CEA has 52 members running for local office this year, and two of them—South Windsor teacher and Enfield Board of Education candidate Kelsey McGuire-Bruce and Coventry teacher and Town Councilor Matthew Kyer—are guests on the most recent episode of CEA’s podcast.
“This is not a major election year at the national or state level; this is really a time to engage in your local town and make change where it matters most to you,” says CEA Vice President Joslyn DeLancey. “Being involved at the local level is where we can make the most impactful change for our students and our members.”
Early voting kicks off October 20 at 10 a.m. in every town across Connecticut and runs through November 2—or you can vote as usual on Election Day, November 4. Early voting is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. most days, with extended hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, October 28, and Thursday, October 30.
“The 52 CEA members running for elected office, these are people who work with children every day,” says Kyer. “That means all of the children that these 52 teachers work with know an adult who is running for elected office, who is modeling what democracy in action looks like. Those children are going to grow up and already have some experience with what that looks like and remember that their teacher was selected to be on the board of education or town council. Hopefully that makes running for office seem more accessible to those children 10 years from now than it might feel for some of the 20- and 30-year-olds right now.”
“Running for office is such an act of hope,” says CEA President Kate Dias. “It’s hard, but it’s an act of belief, not an act of cynicism.”
McGuire-Bruce, a lifelong Enfield resident, recently made the difficult decision to leave her Enfield school to teach in South Windsor. Her decision to run for the Enfield Board of Education comes from a desire to improve Enfield Public Schools for students and teachers alike.
“Teachers who are supported support our students,” she says “I can tell you now, from my experience going to another district, what it feels like to be a supported teacher. I want to give that to Enfield teachers and make sure that they feel valued within Enfield Public Schools—because they shouldn’t have to look to another town to find that.”
Learn more about CEA members running for office in towns around Connecticut.
Listen to the full podcast episode below, or wherever you get your podcasts.
