The state Supreme Court has not begun hearing oral arguments in Superintendent Vallas’ appeal, and yet the national media has already started covering the trial. The Associate Press has a page ready to go, though there have not been any updates. On Friday, the Wall Street Journal published a story outlining the events leading up the case, including the recent Board of Education primary :

Both issues stem from opposition to Mr. Vallas that has been mounting since he arrived in January 2012. Critics say the fiscal struggles of districts Mr. Vallas has run previously can be traced to his stewardship.

They also don’t like his history of touting charter schools, independently operated institutions funded with taxpayer dollars—of which Bridgeport has a handful.

…

Mr. Vallas deflects the criticism, saying the 22,000-student Bridgeport district hasn’t opened any new charter schools on his watch and that he eliminated an $12 million budget shortfall. “People are afraid of change,” he said.

In Bridgeport, Mr. Vallas introduced a new, districtwide educational curriculum, opened four high schools and hasn’t closed any schools.

The full article can be found here: [Wall Street Journal, 09/20/2013]

It seems all eyes are on Bridgeport. The coming weeks and months will be pivotal in determining the future of our school district. This court case might be of national importance, but the real impact it will have is on the 21,000 students in Bridgeport’s public schools.