The Legislature’s Education Committee on Friday took the first step toward getting landmark teacher enhancement legislation passed. The committee members voted unanimously to send HB 6884 An Act Concerning the Recruitment, Retention, and Enhancement of the Teaching Profession forward.
This historic legislation contains CEA’s key recommendations for improving the teaching profession. It would increase teacher salaries and address other problems causing teachers to leave the profession in droves and preventing students from entering the profession.
This positive action by the committee is thanks to all of you who sent in written testimony and came to Hartford to speak with legislators directly. But our work is far from over.
What’s next?
The bill now rests in the hands of the Appropriations Committee, which could pass it as is or with changes and send it to the full House for a vote—or the Appropriations Committee could kill the bill completely. The committee has until April 21 to act. Please know that this bill and others are works in progress and subject to change as they move through the legislative process.
We have heard from many of you regarding the fact that the COVID pension benefit enhancement is not inclusive. Rest assured that CEA continues working on this to get legislators to amend the language in a way that reflects the work of all educators who worked throughout the pandemic.
Watch for emails from CEA
Over the next few weeks, please keep a close eye on your inbox and watch for emails from CEA. Look for Action Alerts, asking you to contact legislators on the Appropriations Committee, urging them to support HB 6884.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get what we need passed. We must all stand together and contact our legislators to let them know how important this bill is for our students and our colleagues.
For those of you who remember the Education Enhancement Act of 1986, which raised teacher salaries decades ago, HB 6884 would bring similar changes to today’s educators who are struggling with a teacher shortage crisis, additional duties and responsibilities, and a host of unprecedented challenges–many caused by the COVID pandemic.
Join us on April 26
Please attend our CEA Lobby Day on April 26 and join your colleagues for a day of conversation and action at the State Capitol. Wear your #RedforEd T-shirts and be part of the next wave that gets good laws passed that will have lasting impacts on your livelihood and your students.
On April 26, wearing our #RedforEd, we’ll converge on the State Capitol and make a big, bold statement to get our priorities past the finish line.
