Gentile welcomes road funding

      State Rep. Linda M. Gentile, D-Ansonia, welcomes the expected allocation of funds to the towns of Ansonia and Derby for road improvements. 

      The State Bond Commission will meet Friday and is expected to approve the first half of the 2012-2013 town aid road grant in the amount of $15 million. 

Ansonia and Derby’s portion of that is $146,824.  

A second similar grant will follow at the end of the year.  Also known as TAR, Town Aid for Roads grants are generally released in January and July each year.

      “These funds help stabilize local property taxes and put people to work on projects that need to be done,”  Gentile said. “Town Aid Road grants are especially important, allowing communities like Ansonia and Derby to maintain our roads.”

     Gentile said district towns can anticipate receiving the following grants:

• Ansonia – $80,088.
• Derby - $66,736.

     The state grant funds allocated are used for safety issues, design work and repaving.

     The State Bond Commission meets at 10:30 a.m. Friday in room 1E of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford.

This information is taken from a release from Gentile's office.

Gentile applauds added preschool slots for Ansonia

Education department targets school readiness     

  State Rep. Linda M. Gentile, D-Ansonia, applauded Gov. Dannel Malloy’s announcement that new early-childhood education slots have been identified for Ansonia, meaning that state funding will be provided for preschool opportunities for 21 additional children.

      The new slots are part of the education reform bill backed by Rep. Gentile and passed by the legislature this spring. 
     Studies have shown that children having access to high quality early education are more likely to succeed in grades K-12.

      “Increasing access to preschool is the foundation of our education reform initiatives,” Gentile said. “Closing the achievement gap is our ultimate goal."

      According to the state Department of Education, grants for the new slots in Ansonia will be as follows:   Valley YMCA, 20 full day;   Ansonia Public Schools,  one full day.

     Statewide, the sweeping education reform package targets almost $6.8 million in new funding for increased access to high quality early childhood education.        
     With the funding, 1,000 additional slots in 36 municipalities will be administered through the Connecticut School Readiness program, a state Department of Education initiative designed to provide access to high quality preschool for children ages three and four.

     The education reform package creates a pilot program to enhance literacy for students in kindergarten through third grade. It also requires the state Department of Education to develop reading assessments so children that are reading deficient are identified early so they may get the help they need quickly.

The above is taken from a release from Gentile's office.