“It’s so important for our legislators to hear directly from educators—you are the experts on teaching and learning,” CEA Vice President Joslyn DeLancey told members gathered today for CEA Lobby Day at the State Capitol.
DeLancey said that WEP/GPO repeal is a perfect example of the power of lobbying and teacher advocacy. “Our advocacy was instrumental in convincing Congress to pass a bill that has had a life-changing impact for members.”
CEA Lobby Day brought dozens of active, retired, and aspiring CEA members to the Capitol to have conversations with their legislators on everything from raising teachers’ pay to appropriately funding retired teachers’ health insurance, addressing the special education crises, and assuring fairness in the workplace.
“Having time to talk with legislators is important because that way they can hear directly from teachers who have worked in schools and are knowledgeable about education issues,” said retired teacher Dan Hart.
In addition to stressing the need to restore the state’s contribution to the Teachers’ Retirement System Health Insurance Fund, Hart also spoke to his legislators about the importance of making the teaching profession more attractive to young people choosing a career.
“I can’t think of any other profession where students are asked to pay their way for work experience,” he said.
Danbury teacher Julian Shafer said that for he and his Danbury colleagues advocating for salary enhancement is critical.
“Our young teachers can barely afford to pay rent and their student loans are crippling. On a first-year teacher’s salary it’s really hard to make it, and it’s going to be really hard to keep people wanting to come into the profession as teachers if we don’t pay them right,” he said.
The need to raise educator pay was a priority for many teachers who came to the Capitol today, including Ledyard teacher Kate Cummings.
“I’m a first-year teacher who’s also trying to buy a house and plan a wedding all within the same time frame. I love my kiddos and they love me back, but the salary doesn’t correspond with what I put into the job. It’s just very disappointing to not feel supported. We have a very important job and we’re not being paid what we deserve.”
Cummings recommends more teachers come out for Lobby Day and take advantage of other opportunities to talk with legislators.
“By voicing your concerns to legislators you’re actually taking a step forward and talking with the people who can actually make decisions to improve our profession. You’re not just complaining to one of your co-workers or your principal, you’re actually coming out, taking action, and doing something about it.”
It was Plainfield teacher Kerrey Tarlton’s first time attending a CEA Lobby Day, and it was the issue of teacher pay that inspired her to make the trip to Hartford.
“I’m in a position where, if legislators don’t raise teacher pay, I’m not going to have a choice, I’ll have to leave the profession because I’m struggling to take care of my basic necessities. I thought it was important to come today to advocate for myself and all the other teachers in the same position as I am.”
Fellow Plainfield teacher Margot Hundt said that, unlike some teachers who leave the profession due to burnout, she and Tarlton love what they do. “We want to be able to focus on students and their education and not worry so much about our basic needs.”
“It’s important that legislators understand our issues,” said Greenwich Education Association President Lil Peron. She spoke to her legislators about the need to establish a “just cause” legal standard and binding arbitrator decision for termination to ensure fairness and due process during teacher dismissal proceedings.
“As it stands now, a local can invest a lot of time and money in representing a member and going to arbitration, and the district can just do whatever they want. Teachers deserve to be treated fairly.”
She added, “The the big elephant in the room for districts is special education. It’s important for legislators to know how impactful the cost of special education and outplacing students is. Budgets are made a year in advance, and then you’ll have all these extra costs come in and services get stopped or programs get cut in order to fund that. It’s an issue that’s not going away, and they really need to do something now to fix it.”
Retired teacher Miriam Underwood was at the Capitol today because of the need to raise teacher salaries and better fund special education.
“In 1987, I was marching and lobbying for ed enhancement. I know what happens when the state doesn’t fund its share,” she said. “I’m on the board of education in Ellington, and I’m also here to talk to legislators about funding special education and ECS.”
“I want to make sure that our representatives hear the voices of the retired teachers,” said CEA-Retired member Joe Jankowski. “The state is not going to follow through on its promise to fund one-third of our health care fund, and we’re very much opposed to that. We’ve seen what has happened in the past when the state didn’t provide the funding and we want to make sure that we don’t go down that road again.
Fellow retiree Phyllis Winkler said, “We’re here to support the active teachers, which in turn supports our students. Having adequate special education teachers in the schools is essential to our future. As retirees, we have the time to come and tell the stories that our legislators, most of whom haven’t been in school for decades, need to hear to understand what is currently needed in the classroom.”
“Thank you all for being here and advocating for teachers to have a better quality of life,” said Rep. Ron Napoli, a Waterbury teacher. “Your advocacy helps us do better work up here so we can make conditions better for you all.”
Rep. Chris Poulos, a Redding Spanish teacher who sits on the legislature’s Select Committee on Special Education, had good news to share: the committee’s special education bill is moving forward.
“We’re going to do right by kids in that bill, and right by families and teachers,” he said.
“I understand the concerns of teachers because I’m one too, so I’m making sure that we’re doing right by our educators and our students,” said Rep. Kevin Brown. “As a civics teacher, I appreciate your advocacy here today. Your Red for Ed speaks loud and clear. It’s time to prioritize education in our budget.”
