During his State of the State address today Governor Ned Lamont made a series of pledges aimed at increasing support for Connecticut’s students, families, and teachers and continuing to build on the strides the state has made over the last year.
“Our budget provided predictability to those counting on it most,” he said, adding, “I have heard from school principals, city and town leaders, small businesses and families, all saying, ‘Finally, we can now plan for our future.’” The budget, he noted, made Connecticut’s largest-ever investment in K-12 education, reducing some of the burden on cities and towns and providing teachers with more of the resources they need.
He added that a priority of his administration is ensuring that teachers, among others, can afford to live in the communities they serve.
“I’ve said it before: Connecticut has always had the best-trained, best educated, most productive workforce in the world, and that starts with the best teachers in the world.”
Educators and unions, he pointed out, are providing input to the revamped Governor’s Workforce Council to make sure Connecticut has the highest-quality education in the nation.
Governor Lamont received a standing ovation when he said, “With half our students being children of color, Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona and I have prioritized recruiting black and Hispanic teachers and developing courses that showcase the important contributions those communities have made to American history.” Noting that educators of color comprise only ten percent of Connecticut’s teaching force, the governor said his goal was for all children to look up and see themselves reflected in their teachers as well as see a potential future for themselves in the teaching profession.
He also noted that the recently established Partnership for Connecticut, formed with the help of local philanthropists, will give more students “their opportunity at the starting line of life,” focusing on providing support for disengaged and disconnected children and young adults and funding for teachers and nonprofits “to turn their best ideas into more hope for their students.”
