Feb-Mar 2021 Advisor

LEGISLATING

6 CEA ADVISOR FEBRUARY–MARCH 2021

CEA: A STRONG VOICE FOR TEACHERS IN THE LEGISLATURE Top priorities for 2021 include school safety, funding, teachers’ rights W ith the legislative session underway, CEA is closely monitoring proposals that impact teachers, students, and public education. Watch for CEA Action Alerts in your inbox, stay connected, and make your voice heard on key issues. • Teacher input into resources and interventions available to students • A shift in emphasis from standardized testing to social and emotional learning

temperature control in every school building. (See story, facing page.) Further, and to this end, CEA will work with the coalition toward establishing a progressive state system of taxes mandating that billionaires and wealthy corporations contribute their fair share to the financial health of our state, and that families—Black, white, and brown—no longer bear the burden of an unfair tax system. Working with coalition partners, CEA proposes tax reform that is fair in order to generate revenues to help workers and working families, as well as students and their families, by: • Increasing funding for education improvements • Reducing local property tax burdens • Investing in healthcare and housing

immediately forward the information for inclusion in the state’s COVID-19 school dashboard. The state website should have a continuing tally of COVID-19 cases by school or building, and the number of individuals—delineated by staff and students—who need to quarantine. Teachers must be included on local committees that decide who requires contact tracing and/or quarantining in the case of positive COVID-19 cases. Prevention. Consistent statewide protocols must be established for reporting and public notification of positive COVID-19 cases, contact tracing and quarantines, social distancing, COVID-19 testing, and PPE availability. Social distancing standards must be strictly followed, not required only “where possible,” and the State Department of Public Health must create a cleaning plan for use in all school buildings and municipal offices, with a checklist for specific tasks. HVAC systems must be inspected and upgraded where necessary to minimize the spread of viruses. Student learning and development. The dual teaching setting must be phased out, with educators teaching either remotely or in person—not both at the same time. Safe and Compassionate Learning CEA is advocating for a comprehensive proposal, presented to chairs of the Education Committee, that addresses student

Pandemic and Public Health Emergency Safety One of the most problematic issues teachers have faced during the pandemic is a lack of consistency and transparency when it comes to coronavirus reporting and protocols in their schools. Some districts have done a better job than others keeping teachers informed, involved, and safe. CEA presented this measure to the Education Committee and is seeking emergency legislative action to address the following: Transparency and teacher input. Local boards of education must make public, within 24 hours, COVID-19 incidents by school or

Teachers’ Rights CEA continues to advocate for teachers’ rights to negotiate salaries, health insurance, working conditions, and other benefits and mitigate against any Supreme Court decisions that would erode teachers’ unions. A bill under consideration this legislative session would ensure that teachers, through their unions, can freely advocate for better working conditions and are provided with accurate information about their employment and profession. Public School Funding CEA is advocating for legislation that would equitably fund public schools, prohibit towns from using state education dollars for non- education purposes, and ensure that federal dollars meant to supplement school funding because of COVID are used for that purpose—not to supplant state Education Cost Share funding. State Budget Connecticut must craft a budget that meets the needs of all of its residents. The crises of systemic racism, COVID-19, and economic hardship have taken a devastating toll, and teachers have witnessed the resulting inequality in their classrooms and during virtual learning. Students and their families are suffering. This is why CEA will continue to be an active member of Recovery for All. This coalition of unions and like- minded organizations is working to ensure that the budget adopted by the General Assembly includes an increased investment in public education, public services, good jobs, healthcare, affordable housing, and infrastructure that includes proper ventilation, air quality, and

building (including positive cases and

the number of those exposed and quarantining) and

Legislators Want to Hear Your Story One of the most effective ways of stopping bad bills and moving good ones forward is to speak directly to the lawmakers in charge of those decisions. Elected officials learn a lot about what it’s like working in a classroom when they hear from teachers; you are the experts, and legislators want your feedback and your stories. Use our legislator lookup ( cea.org > Legislative > Find Your Legislators ) to email your senators and representatives, and consider submitting written testimony or testifying via Zoom on key bills. Learn more at cea.org/cea-top- legislation-action .

trauma, unsafe classroom disruptions, and student disengagement by ensuring • Universal pre-K

• More school counselors, social workers, and paraprofessionals • Reduced special education caseloads and class sizes

JAHANA HAYES INTRODUCES SAVE EDUCATION JOBS ACT OF 2021 Congresswoman, former teacher seeks to protect 4 million education jobs U.S. Representative Jahana

2021 would establish an Education Jobs Fund to stabilize the education workforce, delivering up to $261 billion to states and school districts over ten years. Ninety percent of the funding from this bill would go toward saving the jobs of teachers, school leaders, school psychologists, social workers, nurses, bus drivers, paraprofessionals, librarians, and others from inevitable budget cuts because of the COVID-19 crisis. Local school districts could also use this funding to hire more teachers to meet their increased need. The remaining ten percent of the funding could be used to enhance teacher professional development, support educators, provide mental health services, and prevent further erosion of the workforce. The bill also includes a provision to safeguard and promote equity, by ensuring

disparities, increased student mental health needs, and left far too many students behind,” said Hayes. “The cuts we are already seeing throughout the country and can expect to continue seeing in the future are devastating for students and the future of public education. We need to invest in more supports to ensure that schools can meet these needs and challenges during and after the pandemic. Teacher job losses have long-lasting impacts on the quality and efficacy of learning in our communities and only further entrench growing disparities in our communities and highest-need districts. It is time the federal government upholds its responsibility for students and recognizes the urgency of this moment.”

Hayes, a former Waterbury public school teacher and 2016 National Teacher of the Year, has introduced the Save Education Jobs Act of 2021. The bill, which has the endorsement of CEA and AFT Connecticut, would save nearly four million education jobs and help mitigate the impacts of students’ learning loss as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Without sufficient federal funding, Connecticut stands to lose 10 percent or more of its education workforce, including support staff who provide important services for students and schools. “These jobs must be protected to ensure schools remain the same robust and holistic centers of learning on the other side of this pandemic and recession,” Hayes said. The Save Education Jobs Act of

U.S. Representative Jahana Hayes

continued funding for high-poverty school districts. “Despite the heroic work of our educators, we know that COVID-19 has undone months of academic gains, exacerbated existing