Fairfield Education Association

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Calling All Tigers! Mrs. Sierra Needs Our Help!, organized by Melissa Abraham Dear NSS Community, One of our own needs our help. Last Friday, … Melissa Abraham needs your support for Calling All Tigers! Mrs. Sierra Needs Our Help!

FEA MEMBERS: We now have a FEA member ONLY Instagram page. Follow on Instagram at:

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Wonder why...

America's teacher shortage will outlast the pandemic Demand for teachers is drastically outpacing supply.

An awesome recognition.

https://www.ncadvertiser.com/news/article/New-Canaan-finance-board-approved-413k-thank-16529638.php?utm_campaign=CMS%20Sharing%20Tools%20(Premium)&fbclid=IwAR23vtDDbBmRgIsBusSPUtl6C4yMTPrtC-njlUVmvJslTrdzcw9qOKEfk44

New Canaan finance board approved $413k 'thank you' for teachers A ‘thank you bonus” of $1,000 for teachers was approved by the finance board and will...

Video from Education Forum.

imn-awmd-cnz (2021-10-18 at 12:44 GMT-7)

Please spread the word about this wonderful event.

The Fairfield Education Association (FEA) is proud to endorse Craig Curley, Sheila Marmion, and Kevin Starke for election to the Fairfield Board of Finance.

Over the last two years with COVID, many have realized our schools are so much more than educational institutions. They are a safe place where parents can send their children, which in turn allows parents to work. That in turn supports the local economy, enhances our housing values, and ensures the town has the necessary resources. Our schools work hard to make sure Fairfield’s children grow into the best version of themselves, capable of positively contributing to society. Our schools help students build confidence, positive self-esteem, and good decision-making capabilities. Our schools are a public good and not merely an operational expense that should be traded off against current crises, whether it be the fill pile remediation efforts, the need for a new sewage treatment facility, or something else.

For more than a decade, town bodies have reduced the funding requests of the Board of Education over $20 million. While other comparable districts have been increasing their school budgets by 3-5% per year, Fairfield’s yearly increases have averaged under 2.5%. Those reductions dropped our per pupil spending from 29th in the state in 2007/2008 to 66th out of 169 towns today. The practical effect of those reductions are felt every day in our schools.

We’re dealing with:
- A drastic reduction in elementary art instruction as a “trade off” for additional social workers to support our students’ social and emotional needs.
- A paraprofessional shortage, largely due to their embarrassingly low pay. These staff members are essential to running our schools and supporting special needs students.
- Inadequate heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in many of our schools.

We are all left to wonder what is next. Trading off music to remediate mold? Cutting back on business, culinary, or gifted-student programs so we can support our struggling learners? These are not the choices schools in a town like Fairfield should have to make.

Electing Sheila Marmion, Craig Curley, and Kevin Starke to the Board of Finance represents a unique opportunity to pivot away from these false choices. For all three, their professional and community experience have provided them with extensive expertise in bonding large capital projects, strategic budgeting, and the institutional memory to know where Fairfield has been and where we are going. More importantly, they see our public schools for what they are, an asset of the community deserving of support and investment.

If you care about the health and well being of our schools and Fairfield’s children, I urge you to join the teachers of Fairfield and support Craig Curley, Sheila Marmion and Kevin Starke for the Board of Finance. Our schools can no longer be squeezed financially.

Bob Smoler
President: Fairfield Education Association

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/04/opinion/coronavirus-mental-health-teenagers.html?smtyp=cur&smid=fb-nytimes&fbclid=IwAR3hnNONaMv9sGOOl6eZPMVrxFK6ngaq_sculm4WYVTU2DQ_Kbq9auUtSWs

Opinion | Teenagers Are Struggling, and It’s Not Just Lockdown “My school is giving too much work,” a 10th grader wrote during the pandemic. “At first, this was just a break from school, but now all I feel is stress, anxiety and pain.”

https://www.google.com/doodles/us-teacher-appreciation-week-2021-begins

US Teacher Appreciation Week 2021 Begins! US Teacher Appreciation Week 2021 Begins!

https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/national/100-deals-discounts-for-teacher-appreciation-week-2021

100+ deals, discounts for Teacher Appreciation Week 2021 Teachers change lives and inspire thousands every day even while facing all of the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. To thank them, we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, which runs from May 3 through May 7 in 2021.

"Include teachers in education decisions."
Yes, please.

It's Teacher Appreciation Week. Flowers? Mugs? We're Looking for Something More (Opinion) This year, teachers were hailed as heroes then denounced as obstructionists, say seven State Teachers of the Year. Here’s what they need.

Just in time for Teacher Appreciation Week:
https://www.npr.org/2021/04/19/988211478/we-need-to-be-nurtured-too-many-teachers-say-theyre-reaching-a-breaking-point?utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&fbclid=IwAR0P1ZZ4OwBkhM8oJ8Il9IbycTGx6IotOvOpQIxb7nvw0CiRGY2QXxuda5I

'We Need To Be Nurtured, Too': Many Teachers Say They're Reaching A Breaking Point Educators tell NPR that the stress of teaching through the pandemic has affected their health and their personal lives. "It's like nothing I've experienced before," one teachers says.