New Teachers Find Support and Community with CEA
As we enter the second half of August, new teachers around Connecticut are heading back to the classroom to meet their colleagues, learn about their district, and get to know their union.
As we enter the second half of August, new teachers around Connecticut are heading back to the classroom to meet their colleagues, learn about their district, and get to know their union.
Today marks the 90th birthday of the Social Security Administration, and AARP, which resides in the same building as CEA on Oak Street in Hartford, held an ice cream social to celebrate.
As you stock up on classroom essentials and refresh your wardrobe for the new school year, be sure to take advantage of the many discounts available to CEA members.
“The best decision I made was joining the union,” says Bridgeport teacher Nicole Pond-Ferris. “Whenever members don’t understand something in our contract, miss a prep, have a disagreement with admin, or want to know when they can take a day off, our union is always there to answer our questions and support us.”
West Hartford teachers are heading to arbitration over a grievance about the consequences of special education staffing shortages after the Board of Education failed to address their concerns at a meeting last week.
“The camaraderie at CEA’s Summer Conference is the best,” says Suffield Education Association President Mark Janick. “I really enjoy the way it brings people together.”
“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 for CEA’s Summer Conference.
While many educators focus on relaxing and recharging over the summer, many others keep busy with second jobs, professional development, and/or travel. Bridgeport teacher Mikeya Stovall was able to combine two of those this summer during an incredible 10-day trip to Costa Rica.
Please enter your CEA Membership ID below.
Your membership ID is on your membership card that you received at the start of the school year. It can also be found on the label of your CEA Advisor.
If you do not have your ID, you can access it by logging into NEA Ed Communities. First-time visitors must create a personal profile.
With the first Connecticut’s public schools welcoming students back in less than three weeks, CEA President Kate Dias sat down with WFSB to talk about changes anticipated under the current presidential administration and how schools might be affected.
Bethany Education Association
Education Association of Preston
Franklin Education Association
ISAAC Education Association
Lisbon Education Association
New Beginnings Education Association
Norwich Integrated Education Association
Sherman Education Association
Sprague Education Association
Voluntown Education Association
Waterford Education Association
Wethersfield Education Association
Barkhamsted Education Association
Canaan Education Association
Colebrook Teachers’ Association
Cornwall Consolidated Faculty Association
Gilbert Education Association
Hartland Education Association
Housatonic Valley Regional Faculty Association
Kent Center Faculty Association
New Hartford Education Association
Norfolk Teachers’ Association
North Canaan Faculty Association
Salisbury Center School Faculty Association
Shared Services Teachers’ Association
Sharon Center School Faculty Association
Winchester Education Association
Andover Education Association
Columbia Teachers’ Association
Hebron Education Association
Marlborough Education Association
Willington Education Association
Ashford Education Association
Brooklyn Education Association
Canterbury Education Association
Chaplin Education Association
Eastford Teachers’ Association
Hampton Education Association
Pomfret Community Education Association
Regional District #11 Education Association
Scotland Education Association
Sterling Education Association
Teachers’ Education Association of Union
Woodstock Association of Teachers
CEA may be eligible to elect up to 30 state delegates to the NEA RA in 2020. Here are descriptions of the open positions:
Category 1 At-Large/State Delegate: Fifteen Positions (Term: two years)
Category 1 At-Large/Ethnic Minority Concerns: Four Positions (Term: 2
years)
These categories must have Active classroom teachers (Membership Type AC-1) or NEA Life members (Membership Type AC-7) in local affiliates are eligible for these positions.
Aspiring Educators: one Position (Term: 1 Year)
Only Aspiring Educators with a SEA and NEA membership are eligible for this position.
Membership Units: nine positions from specific Membership Units (Term: one year)
Only active members (Membership Type AC-1) or NEA Life members (Membership Type AC-7) who teach in a local CEA affiliate in one of the seventeen Membership Units may be nominated for these positions. The nine open units include E, F, H, J, K, L, M, P & Q.
Bethel, Brookfield, CEA New Milford, Easton, NEA Danbury, New Fairfield, Sherman
Amity, Bethany, Branford, Derby, East Haven, Milford, Orange, Oxford, Seymour, Woodbridge
ACES, Cheshire, Hamden, North Haven, Wallingford, Wolcott
Berlin, Farmington, Newington, Plainville, Plymouth, Southington, Thomaston, Wethersfield
Cromwell, East Hartford, Glastonbury, Manchester, Rocky Hill
Bloomfield, CREC, East Windsor, Enfield, South Windsor, Suffield, Windsor
Avon, Canton, East Granby, Granby, Simsbury, West Hartford, Windsor Locks
East Lyme, Groton, Ledyard, Montville, New London, North Stonington, Preston, Project LEARN, Stonington, Voluntown, Waterford
Clinton, East Haddam, East Hampton, Guilford, Haddam-Killingworth, Madison, Old Saybrook, Regional 4, Regional 13, Regional 18, Portland, Westbrook
Category 2 At-Large: One position (Term interim position open this year)
Nominees for the Category 2 At-Large position must be Active members (Membership Type AC-1) in supervisor/administrator positions or NEA Life members (Membership Type AC-7) who are no longer teaching—but only if they are not also NEA-Retired members. (NEA Life membership is a special category terminated in 1973.) Members with Active Life Memberships who are not retired from teaching are eligible for Category 2. NEA-Retired Members for Life (Membership Type RT-7) or annual Retired members (Membership Type RT-8) ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR CATEGORY 2
Standing Committees of CEA-Retired are appointed by the CEA-Retired President with the advice of the Advisory Council after the CEA-Retired Annual Meeting in May. This typically takes place in June with additional appointments made in September. Terms will be for one year commencing on August 1.
If you are interested in serving on one of the committees, please indicate your willingness below. Please remember that committees have a limited membership and not all of the requests can be filled. By giving a first and second choice, CEA-Retired members will have a better chance of being chosen. If you filled out a form and returned it at the Annual Meeting, please do not fill out another form.
Connecticut Education Foundation
c/o Joslyn Delancey
21 Oak Street, Suite 500
Hartford, CT 06106
For inquiries or donations, visit http://henrybarnardfund.org/index.html
Contact CEA Retirement Specialist Robyn Kaplan-Cho at 860-525-5641, 1-800-842-4319, or [email protected].
Your contract can serve as an important vehicle for protecting your rights and advancing your concerns as a teacher working with special education students. In this workshop, teachers will learn how to integrate special education issues into the collective bargaining process. Participants will study the pros and cons of negotiating contract provisions related to performing health procedures, teacher notification and scheduling of PPT meetings, professional development opportunities, class-size limitations, local dispute resolution procedures for special-education-related problems, placement decisions, and many more related topics. Model contract language will be provided. This workshop is ideal for negotiating committees and teachers with a particular interest in this area of the law.
Length 2+ Hours
Presenter: Robyn Kaplan-Cho, CEA