Jennifer Leeper

Happy Friday! This week's eblast includes an update on redistricting in Fairfield, a look into a children's healthcare summit I attended, and more. You can click on the links below to navigate between sections. 

• Rosh Hashanah
• Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
• 9/11 Memorial Ceremony
• Racial Imbalance/Redistricting Update
• Recovery and Suicide Prevention Resources
• Children's Healthcare Summit
• Paraeducator Healthcare Stipend
• Community Mattress Recycling Collection Event
• Fairfield Public Library Weekly Storytime
• Symphonic Winds Concert
• Calendar of September Events

On a beautiful evening, last week, I joined the Governor, Lt. Governor and many other state leaders in remembering and honoring the CT residents who lost their lives on 9/11 either in the buildings, planes, or because they ran toward danger to serve. It was powerful to be in the presence of so many family members of those lost on this tragic day and to help preserve and cherish their loved ones’ memories. The state 9/11 memorial at Sherwood Island is beautiful, solemn, and peaceful. If you haven’t been down there to witnesses it, I highly recommend it.

Over the past several weeks, I have had many conversations with the Legislature's Education Committee leadership, the office of the Commissioner of the State Department of Education, our local BOE, the Superintendent, and our state delegation about this issue and how we can help the community and the district.    

Part of the challenge is that the legislative timeline is not aligned with the BOE's timeline as laid out in the racial imbalance plan. The Legislature is not in session again until February. If there were to be a change to the law, it could not happen before May, and that is contingent on both a majority of the House and the Senate agreeing to do such and then the Governor being willing to sign it into law. Unfortunately, there is no quick fix to this.    
   
I have shared with the BOE and the Superintendent that there seems to be a new willingness to review this law at the state level. I have also shared with them as an option to explore, the state statute that has an enhanced state reimbursement for the construction of a "Diversity School" as was done in West Hartford when they had a racial imbalance. Again, there are no guarantees with the legislative process and our BOE would need to submit an amendment to the racial imbalance plan to the State Board of Education to request more time, and hope that they accept the amendment. The process with the State Board of Education is independent of the legislative process.

Additionally, our BOE stated at this week's meeting, 1. they still have facility utilization challenges to address and 2. they recognized that there is no guarantee that a law change will mean Fairfield does not need to take any action.

   
As our community continues to participate in this process, I am engaging in these conversations daily and I am deeply committed to helping our district navigate this challenge. 

Paraeducators are the backbone of Connecticut's education system. I am proud to have helped pass a budget that ensures they get help with health insurance. More than 4,000 paraeducators will receive significant health care assistance stipends from the state if they have a high-deductible health plan.