Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Vaccine Info
  • Money
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Vaccine Info
    Money
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism

Bill requiring more minority teachers in Connecticut schools goes to Lamont

  • K-12
  • by Kelan Lyons
  • June 4, 2019
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

Keith M. Phaneuf :: CTMirror.org

Rep. Patricia Billie Miller, D-Stamford

The House of Representatives gave final passage late Tuesday afternoon to a bill designed to sharply increase, and retain, the number of teachers of color in Connecticut classrooms.

The Senate unanimously passed the bill on May 28. It now goes to Gov. Ned Lamont, who applauded legislative approval of the bill, for signing.

Lamont pointed out that while more than 40 percent of Connecticut’s student population are people of color, only 8.7 percent of the state’s public school teachers are minorities.

“Numerous studies have shown that students of color do better in school when they have teachers of color in the classroom, however our state has overwhelming disparities and should be doing more to ensure diversity in our schools, including among faculty,” Lamont said. “All students should have access to positive teaching and learning experiences so they can be prepared for the global workforce that awaits them. Enacting these improvements will be a direct investment in the classroom and in student success.

During the House debate Tuesday, Rep. Patricia Billie Miller, D-Stamford, spoke passionately about the transformative power that teachers of color can have on their students.

“There’s something, when somebody that looks like you, there’s something that they instill in you, there’s something that they impart in you, to tell you that you can be somebody,” said Miller, before joining 149 of her colleagues in voting in favor of Senate Bill 1022.

The bill requires the state’s Department of Education to develop and implement strategies and use its existing resources to ensure local and regional boards of education hire a minimum of 250 minority teachers statewide each year.

Miller recalled going to school in the segregated South before moving to Connecticut when she was 9 years old. “It was a culture shock for me to be in an integrated classroom with a white teacher because 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade, I had someone who looked like me, teach me,” Miller said. “If it wasn’t for me going to school with someone who looked like me, I wouldn’t be the person that I am today.”

Remembering one Connecticut educator who told her she wasn’t smart, Miller said, “I wasn’t used to that, as a nine-year old child, coming to a state that said, ‘You know what, you’re from the South, you’re not smart,’ and I had to live with that.”

In 8th grade, Miller had a black math teacher who saw her potential and nurtured her talent, inspiring her to later earn a degree in mathematics.

“If it wasn’t for that teacher, that teacher, that African American teacher, I wouldn’t be standing here,” Miller said.

The bill also requires at least 30 percent of the 250 minority teachers hired every year to be men, includes provisions that expand teacher reciprocity with other states, and provides mortgage assistance for educators who graduated from universities that traditionally serve minority students

Rep. Christopher Rosario, D-Bridgeport, said those provisions make the legislation a jobs creation bill as well as an education bill.

“This is an opportunity for men and women that are black and brown to get a good, union-paying job, to have upward mobility and to get into the middle class,” he said. “And that’s something that lifts all boats here in the state of Connecticut.”

Speaking as a lawmaker, educator and parent, Rep. Bobby Gibson Jr., D-Bloomfield, said it’s a disservice to teachers and students alike if their instructors are racially homogenous.

“Our children need teachers who are diverse because we live in a diverse world, with people all over the world who have something to offer our students,” Gibson said. “This is not just about African American, Hispanic teachers. This is about having teachers, creating teachers, a system, and supporting teachers of diverse backgrounds, so our kids can grow and learn and love one another.”

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kelan Lyons is a Report For America Corps Member who covers the intersection of mental health and criminal justice for CT Mirror. Before joining CT Mirror, Kelan was a staff writer for City Weekly, an alt weekly in Salt Lake City, Utah, and a courts reporter for The Bryan-College Station Eagle, in Texas. He is originally from Philadelphia.

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
Report: Twice as many CT high schoolers are in danger of being held back
by Jacqueline Rabe Thomas

Research released Monday confirms what many parents and educators already suspected — more students than ever are falling behind during the pandemic, a problem especially present among those learning entirely from home in some of the state’s larger districts. The RISE Network tracked about 12,000 students in nine high schools in historically struggling districts to […]

State’s largest teachers’ union urges educators be prioritized in vaccine rollout
by Adria Watson

Educators said teachers should be able to receive the vaccine immediately when the next phase begins.

Lamont’s education funding plans under fire
by Frankie Graziano & Ahjane Forbes | Connecticut Public Radio

As Gov. Ned Lamont rolls out his budget for the coming biennium, education funding seems poised to become a battleground.

CT budget debate heats up quickly over equity
by Keith M. Phaneuf

Urban lawmakers on the Appropriations Committee charged Gov. Ned Lamont's budget largely ignores inequities in education and health care.

Miguel Cardona is one step closer to becoming next U.S. education secretary
by Jacqueline Rabe Thomas

In a swift meeting, senators voted 17 to 5 to forward Cardona's nomination to the U.S. Senate for final approval.

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion Better rail service will boost Naugatuck Valley economy
by Kara Rochelle

For residents of the Naugatuck Valley, whether you ride the train or not, increased rail service will directly and positively affect your life. Increased and reliable rail service means increases in property values.

Opinion Why a Connecticut family foundation is funding the national movement for Black lives
by William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund. Board and Staff

The last several years have thrust racial injustice against Black people not only into the media spotlight, but also into our emerging public consciousness about the continued consequences of our nation’s legacy of slavery, Jim Crow, and segregation.

Opinion Statewide standardized testing this Spring: To what end?
by Christopher E. Trombly

Despite many challenges, Congressional committees in both houses remain steadfast in their belief that state standardized testing should be administered this spring.  They cite the recent announcement that NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) testing will not be conducted this year as adding to this “moral imperative.” Better would be for state departments of education to use the myriad data that administrators and teachers have naturally collected since March to allocate resources that will allow for student learning to be recovered, and for historic structural inequities to be addressed at long last.

Opinion Felons and non-citizens on Connecticut juries? Not a good idea
by Steven Wilf

A move is afoot to extend the privilege of sitting on a jury to released felons and non-citizen long-term residents. According to a recent report, supported by Connecticut Chief Justice Richard Robinson, making this change would increase Black and Latinx representation. This is a laudatory goal. But it undermines the very foundations of jury participation as a key aspect of citizenship.

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than numbers in a prison and much more than victims of societal dispositions. This piece depicts a melanated young man draped in a cape ascending high above multiple forms of oppression. […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s like to wake up in new skin?”

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is the catalyst to all my work, and plays a major influence in each piece of work.”

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture and Art masterpieces and applying the vintage 1960’s and 70’s classic figures (Fisher Price, little people) to the make an amusing pieces. Here is my homage to Fisher -Price, Yellow […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO