In uncontested races, CEA President Kate Dias and Vice President Joslyn DeLancey were declared re-elected to three-year terms at the Connecticut Education Association’s 176th Representative Assembly. They begin their second terms July 15.
The association’s largest governing body, the CEA RA convened this evening—on the 70th anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision—at Mohegan Sun Expo Center with nearly 400 delegates in attendance.
“I’m deeply privileged and grateful to have the continued trust and support of our membership, and I look forward to all that we will accomplish together in the coming years,” said Dias. “I promise you that we will continue to grow our sphere of influence and forge many more partnerships to ensure that CEA remains a powerhouse.”
“I proudly stand here as your vice president, reflecting on our many successes,” said DeLancey. “Together we raised the kindergarten start age, brought back play-based learning, and achieved an overhaul of teacher evaluation,” she said to resounding applause, pledging to continue the fight for higher teacher salaries, a repeal of WEP/GPO, and other key CEA priorities.
Stronger together
In his opening remarks, CEA Executive Director Todd Jaeck emphasized, “No one knows what’s best for our students more than our educators, and it’s only when your voices are heard that powerful, positive change can happen. By joining together, we can demand that our schools have the resources needed to meet every child’s needs with well-trained, supported educators and a curriculum that helps them reshape our state.”
CEA Executive Director Todd Jaeck shares a compelling personal story that underscores the crucial role educators play in the lives of their students.
He added, “This type of power guarantees a voice at the table, better pay and benefits, and the time that educators need to build a better future for their students.”
Recalling his earlier work as a UniServ Representative in Ohio—negotiating contracts, filing grievances, and representing members from the schoolhouse to the statehouse—Jaeck shared a harrowing memory that underscored the importance of that work.
“On February 27, 2012, at 7:27 a.m., my teen daughter sent me a text no parent should ever receive. ‘Daddy,’ she wrote, ‘we are under attack.’”
Sara was in the cafeteria at Chardon High School when four fellow students were shot at point-blank range.
The next text was even more wrenching: “Daddy, I’m not going to make it home tonight.”
Fortunately, the actions of a quick-thinking teacher, Frank Hall, ensured Sara got safely to the ground, protected from stray bullets. Two custodians escorted her through the bloody aftermath and into a classroom while the shooter was being pursued. She was then loaded onto a bus and driven to the elementary school, where 12 educators stayed with her until her father arrived to pick her up.
“We must fight together to ensure that every community has safe, strong public schools in which every educator has the resources and workload to meet the needs of every student,” said Jaeck. “When we fight together, we win together.”
NEA’s Robert Rodriguez commends Connecticut teachers for their strength as educators and advocates.
“I can’t help but be amazed at the resilience of our educators,” said guest speaker and NEA Executive Committee member Robert Rodriguez, a California special education teacher. “You are the leading voice for your profession in this state, combining the joy of education with the persistence of advocacy,” he added, noting dozens of hard-fought battles for responsible education budgets and quality teaching and learning environments taking place across the state, from Enfield to Darien. “I want to thank you for protecting and defending public education and the lives of our students. None of that happens in a union without great leadership.”
Unity across diversity
The first day of the 2024 CEA RA, which began with a round of applause for all new delegates, continued with a unity clap, led by Jaeck, in the tradition of Cesar Chavez, who used it to bridge the communication gap between workers who did not share the same language.
The clap starts slowly, then gets increasingly faster, like a heartbeat, Jaeck explained. “The idea is to create unity across diversity. That’s what organizing looks like—moving people together toward action.”
The CEA RA resumes on Saturday, May 18, where delegates will discuss, debate, and vote on new business items, CEA’s 2024-2025 budget, and proposed changes to its by-laws and constitution.
