That unique feeling of excitement mixed with a pinch of nervousness can only mean one thing—a new school year is starting here in Connecticut.
Students are filling their backpacks and posing for first-day-of-school photos while you, their teachers, finish your final preparations, ready to greet the eager new faces who will soon come through your classroom door.
There is much to look forward to this year, but the absence of a state budget and proposed cuts to public education threaten valuable resources and our students’ futures.
That is why it is absolutely critical that we share our successes and achievements. We need to make sure everyone, especially our legislators, knows how critical funding for public education is—for our students’ future and for the future of our state.
We teachers are dedicated individuals, but alone we cannot ensure students’ success. It takes a community to educate a student, and all members of our communities have roles to play.
That includes our elected officials. Please continue to contact your legislators and ask them to do their part on behalf of our students. Urge them to pass a budget that invests in public education and doesn’t shift the state’s funding responsibility for teacher retirement onto cities and towns.
This school year and every school year, our students’ future depends on all of us. I know you will do your part. Please ask your legislators to do the same.
