As a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and a father of two young boys who attend public schools, Chris Murphy has more than a passing interest in good schools.
So it came as no surprise to see Connecticut’s Democratic U.S. senator down on his hands and knees Friday, Nov. 30, despite being dressed in a suit, racing a wind-powered Lego car that he had built with the help of two seventh-graders at Dag Hammarskjöld Middle School just a few minutes earlier. Murphy came to the school to learn more about how the school district approaches STEM education, which focuses on science, technology, engineering and mathematics
Murphy was racing his car against one built by a seventh-grade boy. Both cars had paper sails designed to catch the breeze created by a small fan, but just as the race was about to start, Murphy gave his creation a hard push toward the finish line.
“You mean that wasn’t how I was supposed to do it?” the Cheshire resident deadpanned.
Paul Bogush, a seventh-grade teacher, told Murphy the goal of the school’s STEM education efforts was to make the students under stand that “when something doesn’t work, it’s not the end of the world.”
“The biggest thing I want them to get out of this is that any problem they are confronted with, they can solve by themselves,” Bogush said later.
Murphy told students he wants schools to be places “where we’re able to develop programs that make you excited about learning.”
The idea that a sitting U.S. senator was visiting the school excited both educators and students alike.
“It’s a huge moment because there are only 100 of them (U.S. senators) ,” said Todd Snyder, principal of the middle school, after watching two of his students interview Murphy for a video newscast. “No matter what happens to these girls for the rest of their lives, they are always going to have this moment.
Wallingford Board of Education Chairwoman Roxane McKay said school officials feel fortunate that manufacturing companies in the community have been so supportive of the district STEM efforts.”
“Funding is clearly the big issue,” McKay said, noting the school board is in the early stages of considering how it wants to deal with its aging school buildings. “These buildings don’t lend themselves to doing robotics because the ceilings aren’t high enough.”
Murphy said later that he is troubled by the Trump administration’s budget as it relates to STEM education.
“It really eliminates funding for a lot of these STEM programs,” Murphy said. “It seems like its their goal to gut funding to any programs that they don’t see as critical.”
A report issued by the American Institute of Physics in March said the Trump administration fiscal 2019 budget “prioritizes certain STEM education programs, while again proposing deep cuts to the (education) department’s primary grant programs, which support STEM education at state and district levels.”
“The administration would also mostly cut or maintain budgets for other STEM education programs across the federal government,” the report said in part.
