By James Lomuscio
State Sen. Toni Boucher gave the Westport Board of Education tonight an overview of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s education reform bill.
State Sen. Toni Boucher addresses the Westport Board of Education tonight. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
She said it aims to fix what is broken in some Connecticut’s failing public schools, including improved teacher preparation, teacher tenure reform, expanded access to early childhood education and removing red tape for local districts.
According to Boucher, Connecticut has the largest achievement gap in the nation, especially when comparing successful school systems like Westport’s to inner city districts such as Hartford, Waterbury and Bridgeport.
“The reason the governor is spending so much political capital on this is that it is coming from Washington,” Boucher said. “Connecticut has the widest achievement gap, and too many cities are failing.”
The 163-page bill, copies of which were presented to each school board member and Schools Superintendent Elliott Landon, is expected to be voted on by the legislature a week before the legislative session ends March 28, Boucher said.
She noted that “a lot of things can happen to a bill as it takes a dangerous path,” going through the state Senate and to the House of Representatives.
“I think there’s a good chance that a good portion of it will remain in tact, or we will lose federal money,” she said.
One of the biggest concerns Boucher said she has heard comes from teachers worried about evaluations based on student input and “from administrators who wield too much power.”
“I’ve heard from some teachers, ‘What if the student doesn’t like you?’ “she said. “They have some very valid concerns.”
Regarding tenure, the bill proposes that teachers be rated on the following scale: below standard, developing, professional and exemplary.
The bill proposes that tenure can be gained within 30 months instead of the current 40, and that each teacher has up to 50 months to reach professional and exemplary status to achieve tenure.
“My take on this is that I would like to see the whole profession elevated and compensated really well, and that it should be on par with professions in other fields,” Boucher said,.
She acknowledged, however, that the reform bill’s passage “could cause insecurity” for teachers.
“There are gong to be a lot of changes, and considering some of the concerns on the part of teachers, it will put a heavier burden on teachers who are going to be evaluated,” she added.
For one thing, she said, it would “quicken and strengthen the dismissal process” for teachers from 120 to 70 days, possibly 50. The semantics of the bill also make some teachers uneasy.
Instead of being let go for incompetence, the bill uses the words “ineffectiveness and unprofessionalism.”
Boucher stressed that the legislation would affect collective bargaining only for “20 to 30 targeted schools.”
The comprehensive bill also addresses Connecticut higher education as it pertains to teacher training, Boucher said. It proposes raising admission to the Connecticut State University system from a 2.5 to 2.7, possibly even 3.0 GPA.
Jim Marpe, school board vice chairman, asked if the bill would allow high performing districts such as Westport to avoid massive bureaucratic red tape if passed.
“There will be red tape relief for districts that are doing a good job,” Boucher said.
Landon asked why the state Department of Education and Commissioner Stefan Pryor, who have ultimate say over education policies, could not work hand-in-hand with the legislature on these measures, rather than having legislation passed.
Boucher stressed that reforms have to be enshrined in legislation in order for the state to comply with federal mandates and receive funding.
State Rep. Jonathan Steinberg offered public comment following Boucher’s presentation.
“It’s 163-pages, and it’s a lot for us to digest in toto, and the clock is ticking for us,” Steinberg said.
“The Education Committee is working overtime, and I’m concerned and interested to see how this final bill will come out. I think we all agree that the teacher-administrator evaluations are at the crux of this, and that some of the criteria will need to be revisited.”
