities," he said, adding how he maintains "a superb relationship with this governor" and called Malloy's commitment to public education "breathtaking."
Both Malloy and Pryor contend that efforts to focus additional funding and other resources on the state's 30 most troubled school districts has led to improvements in test scores. The districts are using the additional money for various initiatives, including extended school days, pre-kindergarten classes and early reading programs.
"I'm proud we're sending more money and continuing to send more money to these districts," said Malloy, adding how "it's a huge step forward, one that is led at the local level to the benefit of every child in that district."
But Tom Foley, Malloy's Republican challenger in the Nov. 4 election, argues spending for K-12 education has declined as a percentage of total state spending while Malloy has been in office. He cites an Office of Policy and Management that shows the percentage declined from 15.3 percent to 14.6 percent of the state's general fund, from 2012 to 2015.
"Our national achievement gap has not improved and Connecticut still has more than 100,000 students in underperforming schools," said Chris Cooper, Foley's campaign spokesman. Foley has proposed initiatives such as in-district choice and a third-grade reading test for advancement to the 4th grade.
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