Dec 2021-Jan 2022_Advisor

REPRESENTING

10 CEA ADVISOR DECEMBER 2021 - JANUARY 2022

CEA MEMBERS HELP ELECT COLLEAGUES Educators are protecting public education and ensuring teachers’ voices are heard

The last year has seen vicious attacks on public education and teachers by small but vocal groups of people uncertain or uncomfortable about issues ranging from racial justice to public health and safety. As opponents of vaccines and critics of curriculum that teaches social justice announced their candidacy for local town councils and boards of education, teachers throughout the state stepped forward and added their names to the ballots. “Civic engagement is so important,” says CEA President Kate Dias. “Teachers recognize that even outside the classroom they can hometowns. When they gain a seat at the table and serve in municipal leadership roles, they help ensure that schools are well-resourced, safe learning environments and that their colleagues’ ability to teach an honest, factual curriculum is not compromised.” From Avon to Stratford, active and retired teachers successfully campaigned for a range of offices throughout the state and rose to the challenge of protecting public education. Board of education seats were won by teachers Kevin Brown (Vernon), Lisa Fabian (Stratford), Clare Taylor Neseralla (West Hartford), Greg Perry (Norwich), Randi Peterson (North Haven), Anthony Weber (Avon), and Matthew Zabroski (Cromwell). Election Day also produced winners on town, city, and legislative councils, including teachers Laura Bush (Vernon), Efraín Domínguez (New London), Katie Kiely (Hamden), Matthew Kyer and Lisa Thomas (Coventry), and Charles Marenghi (Naugatuck). CEA-Retired member Lisa Bress won a seat on the town council for Windsor, where she will also serve as deputy mayor, having received the second-highest vote total. “It’s so important for educators—active and retired—to serve in municipal leadership roles because we have a unique window into what our communities need through our work with students and parents,” she says. “Educators are collaborators, problem-solvers, and relationship-builders. These are the qualities we want in our leaders during these difficult and polarized times.” High stakes In some cities and towns, the stakes were especially high in board of education races that threatened to upend the way teachers do their jobs and what students learn. “Children deserve an honest, have a real impact on what education looks like in their

of education—our students!” “The quality of education in a school district has a direct impact on its community as a whole,” says Cromwell Board of Education member and Glastonbury teacher Matt Zabroski. “Many factors contribute to the success of our schools, but perhaps the most influential of these lies with those directly providing the education to our students. As an educator, I have firsthand knowledge of what happens in the classroom and the challenges our teachers face each day, even before the COVID-19 pandemic. I know from my 18 years as a teacher the time, energy, and personal sacrifice educators put forth in the best interests of their pupils and their families. I understand, as the parent of two elementary-age students, the desire of our families to have the best educators for our children. As a taxpayer, I expect that my contribution to the town budget be spent in the most meaningful way in the interests of my fellow Cromwellians. It is my hope that my multiple perspectives will allow me to view each situation through the eyes of all stakeholders and make decisions that balance the needs of each group.” He adds, “As an active member of my local teachers’ union, the Glastonbury Education Association, I currently serve on the contract negotiations team. This has provided me with insight into how the board and their teachers work together to make sure there is a fair balance between treating our educators with the respect they deserve while being mindful of the budgetary concerns of the taxpayer. This is no small task, and it is not without compromise from both sides. If you have never served on your local union’s negotiations team, I strongly recommend you get involved in the process. It really opens your eyes to how many things must be considered when crafting an agreement between the town and its educators, not to mention a greater understanding of what happens day to day in the unique classrooms of all of your colleagues.” Zabroski is one of four professional educators on the Cromwell Board of Education, which also includes another special education teacher, a school counselor, and a paraprofessional. “Our experience as educators, along with the varied experiences of our other board members, allows us to provide unique and meaningful insights into how our decisions as board members will impact students, their teachers, their families, and the overall community,” he says. In Hamden, teacher Katie Kiely, who won a seat on the town’s legislative council, says her goal is “to increase access for my colleagues, students, and their families to their town and give them a way to impact the important decisions our town has to make.” She adds, “My goal is to provide information so that people have what they need to make their own informed decisions. When more people participate, democracy is at its best.”

Coventry teacher and town council member Matthew Kyer gets an Election Day assist from his wife, Nan, and daughter Hannah Moore.

Experience counts In Stratford, Lisa Fabian, a Fairfield teacher who also taught in Stratford, says her 20 years of classroom experience in two school systems and at multiple grade levels provides an insight into past challenges and those ahead. “I know firsthand as an educator that the funds do not always make it where they need to go,” Fabian says. “As a former Stratford teacher and the parent of current students, I also know how dedicated our staff is to their students and this community. I felt that this was my moment to step in, step up, and attempt to make the change all of my fellow teachers have always talked about.” CREC teacher Kevin Brown, who was re-elected to the Vernon Board of Education, echoes Fabian’s sentiment. “Being a high school social studies teacher and a parent of two Vernon Public Schools students has helped me immensely in my four years on the board and will continue to guide my work going forward. My goal has always been to act in the best interest of students and teachers alike. Particularly, my perspective as a professional educator is highly beneficial to the Board in several ways. As a practicing teacher, I am familiar with current trends in education as well as the needs and challenges of the students who come to our classrooms daily. I have a keen understanding of how the decisions made at the board level will impact students and teachers in the classroom. Being a teacher helps me to not lose sight of the most important responsibility of the board

accurate education that enables them to learn about the past in order to create a better future,” said Regina Sullivan, president of the Guilford Education Association, which endorsed all five candidates who won seats on the district’s board of education. In a similar victory, Coventry voters defeated all four candidates who ran on a platform disparaging teachers and public education. Matthew Kyer, a 25-year veteran teacher who won a seat on Coventry’s town council, says, “Over the past four years, I have grown increasingly frustrated by the lack of civil discourse and cooperation in politics at the national level. As a teacher, I have been particularly disheartened by the rise of misinformation and acceptance of poor character and integrity among our elected representatives. That’s why, in the spring of 2021, I decided to run for the office of town council in Coventry. I felt strongly that the best way to respond to my frustrations was to become part of the solution at the local level.” A former building representative, Kyer is also vice president of the Coventry Education Association. “We are grateful to everyone who turned out to vote in their local elections,” says Dias, adding, “Special thanks go out to those CEA members who stepped up and ran for office. Your colleagues appreciate your dedication to your students, your community, and your profession.”

Lisa Bress

Kevin Brown Efraín Domínguez

Lisa Fabian

Greg Perry

Matthew Zabroski