The Connecticut Education Association (CEA) applauds the governor and top legislative leaders for their leadership and bipartisan collaboration in developing a strong bill to address gun violence and keep Connecticut schools safe. The bill is before both chambers of the legislature today. “The Sandy Hook tragedy spurred legislators to develop one of the toughest gun…
DetailsYour colleagues have made numerous calls urging legislators to continue the state’s contribution to the Retired Teachers’ Health Insurance Fund. Please join your colleagues and keep up the effort. The legislature’s Appropriations Committee is still weighing whether state dollars will be put into the fund for the next two years and every call makes a…
DetailsMany of you were busy this past weekend maybe with Easter celebrations or instead enjoying the warmer weather, so you may have missed a couple of articles worth reading. The New York Times ran the following pieces recently. Ex-Schools Chief in Atlanta Is Indicted in Testing Scandal After a 2½-year investigation, Beverly L. Hall, a…
DetailsPolicy affecting public education should be made with teachers, not without them. That’s the outspoken viewpoint of teachers from across Connecticut who are featured in a new CEA TV public awareness ad that began airing yesterday. From teacher Maggie Barkin, a veteran, to teacher Lia O’Connell, a relative newcomer to the profession, there’s no doubt…
DetailsDozens of educators wore bright yellow stickers that read, “Proud to be an East Hartford teacher,” as they welcomed 300 plus students and parents to Silver Lane School last night. The East Hartford Education Association (EHEA) members were at the elementary school for a Family Literacy Night they had organized for the entire school community.…
DetailsThe legislature’s Appropriations Committee is deciding the future of your retiree health care benefits. The committee is meeting to decide whether to continue the state’s funding to the Retired Teachers’ Health Insurance Fund. If the legislature decides to eliminate the state’s contribution to the fund as the governor has proposed, you will likely be paying…
Details“I paid $15,000 a year out of my pocket for health insurance before my wife and I turned 65 and were eligible for Medicare.” “Retired teachers are on fixed incomes and we don’t get Social Security, so increases in our health care insurance costs are difficult to manage.” “Both active and retired teachers have been…
DetailsIn an ideal world, state lawmakers would be able to visit your classroom to see firsthand the pace of change and the impact of school reform initiatives. But it’s not a perfect world. So, if you want lawmakers to understand the challenges you face and your students confront, then you have to bring your classroom…
DetailsNext Friday, join other CEA members for an evening of thoughtful theater, engaging entertainment, and collegiality — and raise money for an important cause at the same time. On March 29, at TheaterWorks in Hartford, CEA members will gather to enjoy an award-winning play about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Mountaintop re-imagines the events that…
DetailsOn Saturday, high school students in Providence, Rhode Island were the ones giving the test. They gave 50 professional adults an exam consisting of questions that have previously appeared on a state standardized test. This year Rhode Island is implementing a new policy that requires high school students to pass the New England Common Assessment…
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