Teachers staged a "walk-in" at Annie Fisher School in Hartford Wednesday morning. At the rally, they held signs and chanted, touting they have the answer to "What Kids Need" after surveying the teachers and opening it up to parents at about 15 schools across the district.
The top two responses at Annie Fisher School were more teachers and more special education services.
“Many of our students do not have the support they’re supposed to get by federal law and by their IEPs, their individualized educational plans,” said Carol Gale, the president of the Hartford Federation of Teachers.
One of the things that helps children is to have additional adult support one-on-one, a paraeducator, Gale said.
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“There is a shortage of paraeducators. These are issues that are before our legislature right now, asking for greater funding for paraeducators. Our paraeducators do not make a living wage and therefore how can we recruit and retain?” Gale said.
Teachers said they were hoping that by staging a walk-in, they could make a statement that would not be disruptive to the school day, and hopefully get the attention of state legislators, the mayor, the superintendent and board of education.
There are 87 classroom-based teacher vacancies in Hartford Public Schools, according to district officials.
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“I know our district is hiring continuously, but they’re not hiring to keep up with the pace of people leaving,” Gale said. “We know that we have some classrooms in our district that have not had a math teacher all year and therefore you have students who are missing a year’s worth a math. They may be given some lessons or worksheets, but it’s not the same.”
Stuart Beckford, the second vice president of the union, said he thinks more emphasis should be put on recruiting people from all sectors who have a vested interest in Hartford.
“I think you have to have people who are invested in our community beyond just the dollar amount of a career. It has to be that they really understand what Hartford is, the community, the legacies, the history of Hartford and then be vested into that as a citizen of Hartford,” Beckford said.
In response, the district wrote in a statement:
"Hartford Public Schools is steadfast in our conviction that fully funding our schools is crucial to providing a robust education and social and emotional experience for our students. We will continue to work with union leadership and elected officials to ensure we make progress towards more equitable funding for public education.
"To address the ongoing teacher shortage, HPS has increased community-based recruitment and partnerships with local organizations, colleges, and universities, attending more than 80 events so far this year. HPS also looks outside the state, and country, to find highly qualified educators who can serve our diverse population of students. Additionally, the district offers alternative routes to teaching certification and works with non-certified HPS staff, such as paraprofessionals and behavior technicians, to develop roadmaps for receiving certification."
