Carmen L. Lopez is a hero of public education.
She has stood up against the most powerful people in her state to defend the public schools and the basic principles of democracy.
She served as a judge of the Connecticut Superior Court from 1996 until her retirement in 2008. At that time, she was elected to the Bridgeport Board of Education.
She played a pivotal role in the legal strategy and lawsuit that stopped the State of Connecticut’s effort to take over the Bridgeport School System. Connecticut’s Supreme Court ruled that the state had failed to follow its laws and ordered that the democratically elected board of education be reconstituted and given back the authority to run the City’s schools. An election was held earlier this month and an elected board again controls the schools.
Judge Lopez is now opposing the Mayor’s effort to change the city charter and take control of the school system. The proposed change would eliminate a democratically elected board of education and replace it with one appointed by the Mayor and City Council.
Judge Lopez is an advocate for students in need of special education services. She has represented many students at due process hearings on a pro bono basis.
For her strong leadership on behalf of democratic control of public education, Judge Carmen Lopez joins the honor roll as a hero of public education.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I’m Confused you say She was appt to board but you also say its an elected board; which is it?
Leonie Haimson Class Size Matters Sent from IPad so please excuse typos
My error, fixed. When you live in NYC, it is easy to forget that most school boards are elected.
No- that is an error. Judge Lopez was never appointed to the BOE. It is an elected board and she is fighting to keep it that way.
Clarification:
The State of Connecticut appointed a board illegally when the board voted to disband itself a year or so ago. The state Supreme Court declared this illegal and an eventually an election was held. So for a short time, there was an appointed board. This ended with a special election in September 2012.
The City Council and the Mayor have now written a referendum question on the ballot for 11/6– which says:
“Shall the City of Bridgeport approve and adopt the charter changes as recommended by the Charter Revision Commission and approved by the City Council, including education governance reforms?
They are trying to get Bridgeport’s citizens to vote away their own voting rights, and hiding that from them with misleading wording.
Slick advertisements have been produced.
Bridgeport is a mostly Black and Hispanic post industrial city with concentrated poverty and a long history of corruption.
This is the second attempt to pry democratic rights away from disadvantaged people; for the apparent advantage of privatizers and education corporations and their friends in power in the state.
Thank you Diane for making Carmen a Hero. She certainly is here in Bridgeport where I live too.
Carmen is a leader and an inspiration to anyone who believes people have a right and a responsibility to participate in their gov’t and by doing so making all public schools excellent, equally funded,and avaiable to all children.
New Haven is the only district in the State of Connecticut with an appointed Board of Education. Let’s hope other districts do not follow suit.
Dear Diane,
Thank you for this honor, which is unquestionably as special an honor as anyone working in support of public education could receive. It is an especially great honor for me to be recognized by you, Diane, the leading voice for public education. The oppressive struggle in Connecticut is a mighty one indeed! It is lightened only by working alongside of many amazing, dedicated and fearless public school advocates, such as Wendy Lecker, Jonathan Pelto and Maria Pereira, to name but a few.
While I have worked in many capacities on this issue, I have never served as a member of a Board of Education, appointed or elected.
Once again, thank you!
Carmen L. Lopez
Bridgeport, CT
Thank you, Carmen, for fighting for the children of Connecticut.