Teamwork, dedication, and persistence were in full view this week.
We are so appreciative of all of you who took action on Wednesday to support teacher priorities. Thousands of CEA members proudly wore #RedforEd shirts, sent us your pictures, emailed and called your legislators, and filled the halls of the State Capitol–and we thank you for taking action.
None of us entered the teaching profession to get involved in politics, but today that’s just another part of our jobs, because everything we do is controlled in some way by lawmakers–and if we aren’t speaking out, we are just waiting for things to be thrust upon us.
But that didn’t happen on Wednesday, and you made a difference in advocating for our priorities. The second floor of the State Capitol was a sea of red as we took over and reminded legislators of the important work we do. Legislators told us they appreciated us informing them of the issues, and many said we had filled their inboxes with our emails.
Ultimately, legislators listened to us, and your advocacy helped two of our important bills clear major hurdles. SB 1 passed the Senate, with a proposal to ban dual instruction. It now heads to the House.
It was exciting to be there when the House unanimously passed HB 5001, a bill we pushed hard for that takes steps to address trauma and the mental health crisis in our schools. It now heads to the Senate. We must continue advocating for final passage of both of these bills.
We know we make a difference in the lives of our students every day. When we stand together at the State Capitol, and when you contact legislators, we make a difference for those same students–as well as all Connecticut students and teachers–in a broader, more comprehensive way.
We hope this experience was a good one, and we look forward to the opportunity to do it again–and until then, we encourage you to continue reaching out to your legislators, urging them to pass our bills. We are proud to stand with you today and always. Positive change is possible because we are stronger together.
Thanks to all of you. It was a real team effort.
Kate Dias, CEA President
Joslyn DeLancey, CEA Vice President
