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Federal COVID relief dollars have boosted education in recent years. But now, money allocated from the American Rescue Plan Act is going away. What will state governments do now for students and teachers? 

Federal COVID relief dollars have boosted education in recent years. But now, money allocated from the American Rescue Plan Act is going away. What will state governments do now for students and teachers?

If you’re a news junkie — or maybe just news curious, we’ve got your weekly dose of Connecticut politics, tackling everything from tax cuts to human composting. Amplifying important local and national voices, The Wheelhouse walks listeners through the most important political stories of the week.  You’ll hear from well-known political reporters, academics, and local journalists across Connecticut’s 169 cities and towns.

If you’re a news junkie — or maybe just news curious, we’ve got your weekly dose of Connecticut politics, tackling everything from tax cuts to human composting. Amplifying important local and national voices, The Wheelhouse walks listeners through the most important political stories of the week.  You’ll hear from well-known political reporters, academics, and local journalists across Connecticut’s 169 cities and towns.

Connecticut's best journalists come out of the political trenches every Wednesday to join us on WNPR's weekly news roundtable The Wheelhouse.

The Wheelhouse

The ARPA dollars are spent. What will CT schools do now?

State lawmakers are foregoing budget caps to fund Medicaid.

But with Medicaid relying on two primary funding sources–and U.S. lawmakers poised to pass President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill”--the future of low-income healthcare programs is uncertain.

Today on The Wheelhouse, America’s brittle social safety net hangs in the balance.

GUESTS:
Lisa Hagan, Federal Policy Reporter, CT Mirror and CT Public
Joan Alker, Reporter, Georgetown University
John Henry Smith, Host, All Things Considered, CT Public

State lawmakers are&nbsp;<a href="https://ctmirror.org/2025/05/16/ct-budget-spending-cap-fiscal-guardrails/">foregoing budget caps to fund Medicaid</a>.
But with Medicaid relying on two primary funding sources&ndash;and U.S. lawmakers poised to pass President Donald Trump&rsquo;s &ldquo;<a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/05/22/house-passes-trump-bill-congress/83747173007/">Big Beautiful Bill</a>&rdquo;--the future of low-income healthcare programs is uncertain.
Today on The Wheelhouse, America&rsquo;s brittle social safety net hangs in the balance.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/people/lisa-hagen-1">Lisa Hagan</a>, Federal Policy Reporter,&nbsp;CT Mirror&nbsp;and&nbsp;CT Public</li>
<li><a href="https://ccf.georgetown.edu/author/joan-alker/">Joan Alker</a>, Reporter,&nbsp;Georgetown University</li>
<li><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/people/john-henry-smith">John Henry Smith</a>, Host, All Things Considered,&nbsp;CT Public</li>
</ul>

CT Lawmakers exceed the budget cap, shoring up Medicaid

George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis in 2020 inspired police reform in America.

Five years ago this week, Americans took to the streets amid a global pandemic to protest Floyd’s murder.

Chants of “Black Lives Matter” reverberated throughout Connecticut. And then, two months after Floyd’s death, Connecticut was one of the first states in the nation to enact police reform legislation.

“I don’t think this day happens without the connection between what’s going on on the streets and why the people are in the building fighting the way they are,” Democratic lawmaker Gary Winfield said after the bill passed through his state senate chamber on July 29, 2020.

Today on the Wheelhouse, an update on police reform – what stuck, and what still needs to be done to protect Black lives…five years after George Floyd.

GUESTS:
Jeffrey A. Fletcher, Owner and Collector, Ruby and Calvin Fletcher African American History Museum
Brakkton Booker, National Political Correspondent, Politico 
Lorenzo Boyd, Professor of Criminal Justice and Community Policing, University of New Haven
Elizabeth Hinton, Professor of African American Studies, History, and Law, Yale University

George Floyd&rsquo;s death in Minneapolis in 2020 inspired police reform in America.
Five years ago this week, Americans took to the streets amid a global pandemic to protest Floyd&rsquo;s murder.
Chants of &ldquo;Black Lives Matter&rdquo; reverberated throughout Connecticut. And then, two months after Floyd&rsquo;s death, Connecticut was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/31/us/connecticut-police-reform-bill-signed">one of the first states</a>&nbsp;in the nation to enact police reform legislation.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think this day happens without the connection between what&rsquo;s going on on the streets and why the people are in the building fighting the way they are,&rdquo; Democratic lawmaker Gary Winfield said after the bill passed through his state senate chamber on July 29, 2020.
Today on the Wheelhouse, an update on police reform &ndash; what stuck, and what still needs to be done to protect Black lives&hellip;five years after George Floyd.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://africanamericanmuseumct.org/museum-leadership/">Jeffrey A. Fletcher</a>, Owner and Collector,&nbsp;Ruby and Calvin Fletcher African American History Museum</li>
<li><a href="https://www.politico.com/staff/brakkton-booker">Brakkton Booker</a>, National Political Correspondent,&nbsp;Politico&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://www.newhaven.edu/faculty-staff-profiles/lorenzo-boyd.php">Lorenzo Boyd</a>, Professor of Criminal Justice and Community Policing,&nbsp;University of New Haven</li>
<li><a href="https://history.yale.edu/people/elizabeth-hinton">Elizabeth Hinton</a>, Professor of African American Studies, History, and Law,&nbsp;Yale University</li>
</ul>

Police reform in CT and beyond, five years after George Floyd’s murder

Colleges and universities across the country are facing serious headwinds.

In 2022, college enrollment was 14.8% below peak enrollment in 2010. That’s according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Is a post-pandemic rebound even possible?

Factors like declining enrollment, shifting perceptions of value, and rising financial strain have college and universities in Connecticut and beyond ringing the alarm bell.

This hour, we look at how the future of higher education will impact the state’s economy, workforce, and the country’s ability to compete on a global level.

GUESTS:
Susan Raff, Chief political reporter, WFSB Eyewitness News Ch. 3
Jacqueline Rabe Thomas, Investigative reporter, Hearst Connecticut Media
Brian Rosenberg, Visiting Professor at Harvard Graduate School of Education, author of Whatever It Is, I’m Against It
Jon Marcus, Senior higher education reporter for The Hechinger Report and co-host of the podcast, “College Uncovered” 

Colleges and universities across the country are facing serious headwinds.
In 2022, college enrollment was 14.8% below peak enrollment in 2010. That&rsquo;s according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_303.70.asp">National Center for Education Statistics</a>. Is a post-pandemic rebound even possible?
Factors like declining enrollment, shifting perceptions of value, and rising financial strain have college and universities in Connecticut and beyond ringing the alarm bell.
This hour, we look at how the future of higher education will impact the state&rsquo;s economy, workforce, and the country&rsquo;s ability to compete on a global level.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.wfsb.com/authors/Susan-Raff/">Susan Raff</a>, Chief political reporter,&nbsp;WFSB Eyewitness News Ch. 3</li>
<li><a href="https://www.ctinsider.com/author/jacqueline-rabe-thomas/">Jacqueline Rabe Thomas</a>, Investigative reporter,&nbsp;Hearst Connecticut Media</li>
<li><a href="https://www.gse.harvard.edu/directory/faculty/brian-rosenberg">Brian Rosenberg</a>, Visiting Professor at Harvard Graduate School of Education, author of&nbsp;<a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/whatever-it-is-i-m-against-it-resistance-to-change-in-higher-education-brian-rosenberg/20120554?ean=9781682538289&amp;next=t">Whatever It Is, I&rsquo;m Against It</a></li>
<li><a href="https://hechingerreport.org/author/jon-marcus/">Jon Marcus</a>, Senior higher education reporter for The Hechinger Report and co-host of the podcast, &ldquo;<a href="https://www.wgbh.org/podcasts/college-uncovered/s4-eps-2-tag-youre-in-the-rise-of-direct-admissions">College Uncovered</a>&rdquo;&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

The ARPA dollars are spent. What will CT schools do now?

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