CONNECTICUT, USA — Thousands of Connecticut high school students from across the state will decide how more than $1.5 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds for schools will be spent.
A total of 43 districts encompassing 77 high schools across Connecticut have opted-in to participate, representing more than 55,000 students.
Gov. Ned Lamont called it a "first-in-the-nation statewide student civic engagement initiative."
The initiative, called Voice4Change, aims at empowering high school students to propose and vote on how more than $1.5 million of the ARP ESSER state set-aside will be invested to reimagine schools across Connecticut.
“We are creating Voice4Change as a tool to give Connecticut high school students a voice in how these important relief dollars are spent,” Governor Lamont said. “We want to hear from all voices when it comes to how these funds should be allocated, and that must include students. This is their opportunity to help make a change in their schools, and I hope they take advantage.”
A vote will be held in each school on March 11, when students will choose one idea they prefer most for their particular school.
Lamont explained that the goal for the initiative is to increase student engagement while fulfilling the Connecticut State Board of Education’s vision of ensuring students thrive in a global economy and civic life by challenging students to think critically and solve real-world problems.
Information on the initiative will soon be made available on the Connecticut State Department of Education’s Voice4Change webpage at ct.gov/voice4change. The student application period will launch near the end of November and close in early January.
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