Chris Poulos

As a member of the Veterans’ and Military Affairs Committee, I reached out to Rachel Wache, Chair of the Town of Southington Veterans Committee, to ask how I could be of service to the group. She mentioned that the group had monthly coffee hours with speakers, and I suggested hosting a joint session with Commissioner Saadi.

Commissioner Saadi and I discussed a wide range of topics, including the bills the Veterans’ and Military Affairs Committee reported out this legislative session and the benefits and resources coordinated by the DVA that are available to veterans. I highlighted several bills that would expand tax relief for veterans.

The coffee hour also included a question-and-answer session. Additionally, Commissioner Saadi was presented with a Quilt of Valor by the Southington Veterans Committee, and he gave Wache and Elizabeth Chubet each a Commissioner’s Coin.

It was great to meet with veterans during this engaging event, thank them for their service and share a story about my family’s military service. I also wanted to make sure we told them about the hard work we did this session on the Veterans’ and Military Affairs Committee to create legislation we hope will make a real difference to veterans.

Please continue reading below for other noteworthy items, and thanks for taking the time to read them!

What better way to start the day than with a surprise visit from Southington’s Future Farmers of America who were at the annual Connecticut Ag Day event at the State Capitol in Hartford.

Connecticut Ag Day celebrates the diversity and success of the state's agriculture, featuring farmers, nonprofits, producer associations, cooperatives, federal and state agricultural agencies, and state cities and towns. It also gives farmers and other visitors a chance to meet with legislators and sample CT Grown goods.

A new state initiative aims to strengthen Connecticut’s efforts to recruit and retain a strong and diverse educator workforce through the reimagining of teacher evaluations and the modernizing of teacher certifications. The initiative focuses on ensuring that teachers are evaluated on a fair and consistent basis, and that they receive the support they need to improve their skills and knowledge.

The Connecticut State Department of Education’s Educator Evaluation and Support (EES) Council, codified in Conn. Gen. Stat. 10-151b as the Performance Evaluation and Advisory Council, has worked collaboratively over the past 20 months to develop an educator evaluation system based on research, best practices, continuous improvement, and focused on educator practice and student growth.

Under this initiative, the EES Council will be proposing to the Connecticut State Board of Education a new educator evaluation and support system based on state or national performance standards, aligned with the goals of districts, and include feedback and support for educators informed by multiple measures of student learning, growth, and achievement. Districts will have the 2023-2024 school year to plan for implementation of the new Connecticut Guidelines for Educator Evaluation beginning in the 2024-2025 school year.

The Connecticut State Department of Education has also prioritized modernizing teacher certification to make it easier to become an educator while maintaining a high-quality educator workforce. The department, along with input from stakeholders, has identified short-term regulatory proposals to improve certification while Connecticut moves toward long-term solutions.

Saturday, I will join with my fellow Greek Americans to commemorate the 202nd anniversary of the Greek Revolution and the founding of the Hellenic Republic. On this Independence Day, not only do we celebrate the freedom of Greece, but also all that Greece has offered to the United States. Greece’s contributions to American democracy are readily apparent in our government and were regularly cited by our founding fathers as inspirations.

The Greek diaspora brought the United States a modern gift, that of its people. Greek immigrants used their cultural pride to inform their journey into American society. The best of both cultures inspired Greek immigrants to embrace America and continues to inspire Greek Americans to maintain cultural traditions. We celebrate Greece’s Independence and all the gifts it has brought, Ζήτω η Ελλάδα!