“No member of the Board shall have any direct pecuniary interest in a contract with the school district….”

That sentence is from the Bylaws for the Bridgeport Board of Education (you can read them here). In common English: No member of the board can have a personal financial interest in a contract with the school district.

One word, “direct,” saves the bacon of the Working Families Party and unendorsed Democratic slate about to be sworn into office. Why? Because the Connecticut Education Association spent over $138,000 in support of Dave Hennessey, Howard Gardner and Andre Baker. That’s four-and-a-half times more than the $30,000 the unendorsed candidates spent on their own campaign. [Itemized Campaign Finance Disclosure Statement, Amended, 11/4/2013; Original, 10/29/2013]

The connection to the teacher’s union may go even further. There have been allegations of illegal coordination between the union and the unendorsed Democratic campaign. Union members organized signature drives and canvassed for the candidates according to a press release from the opposing primary slate. [Education Bridgeport, 9/5/2013]

The teachers union massively outspends everyone else to elect the “unendorsed” Democrats. And now, we’re supposed to believe these board members will be honest brokers in the new union contract?

Stay Tuned! More information to come…

To comment on this and other stories, please check out the Education Bridgeport! Facebook page