“This is one of my favorite events because it’s all about you and what you want to learn,” CEA President Kate Dias told the more than 500 teachers gathered today for the first day of CEA’s Summer Conference at Foxwoods Resort and Conference Center.
“We want you to walk away feeling really inspired, supported, and uplifted as we look to the upcoming school year,” she said.
She encouraged attendees to talk to another teacher they have never met before and speak up and ask any questions they may have. The conference offers attendees more than 40 sessions on everything from legal considerations, union leadership training, and contract negotiations to mental health first aid, stress reduction strategies, and financial tips for teachers.
CEA President Kate Dias welcomed members to Summer Conference.
Dias also shared with conference attendees the news she officially announced earlier this summer: she is running for president of the National Education Association (NEA).
“I have decided to run because of you,” she told CEA members. “It’s because of the work we have done together, the tone that we’ve set, the way that we’ve chosen to lead our association, the way that we have embraced change and challenge. You have all made me feel like what we can do here we should be able to do everywhere—that we should have teachers who feel powerful. We should have teachers who feel that they have a say, who feel really engaged, who feel that the work they do matters and that their voice matters.”
Securing and supporting
The focus on supporting and empowering educators continued with remarks from Connecticut State Treasurer Erick Russell.
Connecticut State Treasurer Erick Russell told teachers,
“One of the greatest privileges of my job is being able to safeguard, manage, and responsibly invest your retirement dollars.”
“As treasurer, one of the greatest privileges of my job is being able to safeguard, manage, and responsibly invest your retirement dollars,” Russell said. “If you think about the progress that’s been made since 2021, the state has added over $3 billion in extra contributions into the Teachers’ Retirement System for your retirement security.”
He said that the additional funds not only ensure that teachers who are considering retiring soon will have a secure retirement, but that the next generation of educators will also be able to rely on their pension benefits.
“I’m proud of the work that we’ve done over the last several years,” Russell continued. “Last year, we had a return of 11.5% in our pension plans. We have not announced this yet, but we’ll be over 10 again this fiscal year. It says a lot about the work that we’ve done as a state. At the end of this fiscal year we’ll have put in the broader pension fund over $10 billion of additional contributions.”
Energizing and inspiring
To balance the day’s professional development with humor and heart, educators were treated to a keynote by special education teacher and comedian Kc Mack, part of the Bored Teachers Comedy Tour. Mack’s keynote kicked the conference off on an upbeat and lighthearted note and had teachers roaring with laughter.
His closing comments were more serious in nature as he urged teachers to consider their professional journey as they look to the school year ahead.
Special education teacher and comedian Kc Mack, part of the Bored Teachers Comedy Tour, offered the keynote address that kicked off the conference.
“Our journey in this profession is a continuous process,” Mack said. “Just like in any journey, when you’re packing supplies, you put your tools in your backpack so that any time you have a need you can reach into that backpack and pull those tools out to get you through your journey. That’s what working through challenges in the classroom is like. We’re able to use these tools and these strategies and these supplies and take them with us. Your journey is never finished. You have to constantly be willing to put new supplies in and take out the supplies that you don’t need, that no longer work or serve you.”
He concluded, “Keep doing what you’re doing, support each other, take care of your teacher besties, take care of your health—take care of all these things to make sure that you have a successful and sustainable school year.”
The CEA Summer Conference concludes tomorrow with more professional development and opportunities for members to connect with one another and engage with their union.
