Outside Glastonbury High on Monday, teachers, superintendents, parents and even the business community from around the state joined together for the launch of a campaign called Public Education Champions.
“Connecticut is facing unprecedented challenges in education,” Kristen Basiaga, Glastonbury Education Association president, said.
The hope is to improve public schools and make sure kids receive the best education possible.
“We're seeing a lot of mental health concerns. And we were definitely seeing a rise in more physical behaviors with students as well. Things that you might have seen in the middle school or the high school, we're seeing as young as in kindergarten and in preschool,” Jen Rodriguez, a Newington first grade teacher, said.
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A recent survey of teachers found nearly 90% noticed an increase of anxious students and close to the same percent saw a rise in aggression.
Rodriguez said in her town, there are counselors.
“But there are many districts across the state that don't have those resources to help,” Rodriguez said.
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Concerns go beyond the classroom and after graduation.
A recent survey of businesses in the state found most of them were having trouble finding and keeping workers.
“Our new workforce going forward really begins in today’s public schools,” Chris Davis, Connecticut Business and Industry Association public policy vice president, said.
The teachers’ union – the Connecticut Education Association – said extra funds will be necessary to achieve some goals.
There was talk of boosting salaries amid a teacher shortage.
But the union also wants some local and state mandates to be reconsidered.
“Looking at standardized testing, we do an extraordinary amount of assessment on our students, and that's causing a really a great amount of that anxiety and stress, the unrelenting nature of it,” Kate Dias, Connecticut Education Association president, said.
Teachers also are looking for more freedom instead of sometimes having to follow strict curriculum.
We reached out to the state Education Department for comment but have not yet heard back.
