LEGISLATOR REPORT CARD

Kushner, Julie

Kushner, Julie

24th District (D)

Deputy President Pro Tempore

Towns Represented
Danbury, New Fairfield (p), Ridgefield (p)

Committees
Labor and Public Employees (Chair); Committee on Children (Vice Chair); Public Health (Vice Chair); Appropriations; Education; Executive and Legislative Nominations

Legislator Score
2019-2020: 100%
2021-2022: 99%
2023 100%

Voting Record

Year Vote Name Score
2023 CEA Policy Proposal Package HB 6880

Favorable vote indicates support for play based learning, earlier kindergarten start date, elimination of teacher evaluation ratings, along with other actions aimed at addressing teacher recruitment and retention.

2023 Safe Classrooms, Standardized Assessment & IAQ SB 1

Favorable vote indicates support for addressing challenging student behavior/safe classrooms, taking steps to reduce standardized assessments, and continuing the works of the Indoor Air Quality work group, along with a number of other provisions.

2023 Play-Based Learning SB 2

Favorable vote indicates support for play based learning.

2023 Changes to Teacher Evaluation in Education Committee HB 6757

Favorable vote indicates support in the Education Committee for making meaningful changes to the Teacher Evaluation.

2023 Standardized Assessment & Special Education HB 6762

Favorable vote indicates support for taking steps to reduce standardized assessments in CT and the formation of a special education task force designed to examine case loads among other things.

2023 Standardized Assessment & Special Education in Education Committee HB 6762

Favorable vote indicates support in the Education Committee for taking steps to reduce standardized assessments in CT and the formation of a special education task force designed to examine case loads among other things.

2023 Indoor Air Quality in Education Committee SB 1198

Favorable vote indicates support in the Education Committee for adopting the recommended indoor air quality standards developed by the IAQ task force.

2023 2023 Budget HB 6941

Favorable vote indicates support for the 2023 bi-partisan budget, including increases to ECS funding and $150 million for improved indoor air quality in schools.

2023 School Funding Committee Bill in Education Committee HB 5003

Favorable vote indicates support in the Education Committee for greater ECS funding to our districts.

2023 Educator Tuition Assistance HB 5441

Favorable vote indicates support for tuition assistance for educators in certain districts.

2023 Protecting Teachers' Personal Information SB 1157

Favorable vote indicates support for protecting teachers' personal information from Freedom of Information inquiries.

2023 Equal Protections for Educators in Labor Committee HB 6793

Favorable vote indicates support in the Labor Committee for providing educators with the same protections as other municipal employees in matters related to prohibited practices by employers.

2023 New Charter School Approval Process in Education Committee SB 1096

Favorable vote indicates opposition in the Education Committee to removing our legislative elected officials from the charter school approval process.

2023 New Charter School Approval Process in Appropriations Committee SB 1096

Favorable vote indicates opposition in the Appropriations Committee to removing our legislative elected officials from the charter school approval process.

2023 Kindergarten Start Age Waiver HB 5003

Favorable vote indicates support for the final version of this bill that provides for waivers for students who are developmentally ready to begin kindergarten.

2022 Special Education Funding in Education Committee SB 232

Favorable vote indicates support for a restructuring of how the state provides reimbursements for special education excess costs and increased state special education funding in the Education Committee.

2022 Special Education Funding in Appropriations Committee SB 232

Favorable vote indicates support for a restructuring of how the state provides reimbursements for special education excess costs and increased state special education funding in the Appropriations Committee.

2022 Bilingual Education in Education Committee HB 5280

Favorable vote indicates support for increasing the annual state bilingual education grant and establishing a "dual-language seed grant".

2022 Remote Learning Extension in Education Committee HB 5287

Favorable vote indicates opposition to legislation that would rush the planning for a statewide remote learning school and allow Boards of Education to implement remote learning for our youngest students.

2022 Professional Development in Education Committee HB 5323

Favorable vote indicates support for establishing a working group to streamline professional development and in-service training requirements for public school teachers.

2022 Charter School Funding Approval Process in Education Committee SB 229

Favorable vote indicates opposition to streamlining the approval process for new charter school funding (creating a one-stop-shop for charter school approvals at SDE circumventing the legislature) in the Education Committee.

2022 Charter School Funding Approval Process in Appropriations Committee SB 229

Favorable vote indicates opposition to streamlining the approval process for new charter school funding (creating a one-stop-shop for charter school approvals at SDE circumventing the legislature) in the Appropriations Committee.

2022 Indoor Air Quality in Public Health Committee HB 5479

Favorable vote indicates support for a School Indoor Air Quality monitoring program, including enforceable indoor temperature standards.

2022 Indoor Air Quality in Labor Committee SB 423

Favorable vote indicates support for a comprehensive school Indoor Air Quality monitoring program, including enforceable indoor temperature standards and a sustained, long-term funding source for school HVAC upgrades.

2022 Student Mental & Behavioral Health SB 2

Favorable vote indicates support for legislation addressing childhood depression, anxiety, and developmental delays through the expansion of support services, and critical preschool and mental & behavioral health services for children.

2022 2022 Budget SB 5506

Favorable vote indicates support for mid-term budget adjustments, including fully funding ECS, establishing a school Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) monitoring program, authorizing $150 million for school HVAC & IAQ, and doubling the retired teachers' healthcare subsidy.

2022 Building Successful School Communities in Public Health Committee HB 5001

Favorable vote indicates support for increased teacher voice in behavioral interventions and requiring districts to complete student trauma needs-assessments to help identify needed resources in the Public Health Committee.

2022 Building Successful School Communities SB 5001

Favorable vote indicates support for increased teacher voice in behavioral interventions and requiring districts to complete student trauma needs-assessments to help identify needed resources.

2022 Building Successful School Communities in Education Committee SB 1

Favorable vote indicates support for critical mental and physical health services in schools, minimum staffing ratios for certified support staff, a task force on teacher recruitment and retention, prohibiting dual instruction, and guaranteeing 30 minutes per day of duty-free lunch in the Education Committee.

2022 Building Successful School Communities in Appropriations Committee SB 1

Favorable vote indicates support for critical mental and physical health services in schools, minimum staffing ratios for certified support staff, a task force on teacher recruitment and retention, prohibiting dual instruction, and guaranteeing 30 minutes per day of duty-free lunch in the Appropriations Committee.

2022 Building Successful School Communities SB 1

Favorable vote indicates support for critical mental and physical health services in schools, minimum staffing ratios for certified support staff, a task force on teacher recruitment and retention, prohibiting dual instruction, and guaranteeing 30 minutes per day of duty-free lunch.

2021 Housing Vouchers for Open Choice Students HB 6436

Favorable vote indicates support for the expansion of the Open Choice program and a pilot program to provide families of Open Choice students with housing vouchers to live in the town where the student is enrolled.

2021 Teachers' Retirement System SB 1081

Favorable vote indicates support for increasing the amount the retirees' cost of living adustments (COLAs) can be increased based on the revised rate of return for the pension fund.

2021 Minority Teacher Recruitment SB 1034

Favorable vote indicates support for increased funding and procedures to promote the recruitment and retention of educators of color.

2021 IAQ in Public Health Committee SB 288

Favorable vote indicates support for strengthening protocols for reporting and addressing poor school indoor air quality in the Public Health Committee.

2021 IAQ in Education Committee SB 288

Favorable vote indicates support for strengthening protocols for reporting and addressing poor school indoor air quality in the Education Committee.

2021 2021 Implementer SB 1202

Favorable vote indicates support for a bill that expanded social-emotional resources, increased the retired teacher pension income tax exemption to 50% , created a statewide model curriculum, established a Connecticut Remote Learning Commission, and prmoted the recruitment of educators of color.

2021 2021 Budget HB 6689

Favorable vote indicates support for the budget which increased ECS funds and held districts with declining enrollments harmless.

2021 Divisive Concepts Amendment SB 1073 - Sen. Amendment B

Favorable vote indicates opposition to a Senate amendment which sought to prohibit the teaching of "divisive concepts" like race and gender.

2021 Social & Emotional Learning in Education Committee HB 6557

Favorable vote indicates support for improving certified support staffing levels and other SEL supports for schools and ensuring a place for union-selected teachers on safe school climate committees.

2021 Virtual Learning & SEL Enhancements HB 6621

Favorable vote indicates support for SEL supports for students, and task forces inclusive of educators to review slpecial education funding and virtual earning.

2021 JANUS in Labor Committee SB 908

Favorable vote indicates support for legislation that safeguarded CEA member rights and unhindered access to union representations in response to the JANUS Supreme Court decision in the Labor Committee.

2021 JANUS SB 908

Favorable vote indicates support for legislation that safeguarded CEA member rights and unhindered access to union representations in response to the JANUS Supreme Court decision.

2019 2019 Budget HB 7424

Favorable vote indicates support for the budget which increased ECS funds, excluded a proposal to shift the teacher pension costs to municipalities, and restructured the unfunded liability of the Teachers' Retirement Fund.

2019 Teachers' Retirement System SB 873

Favorable vote indicates support for a proposal to stabilize the Teachers' Retirement Fund with revenues of the Connecticut Lottery.

2019 Classroom Safety in Education Committee HB 7110

Favorable vote indicates support in the Education Committee for SDE developing and disseminating strategies to help boards of education with reducing incidents of school violence, promoting trauma sensitivity in schools, and enhancing safe school climate plans.

2019 Classroom Safety in Appropriations Committee HB 7110

Favorable vote indicates support in the Appropriations Committee on a procedural vote to keep a CEA proposed concept to address classroom safety alive.

2019 Minority Teacher Recruitment in Education Committee SB 1022

Favorable vote indicates support in the Education Committee for SDE's development and implementation of strategies and use of existing resources to hire and employ minority teachers.

2019 Minority Teacher Recruitment In Appropriations Committee SB 1022

Favorable vote indicates support in the Appropriation Committee for SDE's development and implementation of strategies and use of existing resources to hire and employ minority teachers.

2019 Minority Teacher Recruitment SB 1022

Favorable vote indicates support for SDE's development and implementation of strategies and use of existing resources to hire and employ minority teachers.

2019 Black and Latino Studies HB 7082

Favorable vote indicates support for the inclusion of Black and Latino studies in the public school curriculum.

2019 Community Schools in Education Committee SB 1021

Favorable vote indicates support in the Education Committee for a comprehensive community schools pilot program.

2019 School Climate HB 7215

Favorable vote indicates support for the development of a statewide school climate survey,addressing social-emotional learning, and taking steps to make schools safer by expanding the definition of bullying to acts causing physical or emotional harm on any individual in a school, including staff.

2019 Magnet School Funding In Education Committee HB 7109

Favorable vote indicates support in the Education Committee for increasing funding to interdistrict magnet school programs.

2019 Magnet School Funding In Appropriations Committee HB 7109

Favorable vote indicates support in the Appropriations Committee for increasing funding to interdistrict magnet school programs.

2019 School Play HB 7250

Favorable vote indicates support for inclusion of additional time for undirected play in the school day.

2019 School Counselors SB 956

Favorable vote indicates support for the development of guidelines for a comprehensive school counseling program for all students.

2019 Cultural Responsiveness SB 1020

Favorable vote indicates support for the inclusion of cultural responsiveness in training and professional development provided to teachers.

2019 IEP Retaliation HB 7353

Favorable vote indicates support for establishing protections to ensure educators who make recommendations in IEP's and PPT's are not retaliated against.