dec-jan

REPRESENTING

DECEMBER 2018–JANUARY 2019 CEA ADVISOR 5

CLASSROOM TO CONGRESS HAYES IS IN THE HOUSE

“This history teacher is making history,” 2016 National Teacher of the Year Jahana Hayes told her supporters at a victory celebration in Waterbury after the polls closed on Election Day. “I am honored to be your next congresswoman.” Five months after announcing her candidacy, the former Waterbury teacher won her bid for Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District seat—defeating opponent Manny Santos, 148,000 to 116,000 votes. She will be the first African American woman to represent Connecticut in Congress. Drawing on tremendous support from fellow educators, Hayes was proudly endorsed by both CEA and NEA. In the run-up to Election Day, NEA Vice President Becky Pringle traveled to Danbury for a door- knocking campaign in support of Hayes and other teacher-friendly candidates. At a breakfast to kick off the campaign, Pringle captured the current education struggle with the words of W.E.B. Du Bois: “The freedom to learn has been bought by bitter sacrifice. So whatever you might think about the curtailment of other civil rights, you must fight to the last ditch to keep open the right to learn.” A middle school science teacher with 31 years of classroom experience, Pringle had high praise for Connecticut teachers for helping

Jahana Hayes delivers her acceptance speech.

elect education candidates. “Thank you for leading the way,” she said. “These are the people who are going to stand up for working families. These are the people who understand that unions make us all stronger. These are the people who will fight for us every single day, and you are the people who are going to go out and get those votes. Remind them of Plato’s words: ‘If you think you are too good or too smart to be involved in politics, then you will be ruled by those who are neither good nor smart.’ Every decision in our classrooms, in our worksites, in our

lives is a political decision, and so we must stand up, and we must vote. Our children are depending on us to be worthy of them.” CEA President Jeff Leake added, “Jahana is a shining example of exemplary educators who never give up. She has advocated for herself, has made a career advocating for her students, and is now advocating for all of us. We know she will have our best interests at heart, and our students will benefit greatly from her service. In Congress, she will stand up for public education and the rights of teachers and children. She is

exactly who we need in Washington. Jahana’s win is a victory for all of us.” “Jahana is a nation builder and a community builder; she is the exact prescription we need for our country’s ills,” says CEA Vice President Tom Nicholas, who was present at Hayes’ celebration in Waterbury when the election results were announced. Hayes begins her term on January 3, 2019.

CEA Speaks Up to Secure Teachers’ Retirement CEA members who have devoted decades to the future of our students and our state deserve a secure retirement. To ensure that’s what they get in their golden years, CEA Retirement Specialist Robyn Kaplan-Cho is the voice for teachers on the Connecticut Pension Sustainability Commission, which has been meeting this fall. The Commission is officially charged with studying the feasibility of placing state capital assets in a trust and maximizing those assets for the sole benefit of the state pension system. CEA took a lead in promoting a transfer of the state lottery to shore up the Teachers’ Retirement Fund during the 2018 legislative session. The union has continued to work toward that goal to ensure the fund’s solvency. Other potential options have been considered by the Commission, but no final recommendations have been made yet. Kaplan-Cho says, “Placing a state asset, such as the Connecticut lottery, into the Teachers’ Retirement Fund would dramatically reduce the state’s unfunded liability, thus allowing the state to reduce its yearly payment into the fund.” The Commission has a January 1 deadline to submit its report to the General Assembly.

Hayes is championed by NEA Vice President Becky Pringle and CEA President Jeff Leake.

Teachers Are Well Represented on Governor-Elect’s Policy Committees CEA members were instrumental in electing pro-education candidates this fall, and now, with a new governor taking office January 9, CEA is making sure teachers’ voices stay front and center. CEA President Jeff Leake and CEA Research and Policy driving education policy in the state of Connecticut. Our teachers in Waterbury and Bridgeport aren’t any less committed or hard-working than teachers in wealthier communities, but the obstacles that are put in their way are incredible.” Another committee member, involved can work together to give students the education they need. Other members of the Education Policy Committee include AFT President Jan Hochadel, public education researcher and Director of

property taxes, incentivize sharing of municipal services among towns, and ensure stable state public education funding to towns. Rodriguez stresses the importance of CEA members having a voice on that committee. “CEA adds a real-world perspective from our members and an in-depth knowledge of K-12 education funding that is vital for good policymaking.” As of press time, the policy committees were each expected to develop a two-page policy memo and report on it to the public by mid- December.

Urban Educational Initiatives at Trinity College Robert Cotto, and Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents Executive Director Fran Rabinowitz, who co- chairs the committee. CEA’s Rodriguez is serving on the Shared Services Committee, which is analyzing town-level policies that reflect the governor-elect’s focus on creating jobs, spurring economic growth, and reducing government expenses. The group is discussing specific policies to reduce local

Development Specialist and Chief Economist Orlando Rodriguez are serving on transition policy committees for the Lamont administration, bringing teachers’ positions to important policy discussions. Leake, who is serving on the Education Policy Committee, told his fellow committee members, “I’m here to make sure that teacher voice is part of the conversation that’s

Manchester’s Illing Middle School teacher Mike Pohl, said that social and emotional learning is a priority for him, and he’d like to be able to increase the number of counselors and social workers available to work with students. “As somebody in the classroom, I feel we have a lot of top-down policies right now,” Pohl said, adding that he’d rather have professional relationships where all adults