Feb-Mar 2021 Advisor

PRIORITIZING

4 CEA ADVISOR FEBRUARY–MARCH 2021

COALITION URGES STATE BUDGET THAT CREATES RECOVERY FOR ALL A coalition of community, faith, and labor organizations committed to reducing income inequality is urging Governor everyone, not just the wealthy, can thrive “Communities across Connecticut have come together during the pandemic, determined to

Lamont to support an economic recovery that all Connecticut residents can share. The Recovery for All coalition, which includes CEA, points out that years of disinvestment have left

help each other and leave no one behind,” the letter read, in part. “Now, together, we must do the same as a state.” are in the process of analyzing details of the CEA leaders and staff

the state poorly positioned to endure a crisis like the one COVID-19 has created. In a letter citing statistics about Connecticut’s food insecurity and health and wealth disparities, the coalition called on the governor to • Make historic investments in education, workforce development, healthcare, affordable housing, and other vital public services that undo the inequities and disparities in our state budget • Address the vast income inequality that impedes economic growth • Fairly update our tax code to progressively redistribute tax burdens, fortify state finances, and meet unmet human need • Build a strong economy where

governor’s proposed budget, which they say delays a planned phase-in of increased education funding for schools in impoverished communities. “Well-resourced schools have never been more important to Connecticut students than they are during the pandemic,” said CEA President Jeff Leake. “Our students deserve better than what this budget provides, and we will continue to work to achieve a real recovery for all.” To bring greater attention to its mission, the Recovery for All coalition held a car caravan on February 20 that drove past the governor’s mansion. Leake and other CEA leaders and members participated.

L-R: CEA Executive Director Don Williams, NEA Director Katy Gale, CEA Vice President Tom Nicholas, and CEA Secretary Stephanie Wanzer join CEA President Jeff Leake, who spoke at the Recovery for All rally.

Avon Education Association President Jon Moss participates in the car caravan with son Charlie and daughter Caroline, both West Hartford students.

Region 14 Teachers Organize, Vote No Confidence in Superintendent Administrator placed on leave after BOE, central office, spouses cut vaccine line

Connecticut Seeks Accountability Waiver for Standardized Tests The State Department of Education has requested a waiver decoupling standardized tests from aspects of school accountability, including summative school ratings, categorizing schools, and identifying new turnaround and focus schools. (Existing categories and statuses would remain in effect.) The request comes as schools continue to operate in a pandemic. Although the Biden Administration announced on February 22 that states will not be allowed to cancel federally mandated standardized exams this school year, they will be granted flexibility in how tests are administered and used. The requirement that 95 percent of eligible students be tested can be waived, allowing more students to opt out, and states can request that standardized tests not be tied to school accountability measures. In a letter to President Biden earlier this year, CEA asked that the U.S. Department of Education suspend federally required standardized tests for the current academic year—just as they did last year, when the pandemic shut down schools. While some have maintained that standardized test results can point to areas of student need and help in decisions about where to allocate resources, CEA points out that there are far better, more reliable ways of assessing poverty, racial inequities, and school funding disparities. “While the Every Student Succeeds Act requires that states administer standardized exams, those results cannot be considered valid, reliable, or useful in the midst of a pandemic that has created a dire mental health crisis for our youth,” says CEA President Jeff Leake. “Anxiety, trauma, food insecurity, and substance abuse are pre-existing conditions exacerbated by the pandemic, and testing will only compound the high levels of stress students and teachers are already experiencing. In addition, the costs of administering tests this spring—including lost instructional time and attention diverted from students’ most pressing needs—far outweigh any perceived benefits.” He adds, “We are disappointed with the U.S. Department of Education’s decision to require standardized testing this year, but we are hopeful that the latitude afforded to states will allow Connecticut greater flexibility in how tests are administered and used. Our educators need to focus on their students’ social and emotional well-being, not on unreliable testing data.” As of now, remote and in-person administration of SBAC and NGSS in Connecticut will be as follows: • Students participating in a full in-person or hybrid learning model must be tested in person. • Remote learners who can be tested in person should be tested in person. • Remote proctoring, which includes video monitoring, is available only to those students who are fully remote and cannot test in person or in an alternate secure district location. Secure browsers are required, and a remote proctoring tool will allow proctors to message with students in real time.

came after a week of job actions by school staff, who wore buttons and held a walk-in as a show of solidarity and protest. At the elementary school, parents decorated cars and honked their horns in support of teachers, and middle school families rang bells. “I’m super proud of our members,” said York, who described the job actions as a unifying experience. “Lots of people pitched in to make the vote a success. The more people who get involved, the stronger the union.” “We stand with Region 14 teachers, and we applaud them for sticking together and advocating for one another,” said CEA President Jeff Leake. The State Department of Public Health has launched an investigation into the situation, with DPH spokeswoman Maura Fitzgerald clarifying, “School board members and their spouses are not included in the education and child care worker category.” At the NTA’s urging, the Board of Education has also launched an investigation into the superintendent’s actions.

After a vaccine clinic in Region 14 gave priority to board of education members, central office employees, and spouses who don’t work in the district, 97 percent of school staff voted in favor of a show of no confidence in the superintendent. Superintendent Joseph Olzacki has since been placed on administrative leave, pending an investigation. The Nonnewaug Teachers Association (NTA) and other district unions felt the vote was necessary after a vaccine clinic placed various noneducators and their family members ahead of teachers with underlying health conditions who work in person with students every day. Only a handful of teachers received the vaccine at the clinic before the supply ran out. Although teachers were not yet eligible for vaccination in Connecticut at the time, the clinic involving Region 14 was scheduled before the state prioritized residents 75 and older in group 1B. Due to logistical challenges, the clinic was allowed to proceed by the State Department of Public Health. In the days after the clinic, NTA President Chris York said residents,

teachers, and staff members contacted him asking, “How could this happen? How could people who don’t spend their day with kids receive their vaccine before staff members who spend time with kids every day?” The no- confidence vote

Region 14 teachers wore buttons in a show of solidarity.