Local elections are just two weeks away, and those elected to local boards of education, boards of finance, and town councils can have a big impact on teaching and learning. In districts including Danbury, East Hampton, and Naugutuck, local education associations have taken it on themselves to help educate their colleagues about the individuals running for office.
Fourth grade teacher Kiana Foster-Mauro says she was hit with an overwhelming wave of emotion on learning she’d been selected as 2024 Connecticut Teacher of the Year. “It’s very humbling, it’s a huge honor, and I feel an enormous sense of gratitude.”
Today kicks off CEA’s Bring Your Legislator to School Week with visits by state senators and representatives to classrooms across the state. “We all went to school. It does not make us experts in education,” says Education Committee Co-Chair Rep. Jeff Currey.
“The moment I heard my name and found out that I was chosen for this really distinguished award I was shocked and surprised. I was so excited, humbled, and honored,” said music teacher Ashley Dunne.
CEA-Retired’s annual fall conference provided members with the opportunity to connect with one another and hear from CEA and CEA-Retired leaders about legislation the organizations will be pushing in Congress and the State Legislature this year.
Nearly two months into the school year, many Connecticut classrooms are without certified teachers, and a CEA survey released this afternoon gets to the root of the problem: a continued failure to address systemic issues in the state’s public schools.
Increased salaries, staffing, respect, limits on non-teaching duties needed to address continuing crisis in our schools.
Despite their best efforts, teachers sometimes encounter difficult situations–from bullying administrators to FMLA denials to DCF investigations. Without the support of their union, teachers can be scared stiff. Share your scariest work-related story and how your union helped you.
For the first time in 35 years, teachers in Bridgeport voted to ratify a contract agreement that takes big steps to improve public education and help retain and recruit educators in the city’s schools.
At Hopeville Elementary School in Waterbury, which has many students who are recent arrivals from Latin America, teachers see Hispanic Heritage Month as the perfect opportunity to recognize and celebrate students’ culture and heritage.