English Language Learners May Hold Key to Economic Vibrancy of Region, State

One-third of Hartford’s population is Puerto Rican, making it the 4^th highest percentage of Puerto Rican people in the continental United States.  But the rapidly increasing diversity of the state’s Capitol City, and the region that surrounds it, only begins there – as do the linguistic and workforce challenges. A new report produced by The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving Latino Endowment Fund focuses on the issues faced by English Language Learners and highlights the opportunities and the challenges of increased cultural and linguistic diversity.

Approximately one-eighth of the Greater Hartford region’s population consists of foreign-born residents, including 4,800 people who have arrived in the state since 2005.  A total of 500,000 foreign-born residents are now living in Connecticut, including 40 percent who hail from Latin American countries.

During the past 25 years, population growth in the Hartford region has been “almost entirely” driven by foreign-born people taking up residence locally, according to the report. In the Hartford region, more than 1 in 5 people speak a language other than English at home.  About three-quarters of Connecticut English Language Learner (ELL) students speak Spanish.

The report found that the region’s “schools and communities are more diverse than ever, with more than 100 different languages spoken in homes throughout Greater Hartford.”  The report raises the question, “How can we harness the assets of a multilingual population to enhance our community and create stronger links to the global marketplace?”

The report notes that “researchers believe that, on average, it takes 2 years to master conversational English, yet 5-7 years to master academic English.”  The report indicated that when analyzing education and workforce data, English Language Learners are far behind their English speaking peers in terms of educational attainment and income.Highlighting one of the challenges for ELL students, the reported found that over the last 4 years, two of the top three teacher shortages in Connecticut have been bilingual and world languages educators.  About 20% of all adult ELLs experienced poverty in the last year, about twice the rate in the state as a whole. In Connecticut, the earned income of ELL adults is $25,000 per year—less than half of English-speakers’ earnings.

“The Latino Endowment Fund has offered this report as a means to expand the important discussion on efforts to support English Language Learners in our communities,” said Luis Cabán, chair emeritus of the Latino Endowment Fund Steering Committee. “This document provides us with an opportunity to reframe how we think about our increasingly global community and recognize the advantages of people speaking more than one language to enhance the richness of our community and create stronger links to the global marketplace.”

The number of Hispanic entrepreneurs in the United States has more than tripled since 1990 from 577,000 in 1990 to 2,000,000 in 2012, according to the report. Immigrant-owned businesses employ 10% of all American workers and generate 16% of the overall US business income.  Connecticut is home to 14,000 Latino-owned small businesses, which represents a 50 percent growth rate since 2007.

In Connecticut as of 2013, there were over 191,000 working-age adults with limited English proficiency.  This population has grown 32 percent since 20000 and now represents 10 percent of the total working-age population.  Over 58 percent of these are Spanish-speaking, the report indicated. 

Some of the potential solutions highlighted in the report are:

• Eliminating the state requirement that a district must have a minimum of 20 students requiring ELL support before receiving state funding. All districts that teach students who need ELL support should be eligible for state assistance.
• Expanding dual-language immersion programs to build a more supportive multilingual environment that can cater to both urban and suburban families.
• Developing an ESL/adult education curriculum for parents that focus on interactions with their children’s schools and teachers.
• Providing additional support to create a smooth transition from adult education ESL classes to college-level ESL classes through the development of a coordinated curriculum.

“While we appreciate the recent actions by the legislature to support ELL students and their families, this report shows that much work needs to be done to assist the thousands of Connecticut children and adults who are not proficient in English,” said Nelly Rojas Schwan, chair of the Latino Endowment Fund and an assistant professor of social work and Latino community practice at the University of Saint Joseph. “The future of our state’s economy will largely be determined by how well we educate and train our English Language Learners and we hope this report will serve as a tool to aid in this discussion.”

Download a copy of the report.

White House Conference on Aging Has Connecticut Connections

It is a once-a-decade event that will feature the President of the United States and other senior administration officials. The White House Conference on Aging (WHCOA), first held a half-century ago and a key driver of federal policy towards the nation’s seniors, will be a conference reliant on digital technology befitting 2015. Rather than having delegates from throughout the nation stream into Washington, D.C., Americans are asked to watch events unfold via live stream – either at home, or by getting together with co-workers or people from their local communities.  Officials note that more than 600 public and private Watch Parties—in every state—have been organized and registered with WHCOA.

According to the WHCOA website, there are four “watch party” sites in Connecticut, where people can gather to watch the live video feed together. The sites are in Hamden at the Whitney Center, in Norwalk at Home Care 100, in Waterbury at the Western CT Area Agency on Aging, and in West Hartford at Hebrew Healthcare.  The WHCOA has produced a Watch Party Discussion Guide to encourage dialogue during the event, in addition to listening to speeches emanating from the White House.

Earlier this year, regional forums leading up to the WHCOA were held in Tampa, Phoenix, Seattle, Cleveland and Boston.  Lisa Ryerson, President, AARP Foundation President, moderated the panel in Boston, which explored the topics of healthy aging and long-term services and supports. Panelists included Jewel Mullen, Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Public Health and President, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.  The Boston  Regional Forum, held on May 28, 2015, was the fifth and last in the series of regional forums, coordinated with the Leadership Council of Aging Organizations, a coalition of more than 70 of the nation’s leading organizations serving older Americans.

In addition, Connecticut’s Department on Aging, Legislative Committee on Aging and Commission on Aging held a public hearing in May at the Legislative Office Building highlighting issues impacting the state’s seniors, with the testimony from that day being shared with WHCOA officials. Connecticut officials noted that Connecticut is undergoing a “permanent and historic transformation” in its demographics, and currently has the nation’s 7^th oldest population.  Between 2010 and 2014, Connecticut’s population of people age 65 and older is projected to grow by 57 percent, while at the same time the population of individuals between age 20 and 64 will grow by less than 2 percent.

Monday's WHCOA  begins with a welcome from Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement, being introduced by Bernard Nash, Caregiving in America Panel.  An early morning panel is to be moderated by actor David Hyde Pierce and will include Secretary Robert A. McDonald, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Ai-jen Poo, Caring Across Generations; Harry Leider, The Walgreen Company; Frank Fernandez, BluePlus, BCBS Minnesota Foundation; and Britnee Fergins, Caregiver.

Remarks by President Barack Obama, will be followed by a panel on “Planning for Financial Security at Every Age” moderated by Secretary Tom Perez, U.S. Department of Labor.  The panel will include Jean Chatzky, AARP Financial Ambassador; Vickie Elisa, Mothers’ Voices Georgia; Robin Diamonte, United Technologies Corporation; and Andy Sieg, Merrill Lynch Bank of America.

Diamonte, UTC’s Chief Investment Officer, was voted CIO of the Year in April by her peers in the Investor Intelligence Network (IIN), an online forum of senior financial decision-makers. IIN is part of Institutional Investor PLC, a leading international business-to-business publisher best known for its Institutional Investor magazine.  Diamonte is responsible for overseeing UTC’s $52 billion in global retirement assets, including $24 billion in domestic pension plans, $7 billion in foreign pension plans and $21 billion in the defined contribution plan.

Following the panel that includes Diamonte, viewers will hear remarks from Nora Super, Executive Director of the 2015 White House Conference on Aging and Cecilia Muñoz, Assistant to the President and Director of the Domestic Policy Council.

Also delivering remarks or participating in panels are Secretary Tom Perez, U.S. Department of Labor; DJ Patil, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; Secretary Tom Vilsack, U.S. Department of Agriculture; professional athlete Diana Nyad; Vice Admiral Vivek Murthy, U.S. Surgeon General; Director Richard Cordray, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; and Stephanie Santoso, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

In addition, Kevin Washington, President and CEO of the YMCA, will be a member of a panel on The Power of Intergenerational Connections and Healthy Aging.  Washington, who formerly led the YMCA in Hartford, was honored last month by The Amistad Center for Art & Culture in Hartford for his leadership, noting that he is the first African American to lead the nation’s YMCA organization.

Throughout the day, individuals are asked to “Tweet us your questions using #WHCOA and we will pass them along to our experts participating on panels at the conference.” People are also asked how they would finish the sentence: “Getting older is getting better because …”? A PDF form can be downloaded and then sent along to WHCOA officials.  Interviews with older adults can be uploaded to be archived in the Library of Congress, and people are encouraged to share their interviews on social media using the #WHCOA hashtag.

https://youtu.be/gdAWa6wNYXs

R's & D's See Completely Different Worlds, Quinnipiac Poll Reveals

There could not be a more stark difference of opinion on three key issues facing the nation than the diametrically opposed views of Democrats and Republicans in Iowa, one of the critical states on the road to the White House and next year’s presidential election.  While Connecticut’s primary may again be little more than a footnote in the selection process of presidential nominees, Iowa is the lead-off state, with its traditional and closely watched caucuses only a half-year away. The pivotal issues with partisan attitudes as different as night and day:  income inequality, immigration and the battle against ISIS, according to a recent Quinnipiac University poll.  And the differences do not stop there.

Income Inequality:  Likely Republican caucus-goers say 70 - 25 percent that the federal government should not pursue policies to reduce the income gap between wealthy and less wealthy Americans. Likely Democratic caucus-goers say 91 - 6 percent that the federal government should try to reduce income inequality.

Immigration:  Among Republicans, 46 percent say illegal immigrants should be required to leave, with 34 percent saying illegal immigrants should stay and be offered a path to citizenship and 17 percent say that they should stay, but with no path to citizenship. Among Democrats, 83 percent say illegal immigrants should be allowed to stay and apply for citizenship, while 9 percent say they should stay, but with no path to citizenship, and 8 percent say they should be required to leave.

Fighting ISIS:  Republicans support 72 - 23 percent sending U.S. ground troops to fight ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Democrats oppose sending troops 63 - 29 percent.

"Democrats and Republicans see completely different worlds," is how Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, described the findings. "Ideas that are part of Democratic orthodoxy are an anathema to Republicans, and vice versa. Democrats think illegal immigrants should be able to stay in the United States and eventually become citizens. Republicans don't. Democrats want government to pursue policies that are aimed at reducing the income gap between the wealthy and those lower on the income scale, Republicans say no."

By a resounding margin of 83 - 9 percent likely Republican caucus goers say that political experience outside Washington is better than inside experience; a majority of  likely Democratic caucus attendees have the opposite view, but much more narrowly - 50 believe that political experience inside Washington is better than outside experience, 31 percent do not.

Another divergent view is evident when political party affiliates are asked whether business experience or government experience is preferable in the next president.  Among Republicans, the split is  68 - 28 percent with most of the view that working in business is better preparation for a president than working in government.  Democrats take the opposite view - by 76 - 14 percent they believe that government experience is better preparation for a president than business.

The only similarity of opinion comes when individuals are asked if the "right experience is better than fresh ideas" and "a candidate who comes closet to their views on issues is better than a candidate with the best chance" to defeat the opponent of the other party.   The majority of would-be Iowa caucus goes in both parties agree with both statements, although Republicans do so more strongly.

The Connecticut presidential primary is scheduled for April 26, 2016.  The Iowa caucuses are currently scheduled for Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, quickly followed by the first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primary on Feb. 9.  The Nevada caucuses  and the South Carolina primary will also be held by both parties in February.  By April 26, more than half of the states will have held their caucuses or primaries, as the selection process for Republicans and Democrats  continues on toward the respective party nominating conventions in Cleveland and  Philadelphia, next July.

From June 20 - 29, Quinnipiac University of Hamden, Connecticut  surveyed 666 likely Iowa Republican Caucus participants with a margin of error of +/- 3.8 percentage points and 761 likely Iowa Democratic Caucus participants with a margin of error of +/- 3.6 percentage points. Live interviewers call land lines and cell phones. 

Sacrifice of Vietnam War Veterans Honored 50 Years Later at Weekend Events

A special two-day event to recognize and honor New England's Vietnam veterans and remember those who did not return is set for Saturday, July 11 and Sunday, July 12 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the grounds of the Connecticut Air National Guard Base in East Granby. "Connecticut's Vietnam 50th Celebration Weekend" will feature many vehicle and aircraft displays, rare helicopter rides in the famous UH-1D "Huey," nationally renowned speakers and authors, and a Saturday 1 p.m. concert performed by the U.S. Coast Guard Band. Other static air displays will be at the New England Air Museum at 36 Perimeter Rd. in Windsor Locks.

"This event is open to everyone and is designed to educate a new generation about the Vietnam War and the part it played in the lives of our friends, relatives and neighbors whose stories are the building blocks of American History," explains Eileen Hurst, Celebration Chair.

]The event is sponsored by the Central Connecticut State University Veterans History Project's Vietnam War Commemoration Committee. Collaborating partners include the Connecticut National Guard, Connecticut Department of Veterans' Affairs, and New England Air Museum.

Featured will be hands-on demonstrations, memorabilia, and a Veterans' Gathering tent where veterans can reunite and reconnect. There will static displays of a B-52, C-130, C-5, and other aircraft that include a CH-47 Chinook, UH-60 Blackhawk, and an F-15 Fighter Jet. Attendees can get close-up looks at a variety of vehicles and equipment operated by our armed forces during the Vietnam War.

There also will be programs specifically designed to remember and honor those who gave the "last full measure of devotion". Exhibits featuring "Voices From Vietnam," photo displays of veterans who were Killed in Action (KIA) or Missing in Action (MIA), and a special exhibit featuring Gold Star Families.

All events and activities held at the Connecticut Air National Guard base are free.  Admission to the New England Air Museum is free for all veterans; others pay $12 ($2 of each ticket benefits the Vietnam 50th weekend).  For those interested, there will also be $100 donation American Huey 369 helicopter rides that must be scheduled and paid for on-site.

There is no parking on the Connecticut Air National Guard base. Free parking and shuttle bus transportation to the base will be at UTAS (Hamilton Sundstrand) at One Hamilton Rd. South in Windsor Locks. All attendees must go through a security check upon arrival at the base; special instructions and a list of approved items can be found at: http://www.ccsu.edu/vietnam/parking.html

Learn more about the war in Vietnam (PDF) 

https://youtu.be/Fm2Dalx8oB0

Hispanics More Optimistic About Affordability and Impact of Higher Education, As Student Numbers Increase

While the majority of Americans (61 percent) believe higher education is available to anyone in the U.S. who needs it, Hispanics are more optimistic (73 percent) than whites (58 percent) that education is available to all. Data from the Gallup organization’s national poll on the impact and affordability of higher education indicate that Hispanics tend to have a much stronger belief that higher education is attainable and impactful on one’s career and life prospects. Data released this year indicates that:

• 72 percent of Hispanics say it is very important to increase the proportion of Americans with a degree or professional certificate, compared with 56 percent of whites.
• 78 percent of Hispanics, 74 percent of African- Americans, and 67 percent of whites say a postsecondary degree will be more important in the future to get a good job.
• 84 percent of Hispanics and 76 percent of African-Americans agree or strongly agree that having a professional certificate or degree beyond high school is essential for getting a good job. By comparison, 64 percent of whites agree.
• 86 percent of Hispanics agree or strongly agree that a good job is essential to having a higher quality of life. Seventy- six percent of whites agree.
• 83 percent of Hispanics and 80 percent of African-Americans agree or strongly agree that having a college degree or professional certificate leads to a better quality of life. By comparison, 71 percent of whites agree.

Although a majority of all Americans view these educational opportunities as available, only a small percentage are of the view that it is affordable to those who need it.  More than three-quarters (79%) of American adults do not think that education beyond high school is affordable for everyone, while just over one in five (21%) believe it is. Fifty-one percent of Hispanics say higher education is affordable, more than twice as high as the 17 percent of whites and 19 percent of blacks who hold that opinion.

Survey analysts indicate that the greater optimism among Hispanics may reflect their increase as a portion of the student body in postsecondary institutions in recent years. Almost all of those surveyed believed that U.S. high school students need to go to college or technical school in order to be successful in today's economy.

More young Hispanics are choosing to attend college than ever before. Between 1976 and 2011, the percentage of Hispanic college students rose from 4 to 14 percent, according to National Center for Education Statistics data. The U.S. Department of Education projects that the percentage of Hispanics enrolled in postsecondary programs will increase by 46 percent between 2009 and 2020, according to published reports.  In 2012, seven out of 10 Latino high school graduates enrolled in college, according to the Pew Research Center -- a figure that's higher than black or white students.

According to a report issued by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, students from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups are more likely to enroll in community colleges as their first postsecondary institution. Nationally, 50 percent of Hispanic students start at a community college, along with 31 percent of African American students. In comparison, 28 percent of white students begin at community colleges.

Last month, Naugatuck Valley Community College (NVCC) was designated as an “eligible institution” under federal law – a distinction that allows the college to pursue grants under the Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program to expand educational opportunities for Hispanic students.  Hispanic student enrollment at NVCC has increased 36 percent over the last five academic years. For the 2014-15 year, 1,790 students—a quarter of total enrollment—self-identified as Hispanic.

The Eligible Institution designation enables the College to apply for grants to fund a variety of educational materials and endeavors including scientific or laboratory equipment for teaching; construction or renovation of instructional facilities; faculty development; academic tutoring or counseling programs; funds and administrative management; joint use of facilities; endowment funds; distance learning academic instruction; teacher education; and student support services, according to the college.  Capital Community College in Hartford has also earned the designation.

Among low-income students from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, half begin at community colleges—more than double the rate of their peers from high-income families, the report points out, noting that there is almost no difference in the proportion of these students who want to go on to complete college compared to their peers.  The report warns that “tuition increases that outpace family income, particularly at community colleges and regional state colleges and universities, discourage enrollment, transfer, full-time enrollment, and degree completion.”

Earlier this year, the CEO and President of the Lumina Foundation, Jamie Merisotis, expressed concern about what he described as “persistent and widening degree attainment gaps linked to race and ethnicity.”  He pointed out that “projections by the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce show that more than 65 percent of U.S. jobs will require some form of postsecondary education by the end of this decade.”  And yet, he indicated that Lumina data on postsecondary attainment rates across America, show that “only 40 percent of working-age adults (ages 25-64) now hold at least a two-year degree.”

Asian adults lead all races with 60.0 percent degree attainment; whites follow at 44.5 percent; African Americans rank a distant third at 28.1 percent; Native Americans are at 23.9 percent, and Hispanics rank fifth at 20.3 percent, Merisotis, a Connecticut native who has testified on higher education issues before Congress and the Connecticut General Assembly, pointed out.

The Gallup survey also found that 36 percent of Americans overall agree or strongly agree that college graduates in this country are well prepared for success in the workplace. Hispanics and African- Americans are more optimistic, 55 percent and 53 percent respectively, agreeing or strongly agreeing that graduates are well prepared, compared to 30 percent of whites.

Results for this Gallup-Lumina Foundation Poll, released this spring, are based on telephone interviews conducted Nov. 3-Dec. 18, 2014, with a random sample of 1,533 adults, age 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Gallup conducted surveys in English and Spanish.

Rich Towns in CT Have 8 Times the Resources of Poor Towns to Pay for Municipal Services, Study Finds

The most resource-rich towns in Connecticut had, on average, a per capita revenue capacity that was more than eight times the average of the most resource-poor communities’ capacity.  That conclusion, highlighted in a study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, which pointed to “large non-school fiscal disparities across cities and towns in Connecticut.” “These disparities are driven primarily by differences in revenue-raising capacity,” the report, “Measuring Municipal Fiscal Disparities in Connecticut,” concluded. “Because municipalities in Connecticut rely almost exclusively on property taxes for own-source revenue, this is directly tied to the uneven distribution of the property tax base.”

The study, issued in May, “found that municipal costs are driven by five key factors outside the control of local officials: the unemployment rate, population density, private-sector wages, miles of locally maintained roads, and the number of jobs located within a community relative to its resident population.”  Fiscal disparities exist when some municipalities face higher costs for providing a given level of public services or fewer taxable resources to finance those services than others, according the report synopsis.

The study explains that “in Connecticut, municipalities provide a range of services including education, public safety, public works, human services, and general government.  While educational fiscal disparities—and the effectiveness of the state’s Education Cost  Sharing (ECS) grant in addressing them—have received considerable attention in Connecticut, less is known about how municipalities’ underlying characteristics affect their ability to provide other vital public services and the degree to which state policies ameliorate differences.”

The highest-cost group of communities had average per capita municipal costs that were 1.3 times the average per capita costs of the lowest-cost group of cities and towns, the study found, noting that “variation in measured capacity stems from differences in resources, not choices about tax rates. In Connecticut, real and personal property taxes are virtually the only source of revenue that cities and towns are authorized to levy.”

Breaking down the state’s geography, the report indicated that “the highest capacity areas (darkest shades on the map) are located in the southwestern and northwestern corners of the state, and along the shoreline. Connecticut’s lowest-capacity municipalities (the lightest shades on the map) are mostly scattered through the central and eastern portions of the state. In general, communities in northeastern Connecticut also tend to have fairly low per capita revenue capacity.”

The municipal gap data highlighted in the report is described as “the difference between the uncontrollable costs associated with providing public services and the economic resources available to a municipality to pay for those services.”  To calculate the per capita “gap” for each community, the study subtracted per capita revenue capacity from per capita cost for each municipality:

• Thus, a “positive gap” indicates a municipality that lacks sufficient revenue-raising capacity to provide a given common level of municipal services, with larger gaps indicating a worse fiscal condition.
• By contrast, a negative gap represents a municipality that has more than enough revenue-raising capacity to provide this common level of municipal services.

The study found “a wide range of municipal gaps among Connecticut’s 169 communities, indicating significant fiscal disparities across the state.” Although cost differences play a role, “these gaps are largely driven by the uneven distribution of revenue capacity across the state. This, in turn, is the direct result of the uneven distribution of the property tax base.”

• The report indicated that “a total of 78 Connecticut municipalities had a positive fiscal gap, meaning there was insufficient revenue raising capacity, representing 46 percent of the state’s communities (and close to 60 percent of the state’s population).
• The state’s remaining 91 communities had a negative fiscal gap (more than sufficient revenue-raising capacity) in the year studied, FY2011.

The state’s cities, with the notable exception of Stamford, tend to have the largest positive gaps, or insufficient capacity to raise funds to provide adequate municipal services. Most communities in northeastern Connecticut also have positive gaps. The largest negative gaps, the report found, —representing communities with high revenue-raising capacity—are generally located in lower Fairfield County, the northwestern corner of the state, and certain communities along the shore in eastern Connecticut.

The report was coordinated for the New England Public Policy Center of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston by Bo Zhao and Jennifer Weiner and a team of researchers.  Bo Zhao is a Senior Economist in the New England Public Policy Center, specializing in public finance and urban and regional economics.   Jennifer Weiner is a Senior Policy Analyst with the New England Public Policy Center. Her work focuses on state and local public finance and has included research on state business tax credits, unemployment insurance financing, state debt affordability, transportation funding, and the fiscal systems of the New England states.

Income Inequality Around Bridgeport Has Grown, Among Nation’s Largest Gaps, Research Shows

Commuting zones surrounding Bridgeport are among the commuting regions in the United States where neighborhood income inequality has grown notably most severe over the past 20 years, according to a new analysis developed by the Urban Institute and published in Governing magazine. From 1990 to 2010, inequality in the United States increased in many ways, the report explains, highlighting that the income, wealth, and educational attainment of residents in the most privileged neighborhoods in the U.S. escalated rapidly over these two decades. Meanwhile, “residents of the most disadvantaged neighborhoods gained little; many of these neighborhoods grew poorer,” the report indicated.

As a result, the study found that inequality between “top and bottom income” neighborhoods intensified in the great majority of commuting zones. Even where inequality dropped, the story was not always positive: it often occurred because top-neighborhood incomes fell in the wake of economic stagnation.

The research report, “World Apart:  Inequality between America’s Most and Least Affluent Neighborhoods,” found that “the national trend toward rising incomes among top-earning households” was reflected in the nation’s top tracts show growth from $123,000 to $138,300, over 12 percent” during the period 1990-2010.  Some top neighborhoods, including those surrounding Bridgeport, “had increases of over $30,000 at the top.”

Annual income in bottom tracts, meanwhile, grew from $36,800 to $37,150 – less than 1 percent over the twenty year period.  The average income of bottom tracts declined in 209 of the 570 commuting zones studied, the report indicated.  The most severe losses at the bottom among large commuting zones, the report found, occurred in Bridgeport, Newark and Dallas. Bridgeport is one of the ten cities with the largest “neighborhood inequality index.”

The report flatly stated that “Bridgeport, which includes the entirety of Connecticut, already was one of the most unequal commuting zones in 1990.  Its top and bottom neighborhoods pulled further apart in income between 1990 and 2010; practically all its top neighborhoods are still in the suburbs and practically all its bottom neighborhoods are in central cities.”

The only cities with commuting zones of over 250,000 people with a higher “neighborhood inequality index” than Bridgeport, as of 2010, are Austin, Baltimore, Birmingham, Columbus, Houston, Nashville, Richmond, and St. Louis.

As a result of changes at the top and bottom, the report noted, income inequality between top and bottom tracts grew from 1990 to 2010 in 433 of the 570 commuting zones. In 237 CZs, income inequality grew because of rapid increases at the top coupled with modest increases at the bottom.

To understand the differences between neighborhoods that share the same housing and labor markets, the Urban Institute analysis used commuting zones (CZs), county-based regions defined in the 1990s. Unlike metropolitan areas, commuting zones cover the entirety of the United States, and their definitions are constant over time.

The study ranked every CZ’s tracts from lowest to highest neighborhood advantage score. Then they identified the top 10 percent and the bottom 10 percent of tracts—the most advantaged and least advantaged neighborhoods in each CZ—for further exploration. There are described as top and bottom tracts. The study analyzed the 570 CZs that had at least 10 census tracts in 2010.

The nonprofit Urban Institute is dedicated to elevating the debate on social and economic policy. The organization’s website explains that “For nearly five decades, urban scholars have conducted research and offered evidence-based solutions that improve lives and strengthen communities across a rapidly urbanizing world. Their objective research helps expand opportunities for all, reduce hardship among the most vulnerable, and strengthen the effectiveness of the public sector.”

New Bicycle Safety Law Puts Bicyclists in Drivers Seat on Roadways in CT

With the July 4^th weekend now in the rear view mirror, summer is fully underway.  And for bicyclists and motorists this summer, there are some important new rules of the road, courtesy of the Connecticut state legislature. Changes to Connecticut's laws for cyclists took effect at the start of the month on July 1, 2015.  The Bicycle Safety bill (Senate Bill 502 and now Public Act 15-41) was passed in May with broad bipartisan support and signed into law on June 1.  The new law eliminates the confusing--and often unsafe--rule requiring cyclists to ride as far to the right as practicable, according to officials of the Bike Walk Connecticut, the statewide advocacy organization.

Instead, the law now requires cyclists to ride as close to the right side of the road as is safe, as judged by the cyclist.  Bike Walk Connecticut specifically advocated for that language, which is modeled on a best practice from Colorado as identified by the League of American Bicyclists.

Officials say that with the new law now in effect, cyclists don't have to ride as close to the right side of the road when:

• Overtaking or passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction;
• Preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway;
• Reasonably necessary to avoid conditions, including, but not limited to, fixed or moving objects, parked or moving vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, animals, surface hazards or lanes that are too narrow for a bicycle and a motor vehicle to travel safely side by side within such lanes;
• Approaching an intersection where right turns are permitted and there is a dedicated right turn lane, in which case a bicyclist may ride on the left-hand side of such dedicated lane, even if the bicyclist does not intend to turn right;
• Riding on a roadway designated for one-way traffic, when the bicyclist may ride as near to the left-hand curb or edge of such roadway as judged safe by the bicyclist; or when
• Riding on parts of roadways separated for the exclusive use of bicycles, including, but not limited to, contra-flow bicycle lanes, left-handed cycle tracks or bicycle lanes on one-way streets and two-way cycle tracks or bicycle lanes.

The new law also allows two-way bicycle lanes, buffered bike lanes, and cycle tracks to be designed in Connecticut and allows drivers to cross the double yellow line to pass slower-moving cyclists and other road users when it's safe to do so.

Later this month, Bike Walk CT is offering the League of American Bicyclist-designed Traffic Skills 101 program, a comprehensive day long course to give cyclists the skills, knowledge and confidence to handle on-road cycling.

Federal statistics indicate 722 bicyclist deaths occurred in 2012, up 6 percent from 2011 and 16 percent from 2010.  On a per capita basis, Florida recorded an annual average of about 5.7 cyclist deaths per million residents, by far the most of any state. The national bicyclist death rate for 2012 was approximately 2.3 deaths per 1 million.  In Connecticut, the rate was 1.8, ranking the state 18th in the nation.

The program this month will be offered in West Hartford; with the cost of the one-day program $50 for Bike Walk CT members and $65 for non-members.  The curriculum includes approximately 4 hours in class and 4 hours outside, split between skill drills and an on-road ride.  Among other things, participants will practice starting, stopping, shifting and scanning, learn how to ride in traffic, including proper lane and intersection positioning, and crash avoidance techniques.

Officials at Bike Walk CT note that bike lanes and greenways “aren’t just good for our health.  Since transportation is the biggest contributor to greenhouse gases in Connecticut, active transportation—biking and walking—must be a key piece of our climate action plan.  Bikeways are also an extremely cost-efficient way to manage traffic congestion.  Bike lanes, sidewalks and greenways cost a fraction of what it costs to build and maintain roads.  People tend to bike and walk more when they have the bike lanes, greenways and sidewalks.”

“Being bike-friendly isn’t just a ‘nice to have’ thing anymore,” observes Kelly Kennedy, Executive Director of Bike Walk Connecticut.  “Being bike-friendly is now essential to competitiveness.  In fact, not being bike-friendly is a competitive disadvantage. Connecticut's car-dependent lifestyle is not the lifestyle that millennials or the creative class have in mind.  A well-designed active transportation network will help bring millennials and the creative class to Connecticut and keep them here, strengthening our economy.”

PERSPECTIVE l The Problem of Rising Rents and Falling Incomes Seen Through the Regenerative Lens

by Sally Goerner “We are the poorest urban county not because we can’t produce wealth, but because we haven’t built what we need to capture it. You spend your life enriching someone else, somewhere else.” –Yorman Nunez, The Bronx Cooperative Development Initiative, 2013

Affordable housing is very much in the news these days, especially in urban areas like New York and San Francisco where unaffordability is reaching crisis proportions. Minimum wage is clearly not keeping up with rising housing costs in these areas, but at some level most people intuit that endlessly increasing the minimum wage is a losing battle that won’t allow workers to keep up with skyrocketing rents. The unstated obstacle to finding a better way is that we lack a compelling explanation for why a growing gap between rents and income is a problem not just an inevitability.

To be sure, Keynesians point out that city health in general is harmed when local monetary circulation goes down because a larger slice of income going to rent means more money flowing upward and less circulating horizontally. But, the neoclassical and neoliberal economists who dominate policy discussions tend to see this issue as simply a matter of the detritus of unerring market forces. Regenerative economics creates a very different way of looking at this conundrum – one which suggests more lasting solutions.

Regenerative economics places the problem of rising rents and falling incomes squarely within today’s context of massive and unrelenting concentrations of wealth at the very top; erosion of the middle class; and money flowing into speculative investments, not the real economy. Since robust cross-scale circulation is a critical factor in systemic health, the regenerative lens sees all of these events as signs of growing economic necrosis – the slow starvation of economic tissue due to too much money flowing to the top, and too little circulating throughout the rest of the real economy.

Economic necrosis sets in when: 1) rents go up because a few people have lots of money, and higher rents extract more from lower levels; while, 2) jobs and wages are going down because the small and medium-sized, real-economy organizations that produce most jobs are experiencing monetary starvation. Increasing the minimum wage helps somewhat, but it is a temporary, Band-Aid solution to the deeper problem of a frail real-economy with feeble job-creation due at least in part to too much money flowing away from the local real-economy organizations instead of circulating throughout middle and lower scales within. In other words, there are systemic limits to the extraction of wealth by “rentiers,” not just ethical considerations.

Instead of viewing today’s situation as the inevitable outcome of free-market forces, regenerative thinking follows Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson’s work in Why Nations Fail (2012), seeing all of these events as indications of an extractive economy, one designed politically to support the process of wealth moving upwards. Using concrete examples such as Nogales, Mexico, and Nogales, Texas, which are culturally and geographically identical, but politically and economically distinct, Acemoglu and Robinson demonstrate that the underlying problem of poverty lies in how much the political system supports economic policies designed to move wealth upward (extractive) versus those designed to empower, develop, and circulate. These latter characteristics are all features of a Regenerative economy.

Extractive economies create an illusion of vitality by building a shimmering bubble of phantom wealth that masks an ever more fragile real economy. In contrast, Regenerative economies seek to build long-term, cross-scale, economic vitality precisely by re-invigorating the small and medium-sized, real-economy organizations that are currently so malnourished. Taken together, the key principles of Regenerative economics show how to develop exactly those structures and processes that allow local communities to both produce wealth and circulate it back into the self-feeding economic arrangements that maintain vitality for long periods of time. This is what Regenerative means.

As it turns out, the real-economy revitalization process we need is already underway as witnessed by New Economy efforts ranging from the organic farm movement to the Evergreen Cooperatives of Cleveland. As the Bronx Cooperative Development Initiative (BCDI) shows, interest in building regenerative systems is already apparent:

BCDI is guided by a deep intention to harness the essence of the people, resources, and place of the Bronx, and to enable the members of the community to co-create the borough’s regeneration… BCDI has been undertaking considerable work in laying the ground for this more holistic approach, building out a collaborative of organizations focusing on a regional development strategy to support economic democracy in the borough, with shared ownership at the core of that vision. The collaborative includes local business leaders, organized labor, anchor institutions, including hospitals and universities, and the local zoo, as well as a diverse array of local nonprofits.

Regenerative financing is also beginning to emerge. Our Field Guide to Investing in a Regenerative Economy, for example, tells the story of Bendigo Community Banks (BCB). Begun in the 1990s, BCB reflects a “self-organizing” response to the closing of over 2,000 bank branches in rural Australia. Suddenly cut off from access to financial capital, residents and businesses of these communities appealed to Bendigo Bank to reestablish a banking presence in these areas. Now 300 strong, the resulting bank model – part franchise and part cooperative – has helped revive these communities, and given local leaders the business acumen and tools they need to sustain their own regenerative process.

A hemisphere away, in Sierra Gorda, Mexico, the not-for-profit Grupo Ecologico is developing innovative funding mechanisms for empowering a network of resourceful, but impoverished, small farmers and ranchers seeking to become regenerators of their own land and communities in one of the most biodiverse regions of the world.

Still, to truly revitalize the entire economy, these important efforts will require upper-level support in the form of improved financial flows, policy reforms, political reforms, and more apropos economic theory and measures. In contrast to “top-down” approaches such as conventional monetary and fiscal policy, or “bottom-up” approaches such as the local economy movement or even Occupy Wall Street, Regenerative economics sees connecting high-level reforms in a way that reinforces grassroots efforts as critical because regenerative health is a systemic affair which requires cross scale integration. We believe the Regenerative lens can clarify how to make such integrated reforms produce the sustainable vitality we all desire.

Dr. Sally Goerner is Science Advisor for Greenwich-based Capital Institute.  The organization’s mission is to explore and effect the economic transition to a more just, regenerative, and thus sustainable way of living on this earth through the transformation of finance.

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CT by the Numbers publishes opinion articles of 600 words or less.  Submissions should be emailed to info@ctbythenumbers.info.  Perspectives are published at the discretion of CT by the Numbers. 

New CT Law Raises Age, Strengthens Education for Towing People While Boating, Responding to Tragedy

Emily Fedorko, a 16-year-old from Greenwich who died in a water-skiing related accident last summer, is the namesake of “Emily’s Law,” which, at the urging of her parents, was approved by the state legislature this year and signed into law by Governor Malloy. It prohibits children under-16 from piloting watercraft towing skiers or tubers, raising the age from 13, and requires a related safety course that specifically includes towing instruction. In testimony before the state legislature’s Environment Committee, which was considering the proposed legislation earlier this year, Emily’s parents, Joseph and Pamela Fedorko, said “What makes this so important is that current boating safety courses have very little on the topic of towing. This includes water skiing, tubing or boarding. Education is the leading way we can teach our young adults safety.”

“Our daughter Emily took her safety course along with my youngest daughter and wife on June 28th, 2014, five weeks before she passed. Emily took intense notes that day. My wife, Pam, can attest that there wasn’t anything taught regarding towing of water sports.”

“Education in the classroom is just part of it. Having the ability to make quick decisions comes with AGE and EXPERIENCE. Towing requires even more. The operator needs to be alert and aware of his/her surroundings. They also need to understand the responsibility of pulling a rider,” the Fedorko’s told legislators.

In addition to urging changes in state law to enhance boating safety, the Fedorko’s formed the Emily Catherine Fedorko Foundation to increase boating education in Connecticut and beyond.  The site includes a tutorial video detailing safe towing practices, which the Water Sports Industry Association indicates is the water sports activity with “the most injuries in recent years.”  The Foundation also provides a “safe boating packet” that includes a water resistant phone carrier, floating key chain safety tips and ignition switch sticker, all aimed at reminding water craft operators to turn off their engine when towing to enhance safety and prevent potential life-threatening hazards.

This new Connecticut law requires, with limited exceptions, a person who operates a vessel engaged in water skiing to:

• be at least age 16;
• hold a (a) valid U.S. Coast Guard-issued vessel operator license, (b) Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP)-issued safe boating certificate (SBC) or certificate of personal watercraft operation (CPWO), or (c) a boating safety certificate from a state with a reciprocal agreement with Connecticut; and
• hold a DEEP-issued safe water skiing endorsement obtained after completing safe water skiing instruction.

The bill also prohibits a vessel owner from knowingly allowing someone under age 16 to operate the vessel while engaged in water skiing.

State Senator Scott Franz told his fellow legislators, “currently, a 13 year old with a Safe Boating Certificate is able to take a twin 350 horsepower engine boat out and tow water skiers and tubers. The record is miraculously good, but the risk given the general lack of on-the-water experience for this age group is large. With Senate Bill 699, there would be a requirement of a minimum age of 16 with a towing endorsement in order to legally tow.”

“On August 6, 2014, Emily went out with three of her best friends looking to have fun on the water. As a result of inexperience, she lost her life tubing while her best friend was driving,” her parents told legislators.  The Fedorko’s went on to ask: “We allow our kids to get their driving license at 16. This comes with many restrictions. So why wouldn’t we want to add some rules to anyone who is looking to drive a boat while towing someone? Boats don’t have a seat belt or brakes and riders are at the mercy of the operator. The age restriction for towing with a personal watercraft, or Jet Ski, is 16. Why would we not want the same age restriction for a boat with a propeller?”

Legislators answered by approving the proposal, which is now state law.  The restrictions and requirements are not in place in other states, and the Emily Catherine Fedorko Foundation is continuing efforts to promote stricter guidelines around the country.

NBC News recently reported that there were more than 4,000 boating accidents in the U.S. in 2014, citing U.S. Coast Guard statistics.  The top three contributing factors, according to the report, were operator inattention, improper lookout and operator inexperience.

According to the United States Power Squadrons (USPS), boating laws and license requirements vary from state to state.  Eight states have no mandatory boater education law:  Alaska, California, Arizona, Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, Arkansas, and Maine.  USPS is a nonprofit, educational organization dedicated to making boating safer and more enjoyable by teaching classes in seamanship, navigation and related subjects.  The organization was among the agencies and individuals, including the state’s Department of Energy and Environment Protection, that supported approval of Emily’s Law in Connecticut.