State Sends $350K For Special Ed Programming, Feds Send $100K For Amistad Exhibit Upgrades

by Thomas Breen

An extra $350,000 in state funds are en route to New Haven to help pay for special education programming, while nearly $100,000 in federal funds are heading to a city nonprofit to help keep alive the story of the Amistad slave revolt.

Those grants were announced in two separate press releases sent out Tuesday afternoon.

One, sent out by New Haven State Sen. and President Pro Tem Martin Looney’s office, celebrated $350,000 in state grants that will be coming to New Haven as part of the “High-Quality Special Education Incentive Grant Program.”

“This program was created because lawmakers know special education plays a transformational role in the lives of children with additional needs, but its costs, while necessary, can harm town and city budgets,” Looney is quoted as saying in the press release. “New programming spurred by this investment in our community will bolster offered services and relieve some financial pressure in the process for town and school leaders. I’m grateful to Governor Lamont for this investment in New Haven.”

How exactly will this money be used by New Haven Public Schools (NHPS)?

“We believe that inclusive environments are essential to fostering students’ best learning outcomes over time,” NHPS spokesperson Justin Harmon told the Independent. “Accordingly, we are investing the state grant funds in two key areas. We will augment training opportunities for educators regarding best practices for co-teaching, with an eye to improving opportunities for special education students in the general education classroom. We also will continue to increase the number and range of specialized programs for students with complex learning needs in order to successfully maintain more such students within our district community.”

Also on Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal sent out an email press release announcing an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grant of $97,250 to the nonprofit Discovering Amistad.

“The award will be used by Discovering Amistad to expand and modernize its exhibits and educational programming,” the press release states. “The project will reduce geographic barriers to participation and increased statewide access by integrating shipboard, dockside, classroom, and digital experiences with upgraded display panels, the addition of interactive dockside and shipboard exhibits, and a renewed curriculum for grades 8-12.”

Discovering Amistad “will utilize the award to modernize and expand its reach and impact while elevating the powerful history of the Amistad and its contemporary connections,” Discovering Amistad Executive Director Paula Mann-Agnew is quoted as saying in Tuesday’s press release. “Amistad Museum Plus (AM+) will create a variety of state-of-the-art exhibits including 3D virtual tours, multimedia portals, live reenactments, modular exhibits, interactive tools and traveling with an intentional focus on Connecticut’s ‘unsung Amistad heroes.’ This exciting initiative will empower Connecticut’s Flagship, the Amistad Freedom Schooner, to engage more students, teachers, and community members throughout Connecticut, the nation and beyond.”