feb-march_advisor

February–March 2019 • Volume 61, Number 4 • Published by the Connecticut Education Association • cea.org CEA

OUR ISSUES OUR VOICE What’s on teachers’ agendas this legislative session • Pages 4-7

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LEADING

“Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better

than you found it.” Marian Wright Edelman

Does this quote represent what you envisioned as you began your journey as an educator? Our conversations with members indicate that, indeed, this is what brought most of us to our profession— why we get up every morning and engage with our students and other educators. It is also why our colleagues in West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona, Los Angeles, Denver, and now Oakland have been energized, demonstrating not only for themselves and their economic well-being but for their students. After years of underfunding, after years of declining

students and communities, our teachers are able to enjoy a comfortable retirement. CEA has been discussing the issue with the governor’s administration and the state treasurer, and we are pleased that the governor’s budget plan adopts the funding changes to the teacher pension plan that we have long advocated for. Smoothing out future payments and lowering the investment earning assumption will help make up for decades of failure on the part of the state to adequately invest in the fund, and it will begin to restore stability to educators’ pensions. However, CEA strongly opposes any teacher retirement plan that shifts the conversations. We intend to have those conversations and share our solutions to the pension problem— solutions that do not require a cost shift onto our cities and towns. (See story on page 5.) As we move forward, it will be imperative for you to join in our efforts to fix the funding for the teacher pension fund. Together, we can ensure that good legislation passes and bad legislation fails. We will also be calling on you to help pressure the U.S. Congress to eliminate the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision, items that must become part of Representative Larson’s Social Security 2100 Act. Teacher diversity We must also find ways to ensure that our teaching profession more accurately reflects the diversity of our state’s population, while maintaining high standards for teacher licensure and certification. Research shows us how a diversified teaching force is a positive influence not only on our minority student population but all students. We are proud that Vice President Tom Nicholas has secured an NEA grant to help more of our locals encourage students of all ethnicities to pursue the goal of becoming educators in our state. The grant will financially support our work to identify and help prepare our best students to enter the most noble of professions. (See story on facing page.) Leading the way We have much work to do, not only in the next few months but over the next few years. And we will need to ensure that our members are prepared to be leaders in their profession and their union. In order to guide them in those leadership roles, our local affiliates, CEA, and NEA will be working together, emphasizing specialized leadership development opportunities in order to prepare our members to lead relevant, thriving associations and become world- class leaders in their profession, mobilizing, building power, and driving a pro-public education agenda. (See story on pages 8-9.) Talk to any one of us about how to begin or continue your leadership journey. Fighting for the future of public education As we have witnessed from the Red for Ed movement, when entire education communities engage on an issue that impacts their local public schools, change happens. It’s about creating awareness, support, and action. Action comes when we unite for a common interest or purpose and stand stronger together. But we are only as strong as the action we are each willing to take. We must increase our political strength by continuing to develop relationships with our legislators—meeting with them and educating them on our issues. We must keep the needs of our students front and center and continue to advocate to make the world a better place for tomorrow. February 21, 2019 state’s cost of the teacher retirement fund onto our cities and towns. In his budget address, Governor Lamont set forth a blueprint for the state and welcomed input and honest

Jeff Leake, CEA President

support, they walked out of their classrooms and said, Enough! We must stand with them, not for just a moment but as part of a movement that declares we have had enough and will not stop until we have the resources our students need. Teacher priorities

Leading: Our Perspective

Tom Nicholas, CEA Vice President

We cannot do our work without the resources our students and communities require. We also know that great discrepancies exist in the ability of our towns and cities to provide those resources. That is why we ask that all CEA members work together with our staff during this legislative session to achieve legislation critical to public education. (See stories on pages 4-7.) Based on your feedback, our top legislative priorities include: 1. Protecting local public school funding 2. Securing the teacher pension fund 3. Ensuring safe working and learning environments for teachers and students by addressing and preventing violent classroom behavior and addressing issues of mold and extreme temperatures that make classrooms unconducive to teaching and learning 4. Protecting teachers’ rights to negotiate salaries, health insurance, working conditions, and other benefits 5. Promoting strategies for recruitment and retention of minority teachers 6. Protecting teachers who have had unsubstantiated DCF claims made against them We were pleased to see so many of you respond to our first Action Alert of the year and submit written testimony regarding disrupted teaching and learning in your classrooms. Hundreds of you have emailed your stories and have participated in district meetings with your lawmakers—actions that have a major impact (see story on page 7). We were also pleased to see teachers in Hartford on February 19, testifying before the Connecticut General Assembly’s Black and Puerto Rican Caucus on school climate, classroom safety, the shortage of ethnic minority teachers, and school funding. Teachers, including Sean Mosley from Waterbury, Faith Sweeney from Westport, Kristen Record from Stratford, Tiffany Ladson-Lang from Bridgeport, and Chinma Uche from CREC Windsor, stayed late into the evening to share their personal stories with lawmakers. (See story on page 6.) These actions are impactful, and we encourage every teacher to get involved and take a stand for your students, your profession, and your future. A lack of resources affects educators and students at every level and in every way. It can be seen in a general lack of needed supports for students, the reduction or elimination of vital services, staff cuts, work intensification, and increased health insurance costs. In more and more communities it also means school buildings that are not healthy learning or working environments. Protecting pensions While we work on ensuring adequate resources and supports within our schools, we must also guarantee that after decades spent working for

Donald E. Williams Jr. CEA Executive Director

CEA GOVERNANCE Jeff Leake • President Tom Nicholas • Vice President

Stephanie Wanzer • Secretary Kevin Egan • Treasurer

John Horrigan • NEA Director David Jedidian • NEA Director

CEA ADVISOR STAFF Nancy Andrews • Communications Director Lesia Winiarskyj • Managing Editor Sandra Cassineri • Graphic Designer Laurel Killough • New Media Coordinator February–March 2019 Volume 61, Number 4 Published by Connecticut Education Association 1-800-842-4316 • 860-525-5641 cea.org CEA Advisor The CEA Advisor is mailed to all CEA members. Annual subscription price is $5.72 (included in membership dues and available only as part of membership). Institutional subscription price: $25.00. Advertising in the CEA Advisor is screened, but the publishing of any advertisement does not imply CEA endorsement of the product, service, or views expressed. CEA Advisor UPS 0129-220 (ISSN 0007-8050) is published in August, October/November, December/ January, February/March, April, May/June, and summer (online) by the Connecticut Education Association, Capitol Place, Suite 500, 21 Oak Street, Hartford, CT 06106-8001, 860-525-5641. Periodicals postage paid at Hartford, Connecticut. Postmaster: Send address changes to CEA Advisor , Connecticut Education Association, Capitol Place, Suite 500, 21 Oak Street, Hartford, CT 06106-8001. Production date: 2-22-2019

FEBRUARY–MARCH 2019 CEA ADVISOR 3

IN THIS ISSUE

CEA Scores Grant to Help Students of Color Pursue Teaching Careers Goal is for teaching profession to reflect student diversity

It’s a question many in Connecticut have been deliberating over: how to increase the percentage of teachers of color to more closely match the percentage of students of color. West Hartford teachers have developed a program that’s showing early success, and thanks to an NEA Great Public Schools Fund grant, CEA will soon be taking the West Hartford model to the next level. “There is a significant need out there,” says CEA Vice President Tom Nicholas, who will oversee the grant initiative. “We don’t have enough certified teachers of color who reflect our population of students of color. And all kids, not just children of color, benefit from having a teacher of color.” With the help of the grant, CEA will reach out to members in districts with high percentages of students of color to create future educator clubs.

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LEADING CEA leaders call on all teachers to stand together and advocate for their students, their profession, and public education to ensure a brighter tomorrow. From safe classrooms and well- resourced schools to retirement security, CEA members are giving voice to their priorities this legislative session. Find out how you can get involved and educate your legislators on issues of importance to you. BUDGETING As Connecticut’s new governor lays out his budget priorities, which include a plan for teacher pensions, CEA leaders work to ensure that teachers’ voices are front and center. Find out how your colleagues are stepping up and speaking out to educate lawmakers on what’s really happening in Connecticut’s classrooms. Discover how the NEA/CEA Early Leadership Institute helps new teachers hone their professional and leadership skills. SPOTLIGHTING Read how educators’ voices rang out at the Women’s March in Hartford. EDUCATING See how CEA’s Professional Learning Academy is helping teachers—both new and seasoned—deliver the best outcomes in their classrooms and beyond. ADVOCATING Have you become ill or injured on the job? Know your rights. Find out about workers’ compensation for teachers. The NEA RA is in the offing, and the governance structure is shaping up. Get the details on newly elected delegates. Plus, CEA members in locals with 76 or fewer members can find out how to become county cluster delegates to the 2019 NEA RA. INNOVATING Find out how your colleagues are using technology to transform learning and connect with their communities, and how you can incorporate technology in your classroom. CONNECTING Don’t miss a thing. From developments at the State Capitol to news about public education at home and across the country, CEA’s blog and social media pages keep you in the loop. CEA member Melissa Vargas, who teaches English at Rotella Interdistrict Magnet School in Waterbury, points up teachers’ top priorities this legislative session. Vargas is one of six teachers and 30 students appearing in a CEA television and radio ad campaign filmed at Waterbury’s Hopeville Elementary School, which begins airing on major stations February 27. Watch the ads “Connecticut Public School Teachers: Uniting Us Every Day” at cea.org .

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Conard High students who are members of West Hartford’s Future Educators of Diversity club pose with Conard High School Assistant Principal Jamahl Hines (second from left), Hall High School social studies teacher Dr. Lara White (third from right), and West Hartford Schools’ Director of Diversity Advancement Dr. Roszena Haskins (second from right). Photo by John Atashian.

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programs,” says Nicholas. The West Hartford high school students have also had exposure to some real-life experiences to get a taste of what it means to be an educator. Those experiences include tutoring middle and elementary school students one-on-one for two hours each week. And their experience with the club doesn’t end with high school graduation. The program now has several students who are finishing their first year at CCSU. Making it personal “CCSU has made it a priority to keep in touch with those students, and I’ve been in contact with them every month,” White says. “Part of this program is making sure the students stay on track. Sometimes having a really good relationship with a high school teacher they can turn to makes all the difference for college students just starting out.” Students in the program who commit to a career in education and become certified after graduation are guaranteed an interview at a West Hartford school. “We would love to have staff that is homegrown,” White says. “The district, If you are interested in starting a future educators club in your local, contact CEA Vice President supportive. That, along with listening to students and allowing them to take ownership of various activities, has been key to our program’s success.” “I’m really excited to be moving forward with this project,” says Nicholas. “For any child, what it takes to continue on with their education— whether it’s higher education or a trade—is having someone there who says, ‘I believe in you.’ I’m hoping this opportunity will provide more voices telling kids, ‘I believe in you, and you can do it.’” TomNicholas at tomn@cea.org or 860-525-5641. building administrators, and our union have all collaborated around our program and been very

West Hartford pilots ‘grow-your-own’ approach Former West Hartford Education Association President David Dippolino and Conard High School Assistant Principal Jamahl Hines conceived of a “grow-your-own” model while brainstorming ways to interest high school students in becoming educators. The program started out informally, with teachers mentoring and meeting with students. West Hartford’s Future Educators of Diversity club now meets weekly after school at Hall High to train students in leadership skills, introduce them to educational issues, and support them in applying to colleges and universities. Each student is also matched with a mentor teacher. Starting in the fall of 2019, Hall will be offering .5 credits to students who participate. “We want to create strong Connecticut teachers who have an understanding of diversity in the classroom,” says Dr. Lara White, a social studies teacher and the program lead at Hall. “We’ve found that the program is becoming more popular because of the things we can offer students—like a college fair we held in the fall and campus visits to CCSU, Eastern, and UConn.” Collaboration with Connecticut colleges and universities is a big piece of the program. White says the program benefits the colleges too, which prioritize recruiting a diverse student body to their education programs. Addressing two types of shortages West Hartford Schools’ partnership with CCSU’s School of Education places special emphasis on introducing ethnically diverse students to areas of persistent teacher shortage. Students benefit by receiving early application/admissions decisions to CCSU, financial aid application support, access to a dedicated CCSU academic advisor, and other opportunities to access CCSU faculty and student organizations. “One of my goals for our project, moving forward, is to have high schools be able to offer concurrent credit for education classes, as they do with UConn’s Early College Experience program, that can then be applied toward teaching

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13-14 REPRESENTING

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ON THE COVER

Wentzell to Serve as Interim Education Commissioner Dianna Wentzell will serve as interim commissioner of the State Department of Education until a replacement is found. At press time, the State Board of Education was preparing to recommend one or two candidates for Governor Lamont’s consideration. The governor will then select a candidate for the General Assembly’s approval. Wentzell’s regular term is set to expire March 1.

CONNECT WITH CEA

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facebook.com/ CTEdAssoc

youtube.com/ ceavideo

blogCEA.org

twitter.com/ ceanews

instagram.com/ cea_teachers

flickr.com/ photos/ceapics

PRIORITIZING

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CONNECTICUT’S 2019 LEGISLATIVE SESSION WHAT ARE TEACHERS FIGHTING FOR? Retirement security, safe classrooms, well-resourced public schools With the 2019 Connecticut General Assembly session underway and a new governor in place, schools, securing teacher pensions, ensuring safe and healthy classrooms, recruiting and retaining minority teachers, protecting teachers’ reputations against a growing number of unsubstantiated DCF claims, and more. CEA is also closely watching many proposals, such as those to weaken unions, establish school vouchers, and regionalize or consolidate school districts. “Success in passing pro-public education measures depends on strong involvement from our teachers,” says CEA President Jeff Leake. “Legislators will not necessarily pass education-friendly

Answer the call Take action when you receive CEA Action Alert emails on teacher pensions, classroom safety, and other key issues. Action Alerts will give you the status of a certain legislative proposal and let you know how you can help defeat it or move it forward. Actions that teachers can take include emailing their legislators, making phone calls, testifying in writing or in person, and attending teacher- legislator get-togethers organized by CEA and local associations in their districts. Hearing directly from teachers makes a tremendous impact on the decision-makers elected to represent you. Many of them have great respect for educators but have no idea about the day-to-day challenges you face, the resources you need to do your job effectively, or how to ensure that you can retire with dignity. When they hear your stories firsthand, elected officials begin to understand your reality and how to help. They also come to recognize that the teachers they represent in their home districts are watching how they vote. Visit cea.org/politics/priorities for more information on CEA’s legislative priorities. Stay current on the issues by subscribing to blogcea.org .

teachers are working closely with elected and appointed officials on legislation critical to public education. Together with CEA leaders and staff, teachers on CEA’s Legislative Commission and various working groups have been addressing issues including investing in public

bills if we all sit quietly on the sidelines. Get involved with your fellow CEA members and leaders, and use your teacher voice. Educate legislators about creating a brighter future for Connecticut’s students, teachers, and public schools.”

Investing in Public Schools For years, traditional neighborhood public schools have been plagued by insufficient and inequitable funding, a pattern that has had real repercussions for students. On top of state funding cuts to cities and towns, public dollars have been diverted to charter school management companies at the expense of students. This results in neighborhood public schools losing critical supplies and resources, arts and foreign language classes, enrichment programs, summer school classes, and teachers and counselors. “It’s time to make our public schools and children—Connecticut’s greatest assets—our top priority again,” says CEA President Jeff Leake. To ensure that education funding meets the needs of all students in every community, CEA members and leaders are advocating for a number of measures, including • Safeguarding education cost share (ECS) funding in a lockbox • Prohibiting the diversion of local public school dollars through corporate schemes, such as tax credits for private school tuition • Placing a moratorium on charter school expansion and ending millions of dollars in management fees paid to private charter school management companies • Addressing the rising costs of special education by implementing equitable, evidence-based cost controls to share their experiences related to these issues and has coordinated meetings between legislators and teachers so that those who set policy are aware of the problems facing teachers and students and the solutions that need to be put into place. Among other things, CEA staff, members, and leaders are lobbying for • Mandatory support services and interventions for aggressive students • Teacher input into district plans and responses that address violent students’ behaviors • Additional resources, such as social workers and other specialists, as well as minimum staffing ratios of certified staff and trained behavior intervention specialists • Adoption of National School Climate Standards Minority Teacher Recruitment According to data from the State Department of Education, 82 percent of the nearly 2,500 students enrolled in teacher prep programs in Connecticut colleges during the 2016-2017 school year were white. Only 4 percent were black, and 8 percent were Hispanic. Compare that to the makeup of the state’s student body, and the need for more minority teachers is clear. To recruit and retain more minority teachers, CEA is advocating for • Teaching internships for students from historically black colleges and colleges in Puerto Rico • Grow-your-own programs that provide a teaching career pipeline for high school students (see page 3) • Innovative public-school-designed and teacher-driven education prep programs for candidates with bachelor’s degrees, without diminishing high standards for teacher licensure and certification Ensuring Safe Classrooms “It goes without saying that classrooms need to be safe places to learn,” says CEA President Jeff Leake. Unfortunately, a combination of factors—ranging from aging school facilities to a rise in aggressive student behavior—have created conditions in many schools that are unconducive to working and learning. (See page 7.) CEA has convened working groups of teachers around the state

Securing Teacher Pensions “Teachers have spent their careers paying into their retirement system, and they deserve to retire with dignity,” says CEA Retirement Specialist Robyn Kaplan-Cho. Even early-career educators, such as Torrington’s Michael McCotter, have expressed concerns about the state’s failure to adequately fund teacher pensions. McCotter, who is in his fifth year at Southwest Elementary School, says, “As a fairly new teacher with bills and student loans to pay, I don’t have a lot of extra money to put toward my future, so my retirement fund is critically important.” Over many decades, the state paid less than what was needed to fulfill its obligation to the teachers’ pension fund. From 1991 through 2005 alone, the state failed to pay $979 million in required contributions. In 2018, the state legislature established the Connecticut Pension Sustainability Commission to study the feasibility of placing state capital assets in a trust for the benefit of the state pension system. CEA’s Kaplan-Cho serves on the commission, representing teachers, and the group has been hard at work since last summer, investigating ways to address the pension shortfall. At press time, the commission is expected to review final recommendations, with a vote planned for early March.

One of the proposals CEA has asked legislators to explore is placing a state asset, such as the Connecticut lottery, into the teachers’ retirement fund. This would ensure the fund’s long-term solvency, stability, and benefit structure and allow the state to fulfill its obligation to fully finance the state teachers’ retirement fund. It would also allow a repeal of the unfair payroll tax imposed on teachers in 2017— a tax that resulted in lower paychecks for teachers at a time of rising costs and intensifying job demands. Teachers’ concerns have been

CEA’s Robyn Kaplan-Cho represents teachers on the state’s Pension Sustainability Commission.

addressed, in part, in Governor Lamont’s budget proposal (see story on page 5), which pledges to stabilize the teachers’ pension fund. The governor’s plan, however, also calls for a cost shift onto cities and towns—a move that CEA continues to oppose. South Windsor teacher Bill Myers, an active CEA member representative on the State Teachers’ Retirement Board, has testified numerous times before the Appropriations Committee in favor of full funding of the pension and retiree health funds. He has also served on CEA’s Retirement Commission. “I encourage every single teacher to do his or her part when CEA calls for action on these measures,” he says. DCF Unsubstantiated Claims It can be shockingly easy for an upstanding educator to face unfounded accusations that prompt an investigation by the Department of Children and Families. As the law now stands, even when cleared of all wrongdoing, teachers who are investigated by DCF still face the stigma of being labeled “alleged perpetrators.” Unfortunately, innocent educators are increasingly caught up in DCF investigations, and unsubstantiated allegations remain in their personnel files—which are available to the public—for up to five years. When those records stay in an educator’s file, they can prevent a teacher from being hired by another school district. CEA is working to pass legislation that • Requires all DCF unsubstantiated reports against teachers to be removed from their personnel records and any other records or files relating to them • Prohibits the use of any unsubstantiated claim report against a teacher for any employment- related purpose • Removes the names of teachers with unsubstantiated claims from the DCF list of offenders

BUDGETING

FEBRUARY–MARCH 2019 CEA ADVISOR 5

GOVERNOR’S BUDGET PLAN ADDRESSES TEACHER PENSIONS, EDUCATION FUNDING Cost shift a sticking point

In his February 20 budget address, Governor Ned Lamont outlined his plans related to a number of public education issues, including teacher pensions, collective bargaining, school funding, and the Retired Teachers’ Health Insurance Fund. The legislature is required to pass a budget for fiscal years 2020 and 2021 by the end of the legislative session in June, and the governor’s budget proposal represents a first step toward that final budget. Teacher pensions “When it comes to balancing the budget, my urgent priority is stabilizing the teachers’ pension fund. It is badly underfunded and doesn’t keep faith with our current teachers, especially the younger ones,” Lamont said. The governor’s budget proposal calls for lowering the estimated rate of return for the Teachers’ Retirement Fund to make it more predictable and accurate. It also calls for reamortizing the unfunded liability over a 30-year period to smooth out payments. To remain fully compliant with pension obligation bond covenants, the governor would appropriate $380.9 million of the current year’s surplus to a newly established reserve fund. If the reserve fund is ever needed to cover the pension bond debt, it would be backed by a requirement that it be replenished via a direct transfer of lottery receipts. “CEA supports sensible ways of assisting the state in its efforts to make up for decades of underfunding teachers’ retirement, including the governor and treasurer’s plan to smooth out the state’s payments to the fund over a longer period of time and lower the investment earning assumption to a more realistic rate,” says CEA President Jeff Leake. “Teachers have consistently paid their fair share into the fund, while the state has not.” CEA opposes cost shift The proposal also calls for shifting the state’s responsibility for teacher retirement onto cities and towns. Most towns would be responsible for 25 percent of the state’s share of normal retirement costs, not unfunded liabilities. Towns with higher average pensionable salaries would contribute more than 25 percent, and struggling municipalities would contribute only five percent of their associated normal cost. “We oppose any teacher retirement cost shift that transfers millions in costs from the state to our cities and towns, putting additional financial strain on taxpayers and pressure on already tight school budgets,” Leake says. Legislators have indicated they want to recruit more teachers of color and incentivize teachers to work in the hardest-to-staff school districts, yet this proposal would penalize districts for paying teachers a fair wage. “As strikes across the country have shown us, teacher salaries are not excessive, and compensation plays a key role in recruitment and retention,” Leake points out. “Teachers earn 19 percent less than similarly skilled and educated professionals, forcing many to take

accelerated, and updated student counts would be used. Overall, the budget proposal designates an additional $17.7 million in ECS funds for fiscal year 2020 and an additional $39.4 million for fiscal year 2021. “While some towns that are losing student population will receive a little less, other towns with growing populations and more kids in need will see more investment,” Lamont said. No ‘Wisconsin moment’ Every year some legislators put forth bills to decimate collective bargaining. Lamont was clear that he supports labor unions and the middle class. He told legislators, “Some of you think Connecticut needs a ‘Wisconsin moment’—where we walk away from collective bargaining and tear up the contracts. I want an anti-Wisconsin moment—a Connecticut moment—where we show that collective bargaining works not just for retirees but also for the next generation of state employees, and the next generation of taxpayers.” Retired Teachers’ Health Insurance Fund The governor’s budget contributes the full required appropriation to the Retired Teachers’ Health Insurance Fund, a significant improvement over many recent budget proposals. The legislature fully funded the Retired Teachers’ Health Insurance Fund in 2018 but had failed to do so for a number of years previously, putting the fund’s solvency at risk. State law requires the state to make a 33.3 percent contribution to the fund, but the governor and legislature have often overridden this law, while active and retired teachers have each continued to contribute their share. The fund provides a subsidy to retired teachers that covers a portion of their health insurance costs. $15 minimum wage and paid family leave In his proposal, the governor also addressed issues CEA has backed (see box at left) to strengthen the state’s middle class. The governor is proposing an increase to a $15 minimum wage over four years, and a paid family medical leave program that would be funded by a 0.5 percent payroll tax on participating employees. Minimum wage would reach $15 an hour by 2023, and beginning in fiscal year 2022, family medical leave benefit payments would be available to employees, including public employees, such as teachers, through collective bargaining. “We all know that workforce development can’t happen without our state’s working families,” Lamont said. “Many households in the 21st century have either two working parents or a single parent juggling multiple responsibilities, including caring for infants and elderly. A $15 minimum wage, enacted responsibly and over time, would raise wages for almost a third of our workforce, a third of whom are female workers, forty percent of whom are African-American workers, and more than half of whom are Hispanic workers.”

Lamont’s budget includes provisions for teacher pensions and school funding.

second and third jobs to support themselves and their families. Many teachers, including those in the governor’s hometown of Greenwich, can’t afford to live in the towns where they teach due to the high cost of living.” Lamont indicated his willingness to continue the dialogue, saying, “My door is always open.” “We recognize the challenges the governor and state legislators face in balancing the budget, and we appreciate the governor’s willingness to continue discussing the issues,” says Leake. “There are solutions to the state’s pension debt problem that do not require shifting the burden to local taxpayers. We intend to have

conversations with the governor on this important issue and others, and we look forward to working with the administration and legislators to develop a responsible budget that manages future pension costs and keeps the state’s promise to teacher retirement without a cost shift to cities and towns, and ensures that Connecticut students have the best and brightest teachers in the classroom.” Education funding Under the governor’s budget, the Education Cost Sharing (ECS) formula would remain largely the same, but scheduled reductions and increases to towns currently funded above or below statutory levels would be

CEA Urges Pro-Growth Agenda, Passes Resolutions in Support of Living Wage, Paid Family Leave In advance of Governor Lamont’s budget address, CEA joined other members of the labor community at a press conference calling on the state to adopt a pro-growth, investment budget. Labor leaders pointed out that austerity budgets haven’t worked elsewhere, leading to massive cuts to education and infrastructure in places like Kansas. There is no reason to believe a similar approach would work in Connecticut. CEA President Jeff Leake said, “It will take all of us, working together, to solve the challenges facing Connecticut. We must invest in our future and make sure that our ability to recruit and retain a high-quality, diverse teaching force isn’t impacted by concerns about pensions and education funding.” For Connecticut to prosper, all residents need better opportunities, which is why the CEA Board of Directors formally passed resolutions in support of raising the minimum wage and ensuring paid family leave this winter. “When children don’t have a safe home, enough to eat, or regular medical care, they’re not able to focus on academics when they come to school,” says Leake. “When parents have to work two or three jobs to pay the rent, they don’t have time to read to their children, to help with homework, or to attend school events. Ensuring a living wage would help Connecticut families provide a brighter future for their children.” Connecticut’s minimum wage of $10.10 an hour is currently the second lowest in New England, even though the state has some of the highest cost of living areas in the region. In encouraging the state to extend paid family leave to all workers, the CEA resolution also encourages employers to provide flexible work schedules and paid leave so that parents and guardians can attend parent-teacher conferences and school-related activities. “We know that family engagement is key to students’ success at school, yet many families face obstacles that prevent them from being involved in their children’s education,” Leake says. “We need policies to break down those barriers and help close the achievement gap.”

Members of Connecticut’s labor community, including Norwalk Federation of Teachers President Mary Yordon (at podium) and CEA President Jeff Leake (standing at left), join together at a press conference ahead of the governor’s budget address.

ADVOCATING

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CEA MEMBERS, LEADERS, STAFF TESTIFY BEFORE BLACK AND PUERTO RICAN CAUCUS Voice hopes, concerns on classroom health and safety, public school funding, ethnic diversity, and more

Teachers, CEA leaders, and staff testified February 19 before the Connecticut General Assembly’s Black and Puerto Rican Caucus on issues critical to teachers this legislative session. The issues included school climate, classroom safety, and the persistent shortage of ethnic minority educators, and funding for public schools. “It is vitally important that members of the caucus hear from teachers and get a clearer understanding of what’s happening every day in our schools,” says CEA Director of Government Relations Ray Rossomando. “Teachers came from every corner of the state and stayed late into the evening, on a school night, to testify before their elected officials about what matters most to their students, their profession, and the communities where they teach. That has an impact.” Sick schools Twenty-two-year veteran educator Tiffany Ladson- Lang, who lives and works in Bridgeport, spoke about the need to address schools plagued by mold, poor air quality, and other environmental factors. The proud parent of a Bridgeport public school student, she recalled a school-based summer camp her daughter attended.

clear and effective timelines for remediation, our schools—and our students—will continue to be sick. Don’t you agree that all students deserve safe and healthy schools?” Fellow Bridgeport resident and 2011 Connecticut Teacher of the Year Kristen Record, who has taught in Stratford for the past 19 years, described in detail how ill her classroom environment had made her, and how she had always chalked up her September symptoms to seasonal allergies. Two years ago, however, her classroom flooded during a heavy rainstorm. “Everything had to come out of my room—literally everything, including the carpet. And then something odd happened: no fall allergies. Imagine my shock as I slowly realized it wasn’t me who had been sick; it was my classroom. And if my room, with its 20-year-old carpet, was sick, probably every other room with that same carpeting was too, but I was the only one lucky enough to get it replaced. As the vice president of the Stratford Education Association, I’ve become keenly aware over the years of just how sick our schools can become. During the winter, kids and teachers wear coats inside, and portable space heaters are used to bring classroom temperatures up above 60 degrees. In warm months, we are sometimes sent home early because the heat and humidity in our buildings are so awful.” Safe classrooms Also testifying on building conditions was Waterbury teacher Sean Mosley, chair of CEA’s Ethnic Minority Affairs Commission. “I come before you today as not only a proud educator in the state of Connecticut for more than a decade, but as a concerned teacher of color who has spent his entire professional career working in communities of color helping to improve the lives of all. Many of our schools are in dire need of building repairs, especially antiquated HVAC and plumbing systems, and we are often forced to teach and learn in arctic-like temperatures, with drinking water that is contaminated.” Poor building conditions, he observed, often lead to long-term, debilitating health conditions for the teachers who work in those buildings. “This is not acceptable, and we should not become numb to these revelations.” Mosley also talked about assault that teachers face at the hands of students and encouraged caucus members to pass legislation that promotes classroom safety. Last year, a bill that would have done just that was rejected by some members of the caucus on the false premise that it color—a claim that CEA has refuted. A similar bill—which seeks support and intervention for students with aggressive or disruptive behavior—is being considered this legislative session and has CEA’s support. “We cannot afford to have our educators walking into environments where on any given day they may be battered or assaulted. Despite what would disproportionately and negatively impact students of

Preparing to testify are Orlando Rodriguez, Tom Nicholas, Faith Sweeney, Shamare Holmes, Tiffany Ladson-Lang, and Kristen Record.

many advocacy groups have asserted, as educators of color, it is not our intent to proliferate the school-to- prison pipeline or advocate for measures that would disproportionally affect students who look like us or come from communities where many of us live, but it is rather to advance legislation that promotes safety in all districts and prevents another child or adult from being the victim of an assault.” Faith Sweeney, a 22-year classroom teacher, literacy interventionist, and literacy coach in Stamford, Greenwich, and Westport, addressed the issue of classroom violence as well, specifically calling for support of House Bill 7110: An Act Concerning Enhanced Classroom Safety and School Climate, which has been raised by the Education Committee. Describing an incident where a first-grade child threw a chair toward a table of his classmates, Sweeney said, “This may surprise you, but it has become a common occurrence in schools across this country. Actions causing physical harm are overwhelming our educational system. Each one of our teachers and our future leaders of the world deserves to teach and learn in a safe place. It is critical for classrooms to have proactive safety measures in place for every child and teacher so that teaching and learning are not interrupted.” Equitable funding At the packed public hearing, CEA Vice President Tom Nicholas expressed optimism that the state is finally using objective and current information to determine how the $2 billion education cost sharing (ECS) grant is allocated among towns to achieve equitable funding across the state. Nicholas noted that while some critics are arguing for further improvements to the current ECS formula, the resulting changes in funding would be minor, and revisiting the ECS formula runs the risk of returning to previous years, when funding was based on politics instead of need. “For once, ECS is not broken, so

there is no need to fix it. Instead, CEA would like to collaborate with the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus to get state funding for a comprehensive cost study to determine the true cost of a K-12 education in Connecticut.” Minority teacher recruitment Orlando Rodriguez, CEA’s Research and Policy Development Specialist and chief economist, spoke about the need to address the shortage of minority teachers to reflect student demographics in the state. “In Connecticut, nearly four out of ten students in K-12 are either Black or Hispanic; however, fewer than one in ten teachers are either Black or Hispanic,” he pointed out. Among the solutions he proposed were certifying more minority teachers in persistent shortage areas—such as science, math, and bilingual education—and addressing broader challenges to teacher recruitment and retention. “A major obstacle to increasing the number of minority teachers is that teaching is no longer viewed as the desirable profession it once was. Aside from instruction, K-12 teachers have to deal with violence in their classrooms, burdensome administrative tasks, and having to dedicate too much classroom time to meet strict testing requirements. Making matters worse, our teachers’ pensions are under attack even though teachers made all the necessary contributions, but the state did not.” The need for proactive minority teacher recruitment was highlighted in Mosley’s testimony as well. The Waterbury teacher advocated for funding for grow-your-own teacher recruitment programs (such as the one profiled on page 3 of this CEA Advisor ), incentives for students of color to pursue majors in education, and mentoring for teachers of color currently serving in Connecticut’s public schools. “We also must make sure that any work group or task force that is targeting this issue includes active classroom teachers who are on the front lines every day,” he asserted.

ADD YOUR VOICE You don’t have to testify in person to be heard. Tell your story at cea.org/politics/priorities/2019/teacher-safety .

Waterbury teacher Sean Mosley addresses the need for safe schools.

“On a sweltering day, my daughter had to leave early because the extreme indoor temperatures resulted in an asthma attack.” Although her daughter did not attend that school during the academic year, she knew hundreds of other children did. “And there was my light bulb moment,” said Ladson-Lang. “Our summer experience was another child’s yearlong experience in a sick school.” Bridgeport, she added, is constantly advocating for funds to address issues including mold, extreme temperatures, lead exposure, and poor water and air quality, but the demands of maintaining 30+ schools efficiently and effectively are too great. “In order to protect and support a healthy and safe environment conducive to teaching and optimal for student learning, we need your help,” she told the caucus. “Without guidelines, procedures, funding, and

ADVOCATING

FEBRUARY–MARCH 2019 CEA ADVISOR 7

Classrooms incrisis

Straight Talk with Legislators: We Can’t Teach If We’re Clearing Our Classrooms

Bloomfield teachers recently began a dialogue with their legislators about classroom safety. Representative Bobby Gibson and Senators Doug McCrory and Beth Bye (who has since left to become commissioner of the Office of Early Childhood) attended the teacher- legislator meeting. More than 25 Bloomfield teachers shared concerns over problematic student behavior, giving eloquent and moving descriptions of how some students are significantly interfering with the learning environment in their classrooms and triggering trauma among their peers. Many described physical injuries they have suffered as well as roadblocks to getting the appropriate resources and mental health supports for aggressive students. “The legislators expressed shock over the level of aggression and disruption being described by these teachers and admitted that they were moved by their stories,” says CEA’s Robyn Kaplan-Cho, who organized the get-together. “It’s clear that these in-school meetings with legislators can be an effective way of having members’ voices heard. Our goal is for lawmakers to pass legislation that makes our schools safe.” Escalating problems Laurel Elementary School K-1 special education teacher Melanie Gabel was one of the Bloomfield educators at that meeting. A teacher for the past six years, she says, “In our building, we have had more behavioral/disruptive students this year than in years past,” adding that the solution is typically to remove a child long enough to calm down before returning to the classroom. Unfortunately, she notes, the timeout does not address the core problem, and the behavior resumes once the child returns to the classroom. “The cycle repeats,” Gabel says, underscoring why CEA’s proposal to require supports and resources for children who act out is so badly needed. Bloomfield teachers described children whose aggressive tendencies start and escalate quickly, with teachers needing to clear their classrooms daily—often multiple times—because a student is yelling, kicking, acting out, or throwing

scissors or other objects. “Something as simple as, ‘Join us at the table,’ will begin an outburst,” Gabel explains, adding that she frequently has to miss other groups in order to focus exclusively on one child. A reading group she works with has often had to break up and return to their classrooms when a child becomes physical. “Students have been kicked or hit by an aggressive child as they try to leave my room. I’ve been hit, kicked, and bitten, and it can take two or more staff members to calm a student down until everyone is safe. Calm-down time can be from 20 minutes to over an hour, so many of my groups get missed, and I go without lunch and prep time. This happens on a daily basis, sometimes more than once a day.” Though she says parents have been informed, and administration in her building does what they can, ultimately aggressive children are sent back to their classrooms without interventions or added supports. In other words, nothing changes. Telling their stories “Personally, this year has been very difficult for me,” says Gabel. “When I was preparing for my career, I did not envision this type of reality. I had goals for how I would differentiate instruction and reach all types of students, but the reality of dealing with severe behaviors goes beyond the scope of a special education teacher. I can only do so much as a single person, and as a school team we have to be careful about crossing certain boundaries. We’re not a clinical setting, we’re not a child’s home setting, and we need to be delicate with how we help and what we do.” She adds, “When legislators came and heard our stories, they were definitely shocked at how bad some of the situations are. I hope that by hearing our stories firsthand, they will advocate for our safety and that of our students.” Gabel also said hearing the experiences of her colleagues was eye-opening for her. “While I was listening to stories from other educators in my district, I was shocked at how aggressive and dangerous three- and four-year-olds at the preschool level are. It’s a pervasive problem, and it makes me wonder: How much worse are these children

Bloomfield teachers meet with Representative Bobby Gibson (pictured) as well as Senators Doug McCrory and Beth Bye (now commissioner of the Office of Early Childhood) to share their stories of classrooms in crisis.

going to get as they get older?” Gabel says both CEA and her local union are working hard to advocate on students’ and teachers’ behalf. “They’ve held workshops on the laws governing aggressive students and assaults on teachers so that we know our rights, they’ve brought us together with legislators to tell our stories, and they are getting information to our board.” Call for change The problems that Gabel described are not unique to Bloomfield or to special education teachers. Hundreds of teachers across the state have come forward with stories of their own. Lisa Bress, a teacher in a suburban district for 30 years, provided legislative testimony about her own experience. Bress, a teacher leader who recently retired, said, “My role was to support teachers’ professional development and growth, but my time was quickly consumed by constant calls to assist with several very young children in crisis. These children acted out verbally and physically on a daily basis in different classrooms— kicking, hitting, taking things from other students, smacking adults across the face, screaming, throwing furniture, and running out of the building. I often spent hours each

day, in a separate location, with one particular child who would disrupt the learning in his classroom by assaulting others. I want to be clear that this child was not identified as a special-needs student.” She adds, “Unfortunately, my principal was often absent or out of the building, so support was lacking. I was left responsible for school operations, since I had administrative certification, and I was handling the crisis behaviors simultaneously. We were fortunate to have an excellent school psychologist and social worker at our school, but they had a full load of students scheduled for services through their IEPs. Those children often missed out because their service providers were assisting with crisis interventions.” Both retired and active teachers are calling for change, and for that to happen, the dialogue needs to continue. Tell your story (you may do so anonymously) at cea.org/politics/ priorities/2019/teacher-safety . To arrange for a teacher-legislator get- together about safe classrooms or other key issues in your school, contact your local association president and CEA’s Chris Donovan ( chrisd@cea.org ) or Robyn Kaplan- Cho ( robynk@cea.org ).

No More Sick Schools “Students learn best when their schools are healthy,” says Manchester High School math teacher Kate Dias, noting that mold, air and water quality, and extreme temperatures are persistent issues in schools throughout the state. “If you can’t breathe, how can you learn? It is our job as teachers to insist that schools be places where students can come every day and grow, not grow sicker.” Dias, who is president of the Manchester Education Association and part of a CEA working group to ensure a healthy classroom environment for all students and teachers, adds, “Parents, teachers, and community members need to insist that our legislators support the infrastructure of our schools. We can’t just continue to give lip service to this problem; we need money and action to make our public schools 21st century learning environments. I am excited about our coalition of teacher leaders working on a coordinated effort to motivate and engage other educators in this conversation. Teachers are in the classrooms with students every day, breathing the same air, feeling the excess heat or cold—we know firsthand how these conditions impact learning, and we will take our message to the people who can invoke change.” In recent months, CEA and the Stamford Education Association successfully fought to protect hundreds of teachers and thousands of students exposed to dangerous mold in schools, pushing for school closures where buildings were unsafe and filing workers’ compensation claims for teachers who suffered mold- related illnesses. As school buildings continue to age, CEA is doubling down on efforts to keep students and teachers safe by demanding public school compliance with national air quality standards and adoption of the National School Climate Standards.

Is your school sick? Share your pictures and stories with us at cea.org/politics/priorities/2019/teacher-safety/sick-schools .

Enfield Rep. Tom Arnone met Enfield Teachers’ Association Vice President Bill Delaney and President Emily Hulevitch. They discussed CEA 2019 legislative priorities and made plans to work together in the months ahead.