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Proposals will provide greater opportunities for Connecticut students, educators
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: STEPHEN SIDORAK, (860) 933-8100
EMAIL: STEPHEN.SIDORAK@CONNCAN.ORG
Hartford, Conn. — On Monday, lawmakers in the state’s Education Committee voted to advance four key proposals supported by ConnCAN concerning minority teacher recruitment, school literacy and the inclusion of African American, Puerto Rican and Latino studies as part of public school curricula.
The proposals, supported by the education advocacy nonprofit ConnCAN, will continue through the legislative process ahead of the General Assembly’s June 9 deadline for turning bills into law.
ConnCAN Executive Director Subira Gordon praised the Education committee’s leadership for moving these initiatives forward.
“Today’s votes show that Connecticut continues to be a leader and seeks to provide all students with a better education,” Gordon said. “This state is leading the nation in implementing policies that focus on diversifying the educator workforce.”
Today, fewer than 10 percent of public school educators in Connecticut are people of color, yet nearly half of our public schools students are. SB 1022, An Act Concerning Minority Teacher Recruitment and Retention, will narrow this gap by helping school districts recruit and retain high quality educators from diverse backgrounds.
Gordon added: “Rep. Sanchez and Sen. McCrory have been great leaders to collaborate with this session ensuring that equity is a focus of the Education committee’s agenda.”
Reciprocity agreements with other states and streamlining the teacher certification process are included in the bill. All four bills, including SB 1019 which focuses on the important issue of students reading on grade level as well as HB 7082 and HB 7083 that will give students a more in depth understanding of the contributions of African Americans and the Latino community in our state were passed unanimously.
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About ConnCAN: ConnCAN is leading a movement to improve education outcomes for Connecticut’s kids. We bring advocates, policymakers, parents and educators together to change the system and give all kids access to the great public schools they deserve. Learn more at conncan.org.