Gov. Malloy proposes funding for teacher recruitment and retention

Governor Malloy today released his proposal to recruit, retain and support teachers in Connecticut.

Included in his proposal were ideas for incentives to recruit good teachers, especially to priority districts.

“One of the key elements to improving education is recruitment and retention of good teachers,” said Sharon Palmer, president of AFT Connecticut. “Investing in the meaningful evaluation and support systems developed by the Professional Evaluation Advisory Council (PEAC) will help significantly.”

Another proposal is to establish an Education Preparation Advisory Council under the State Board of Education and the Board of Regents which will examine accreditation regulations and hold teacher preparation programs accountable for several new measures of the quality of their programs.

“Input counts as much as output. We want to improve the teacher preparation process but you cannot ignore inputs like class size and other factors.”

Gov. Malloy has also proposed creating new career opportunities including the creation of a “master” educator certificate.

“We welcome new career opportunities for teachers to remain as teachers. Again, this speaks to the question of how do we retain good teachers in our schools,” added Palmer.

“This is the beginning of a 13-week process of give and take among all stakeholders, with the goal of reaching consensus on legislation that improves education for all children in Connecticut,” said Palmer.

AFT CT (American Federation of Teachers Connecticut) is committed to improving the quality of education for every child in the state. Education reform issues like teacher tenure, teacher certification, teacher evaluations, early childhood education, charter schools, school funding and more need input from all educators. PreK-12 teachers, paraprofessionals and school related personnel are working every day to improve learning and help students to grow. From urban schools in Connecticut, such as Hartford, New Britain, New Haven and Meriden, to suburban schools, such as, Bloomfield, Simsbury and Waterford,  to regional school districts, our members are working to provide quality education.