Category Archives: BFT Members

On Tuesday at 5:30 PM, AFT CT President Sharon Palmer gave testimony before the education committee at the state legislature. That testimony can be found here in PDF format sharonpalmertestimony.

Some coverage of the committee hearing…

The Hartford Courant’s article from Wednesday.

An article from The Post-Chronicle.

From the CT Mirror

While there is a degree of philosophical agreement on some parts of the bill put forward by Governor Malloy, there are many aspects that are simply unpalatable (see yesterday’s post for a detailed analysis). The AFT CT and the CEA are working together to combat those portions of the bill, but they need our help in persuading the legislature to refine some aspects and discard others. To learn who your state legislator is and how to contact them, visit this site, or send an email to all the Bristol state representatives by visiting here.

The AFT is sponsoring a series of meetings for teachers and area legislators from central Connecticut on Saturday, March 10 from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM at the Manor Inn in Plantsville. Get info on the meeting here. A second meeting will be held Saturday, March 31 from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM at the Gold Roc Diner on March 31. Go and let them know what you think of the bill and what should really be done to improve education!

The AFT CT’s careful review of the bill proposed by Governor Malloy can be found here. It’s a succinct analysis and response to the bill, one that every BFT member should read and be knowledgeable about going forward.

Although the sale does not open to the public until Thursday morning, Bristol teachers will be given an advanced opportunity to buy books at the winter book sale at the Bristol Public Library, located at 5 High Street, this Wednesday, February 15 from 5-7PM. Teachers should bring their school ID to gain free admission. All proceeds benefit the Bristol Libraries.

On Friday, all teachers were sent a copy of the BOE retirement incentive. Teachers must be at max step and be eligible for regular retirement by the Connecticut Teacher Retirement Board (TRB). You can access the TRB web site here.

Teachers must respond by February 29, with a final decision to move forward with the incentive to be made by the BOE by March 9. Contact Human Resources with questions or further details.

For several days now bits and pieces of the Governor’s education proposals have trickled out. Today, all was revealed during his state of the state address.

Here are the major education components:

BUDGET

For Bristol, his proposed changes to Educational Costs Sharing (ECS) would mean an addition $1.39 million for our schools next year. Full details of the education budget can be found here.

REFORM

A side by side comparison of the current tenure system and what he proposes can be found here.

Click here to read the AFT CT position on tenure and the Governor’s proposed changes.

The AFT CT has set up a special web site to help educate members and keep them updated on events as they transpire. http://ItTakesATeamCT.org/news/100/all

Remember – we only have 90 days to get this right. Once this legislative session ends, the changes made could effect teachers for decades. Stay aware and stay active!

Governor Malloy’s proposal can be read here.

AFT Connecticut Response to Gov. Malloy’s Certification Proposals

Governor Malloy today released his proposals to change certification for teachers in Connecticut.

Certification is a license to teach. A meaningful evaluation process, like the one we helped develop and support as part of the ongoing Performance Evaluation Advisory Council (PEAC) process, is the means by which we assess a teacher’s performance and help them reach maximum potential.

“This proposal puts the cart before the horse,” said Sharon Palmer, president of AFT Connecticut. “Our focus this year is to improve education for everyone and that should begin with ensuring teacher quality by establishing rigorous teacher preparation,  meaningful evaluation and support.”

There are many ideas on certification that have merit. AFT Connecticut will be discussing these and other ideas with our members and continue to work with the members of PEAC to reach a collaborative agreement on what will work best for our state.

We note that the justification for these proposals is limited to a survey of superintendents. What’s more, only 15% of the respondents to the superintendents’ survey appear to be from school districts with the greatest need.

“We are very disappointed that the Governor has chosen to base these proposals on the opinions of only the superintendents and not the 50,000 educators who are doing the work of educating children.”

We hope that in the future a broader range of education professionals, including Connecticut’s 50,000 educators, will be considered.

AFT Connecticut is the second largest AFL-CIO union in the state, representing more than 28,000 professionals including teachers, paraprofessionals and school related personnel.

Despite facing numerous pressing decisions that will determine the future of the Bristol Public Schools, the BOE has decided to revisit their previous decision to cancel April vacation.  The item has been placed on the agenda for the Wednesday, February 1 Board of Education meeting.

See the Bristol Press article here.