Response from Monroe Rep.

It would appear that the Governor did not read the manual on How to Affect Change as the 1st concept of change is to engage all stakeholders and develop buy in. That being said SB24 is a bill that has caused immense rifts between the stakeholders and some very hard feelings.

There is no debating the fact that CT has the most significant Achievement Gap in the US. There is no debating the fact that CT needs educational reforms to improve the outcomes for those students in the Failing Schools.

There is a question about the judgment of a legislative body that rushes to drive through Educational Reform that is short on detail, paints all schools, teachers, and administrators with the same broad stroke of a negative brush.

Part of the issue with Education in CT is the vast and varied quality of opportunities children receive based on their zip codes and how those opportunities or lack thereof frame their readiness to achieve.

Several sections of SB 24 are concepts that have been bandied about for years and many say “it is about time!” SB 24 increases emphasis on early childhood education and preschool opportunities but in my mind minimally. SB24 includes reciprocity of certification, focuses on intervention plans for failing schools, and changes in teacher certification.

Conceptually there is a great deal to like about SB24 but that is the superficial perusal of the 163 pgs., upon further analysis there is little actual detail on how this radical Educational Reform will be implemented, funded and most importantly the broad scope of ramifications.

This is no simple piece of Legislation as it affects lives…the lives of our children, the lives of our teachers, neighbors, and communities.

SB24 is an exercise in theory and while I love to engage in intellectual debate about “what exactly is educational excellence?” I am not willing to do so at the expense of our children.

The rhetoric of the Governor has made the very people who stand before our children everyday feeling defensive, angry, and under valued.

I do not see how it can be good for our children to have their teachers feeling vulnerable and having to cross their T’s and dotting their I’s to assure they maintain their status and maybe even their jobs. How is it good for children to have their teachers feeling vulnerable and therefore distracted from the art of teaching and most specifically focused on passing high stakes tests? 

Great teachers and schools are those who challenge children, engage them, think in new and creative ways and work with strong Educational leaders.

The Achievement Gap is a “system” issue…not just a teacher issue…and the resolutions to the problem are not just educational but sociological and complex.

I do not have the answer to the achievement gap but I do know that my school system does an exemplary job and wants to focus on what it has identified as it’s weaknesses and I do know that to affect change and sustain positive growth all parties need to feel heard, valued and engaged in being a part of the solution.

I am not sure what the final SB 24 will look like and would hope the Governor might take a step back, move forward the pieces of his vision that have consensus and continue to work on the other areas possibly generating more ideas, more possibilities, more solutions which in the end will make for Reform that is cohesive, thoughtful and does achieve excellence parity in our school systems.

Thank you for your time to read this and know I am working to be a part of the solution and will vote for what I believe to be best for ALL the children of CT.

Rep. DebraLee Hovey