Connecticut Leads the Nation in Teacher Workforce Innovation.
We Can Protect That Progress.
A decade of state investment has built a teaching workforce that better reflects and serves our students. New state data shows we must modernize layoff policies to protect that investment.
2X
Newly hired teachers are twice as likely to be teachers of color compared to the overall teaching workforce. Current seniority-based layoff policies threaten to disproportionately push them out.
What’s At Stake
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Achievement gaps widen when students lose teachers who speak their languages, understand their communities, and have proven effectiveness in the classroom.
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Connecticut's hard-won gains—growing from 8% to 12% teachers of color faster than nearly any state—get wiped out in a single round of budget cuts.
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High-need schools and shortage areas like bilingual education lose the very educators who were hired to fill gaps, creating even more instability.
We Don’t Have to Choose
Connecticut can honor veteran educators while also protecting earlier career teachers who can have a lasting impact on student outcomes.
The best insurance policy is full funding. Connecticut lawmakers must fully fund our schools so layoffs become rare, not routine. But when budget cuts are unavoidable, modernized layoff policies ensure we don't lose the teachers students need most.
So, what does modernization look like? Seniority matters—but it shouldn't be the only factor when making difficult layoff decisions. Districts should consider multiple factors, such as teacher effectiveness, shortage areas, high-need schools, and years of service, so that no single measure determines a teacher's fate.
This concept isn't new, as nearly half of U.S. states already do this. So do Connecticut districts like Vernon and Danbury.
Protect Connecticut’s Progress.
Tell Connecticut lawmakers to modernize layoff policies and protect our teaching workforce.
