Teachers' union, towns sue state to stop education cuts

(AP) - Connecticut's largest teachers' union, three municipalities, several teachers and a parent are asking a court to block Gov. Dannel P. Malloy from cutting state education funding.
The group, which includes the Connecticut Education Association and the towns of Brooklyn, Plainfield and Torrington, filed the lawsuit Wednesday at Hartford Superior Court.
CEA and the others are seeking an injunction to stop $557 million in funding cuts to 157 municipalities, arguing Malloy doesn't have the authority to make such reductions.
Malloy is running state government using his executive authority because Connecticut has not yet finalized a new budget. He says the lawsuit is premature because the grants won't be awarded until the end of October.
But Donald Williams, CEA's executive director, says the plaintiff communities have already received huge cuts in funding.