CT TEACHERS UNION GIVES SEN. LESSER A GRADE OF 96% FOR THE 2024 LEGISLATIVE SESSION
HARTFORD, CT – The Connecticut Education Association, a state teacher’s union representing more than 43,000 active, retired and aspiring educators, has just released its report card for the 2024 legislative session, and State Senator Matt Lesser achieved a score of 96%, confirming his outstanding commitment to the public policies and budget dollars that make Connecticut teachers and their public school students successful all across the state.
“I am honored to receive an A from Connecticut teachers and I am grateful for the opportunity to vote to invest in public education, give our teachers the tools they need and ultimately support our students,” said Sen. Lesser. “As a strong supporter of public education, I voted to increase funding for every school system in our district. I also worked alongside CEA to pass historic indoor air quality legislation and I continue to support the Indoor Air Quality Task Force as they explore projects to ensure clean and healthy classrooms. Specifically, I am proud that together we have championed the work of Eniola, a Middletown middle schooler who built a DIY air purifier that is more effective and less expensive than commercial purifiers. Prioritizing equity, safety and success in our classrooms remains one of my top priorities and I am proud of the work I have done alongside CEA and the teachers of Cromwell, Newington and Rocky Hill that they represent.”
Detailed results of the report card can be found here.
The CEA awarded an average score of 90.2 (A-) to the 24 Democratic senators this session, and an average score of 76.5 (C) to the 12 Republican senators.
In past years, the CEA has graded legislators on their support for public education policies such as Cultural Responsiveness, School Counselors, Black and Latino Studies, Minority Teacher Recruitment, Student Mental & Behavioral Health, Protecting Teachers’ Personal Information, Standardized Assessment & Special Education, and Safe Classrooms.
This year, the CEA graded legislators for their votes on:
-House Bill 5436, teacher certification and mandated reporters, for supporting important changes to teacher certification, improvements to mandated reporter procedures, changes to the assessment for teacher preparatory programs, and supports for paraeducators.
-House Bill 5437, Professional Development & School Climate, for supporting and updating professional development requirements and improving school culture and climate.
-Senate Bill 154, Behavior Notification & Assessment Audit, for supporting better student behavior notifications to parents and a standardized assessment audit.
-House Bill 5524 and Senate Bill 5, School Indoor Air Quality, for supporting and expanding Connecticut’s school Indoor Air Quality grant program.
-Senate Bill 14, Goodwin Magnet Teacher Rights, for ensuring teacher rights are maintained at Goodwin University Magnet School.
-House Bill 5523, the 2024 Budget Implementer, for supporting a budget implementer that included $550,000 to the Teachers Retirement Board for Retiree Healthcare and adding CEA to the Education Mandate Review Advisory Council. |
