100 Signature GOAL reached! NEXT we head to present this petition to the Connecticut Black and Puerto Rican Caucus (BPRC) requesting they remove Senator Matt Lesser because we allege some of his legislative decisions go against the academic needs of Connecticut Black and brown children - more specifically Middletown CT vulnerable youth.

Connecticut Black community leaders started a 100 signature petition calling for Senator Matt Lesser’s removal from BPRC. Our one hundred signature goal is based on 10% of total enrollment in the Middletown Public School system (4,387), in with 21.7% are Black.

Why Now? The petition stems from concerns surrounding Senator Lesser’s last-minute decision to withdraw funding for Capital Preparatory Charter School (CPREP), which was slated to become Middletown’s first charter school. It is important to note this school had several public meetings, majority legislative support and was chosen by the people aka some of Senator Lesser's diverse constituents of all ages. 

Middletown has one high school about to burst at the seams and one technical high school with 500 students that serve 27 towns. In late 2022, those dynamics were about to change because a new high school was in the making - Capital Prep Middletown, a public charter school. They have a proven documented track record of successfully working with vulnerable populations especially Black and brown children. Let us fast forward into 2023.

On June 8, the last day of the 2023 Connecticut legislative session, a historical moment was unfolding. The State NAACP held a press conference at 10am, standing in solidarity with Middletown's first charter school, CPrep Middletown. This potential new school had not only garnered diverse community support but also had bipartisan backing at both the local and state level. Then, at 11:48pm, twelve minutes before midnight, an unexpected turn of events occurred - a plot twist on the famous Cinderella story. Middletown’s Senator Matt Lesser and a few of his colleagues pulled all funding from this promising public school, without providing any explanation, to the many vulnerable students and their families, who are in dire need of expanded educational and economic opportunities.

We have concerns that today, Senator Lesser is voting against vulnerable children academic needs of Middletown and tomorrow he can be voting against Black and brown veteran and elderly needs- all while sitting on the BPRC. 

This is why we, as Black parents and community leaders in Connecticut, are calling for the removal of Senator Matt Lesser from his position within the Connecticut Legislative Black and Puerto Rican Caucus (BPRC).

 BPRC was formed in 1976 to promote active political involvement among minorities and empower minority communities within our state, we believe that some of Senator Lesser's decisions have worked against these very objectives.

In particular, we feel that his actions have negatively impacted the education of our most vulnerable children - those who need academic and life support the most. His decision to withdraw funding from Middletown's first charter school is just one example that has left us questioning his commitment to improving educational outcomes for ALL children - especially our most vulnerable Black and brown students- according to the data.

We urge you BPRC, respectfully, to consider our request seriously as it comes directly from concerned parents and community members who want nothing more than a fair education and economic system that values all children. Martin Luther King Jr. said “ our lives begin to end when we are silent about the things that matter“ we all know that black minds matter too