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FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. School superintendents in Fairfield County are praising education reform proposed by Gov. Dannel Malloy to streamline the hiring of teachers even as his plan earned low marks from teacher unions across the state.
Making the teacher certification process less burdensome is crucial to hiring teachers and administrators from out of state and is a very worthy goal, said Fairfield Superintendent of Schools David Title. Currently, there are far too many testing requirements that out-of state teacher candidates have to meet. Its very complex.
Anything allowing local school districts to have a larger pool of candidates and hire good teachers and administrators from out of state, is strongly worth considering. But it has to be done without compromising quality.
Malloys proposal would make it easier to attract teachers to Connecticut by loosening strict requirements and would mandate that superintendents not teachers establish criteria in a revised certification process.
Norwalk Superintendent of Schools Susan Marks agreed with Title.
I want the best quality teachers we can hire, and if they are from another state I would like to be able to bring them here, said Marks. Im all for simplifying what is an extremely cumbersome process, but we must also keep the standards very high. I like the idea that teachers who demonstrate exemplary performance in other states can have an easier time coming to Connecticut.
State Sen. Toni Boucher, R-Wilton, ranking member on both the State Education Committee and the Higher Education Committee, said she supports Malloys plan to reduce the burden of red tape and state mandates faced by school districts in hiring teachers from outside Connecticut."
While the plan gained the support of administrators and legislators in Fairfield County, both of the states teachers' unions immediately released statements critical of the proposal. The Connecticut Education Association, which represents 80 percent of the states teachers, and the state chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, representing 28,0000 teachers and paraprofessionals, say Malloys plan would lower teacher standards.
The unions are also upset with Malloy's intention to stop an initiative allowing educators to approve certification requirements for themselves. Malloy wants to link a revised teacher evaluation system with a new, streamlined three-tier teacher certification process.
CEA is concerned that many of the proposals outlined in the governors (plan) would actually lower teacher standards at a time when we need to raise standards and accountability for everyone involved in public education teachers, administrators, parents and students, CEA Executive Director Mary Loftus Levine said in a statement.
We need to continue to have rigorous certification standards that further strengthen the teaching profession because a high-quality education will better prepare students for the future and strengthen Connecticuts economy she said.
The AFT was even more critical.
This proposal puts the cart before the horse, Sharon Palmer, president of AFT Connecticut, said in a statement. Our focus this year is to improve education for everyone and that should begin with ensuring teacher quality by establishing rigorous teacher preparation, meaningful evaluation and support.
We are very disappointed that the governor has chosen to base these proposals on the opinions of only the superintendents and not the 50,000 educators who are doing the work of educating children. We hope in the future a broader range of education professionals, including Connecticuts educators, will be considered.
Malloy said he expected his plan wouldn't make everyone happy.
"It (the proposal) is going to rankle some folks," Malloy said during a conference call with reporters Tuesday. Teacher recertification is now largely tied to attendance at education seminars and completing college courses. He said districts are forced to pay for teachers to attend the seminars for 18 hours a year.
Both Malloy and Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor say the forums aren't worth the expense. Pryor labeled many of the continuing education seminars "ineffective."
Malloy said in a Dec. 20 letter to the General Assembly that he plans to unleash innovation by removing red tape and other barriers to success, especially in high-performing schools and districts.
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