In the latest episode of CEA’s podcast, Education Committee Co-chair Rep. Jennifer Leeper and Co-vice Chair Rep. Kevin Brown discuss this year’s top priorities for the Education Committee—and why teachers’ voices are key to getting good bills passed.
Calling education a driver for many other issues facing Connecticut, Brown, a CREC social studies teacher, told CEA President Kate Dias and Vice President Joslyn DeLancey, “If we get education right, so many of our problems go away and things get better for our state.”
Special education is a particular area of concern for legislators this year, given the shortage of special education teachers and the burden that state underfunding places on towns.
Brown pointed out that improving special education improves education across the board.
Leeper emphasized the importance of making it more affordable to become a teacher and said the state should consider providing incentives to those becoming special education teachers.
“You sign on for a whole lot more administrative burden when you’re in special ed,” she said.
Coming out of the pandemic, Leeper said she had hoped there was an opportunity for significant change in the field of education, but instead schools went back to operating much as they did pre-pandemic. Now, in her first year as Education Committee do-chair, Leeper is ready to use her new role to make a difference for students and teachers.
“I will not let us keep marching ahead blindly in a system that we know is broken for educators and often times for kids,” she said.
Listen to the entire conversation below, or wherever you get your podcasts.
