Connecticut teachers express concerns about proper ventilation in schools, inequities in coronavirus funding between districts

Connecticut’s largest teachers union released a survey of its members Tuesday that revealed concerns about “huge inequities” in COVID-19 resources and funding between school districts.

Lack of proper ventilation, daily cleaning and access to personal protective equipment were among the most common issues raised by educators.

The Connecticut Education Association said that in their COVID-19 Equity Survey nearly 2,000 teachers highlighted inequities between the state’s 33 lowest-performing districts, called Alliance Districts, and non-Alliance Districts.

“Our teachers shared their experiences regarding the lack of school funding; shortages of PPE, cleaning supplies, and learning resources; limited technology and access to the Internet; poor ventilation; and no plans to engage absent students,” CEA President Jeff Leake said, in a written statement.

“These are all things needed to keep school communities safe and the staff in place to help students achieve. These issues are most severe in our lowest-performing school districts,” he added. “We must demand changes in policies, programs, and practices that condone or ignore unequal justice and hinder student success.”

Coronavirus funding from the state varied widely between districts. Although they are both Alliance Districts, Hartford received about $11.9 million, nearly three times of what it requested, while New Haven received about $5.3 million, less than half of what it requested.

Of those surveyed, nearly 80% of teachers in Alliance Districts said school buildings and classrooms are not properly ventilated, while 66% of non-Alliance District teachers said the same. Ventilation is becoming an increasingly important issue as revised guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states the virus may be spread indoors more easily than previously thought.

While 64% of non-Alliance District teachers said their classrooms are disinfected and cleaned daily, only 49% of Alliance District teachers reported daily cleaning. Almost half of Alliance District teachers and 38% of non-Alliance District teachers said they did not have adequate personal protective equipment. The majority of teachers surveyed also said they were not confident that “aggressive contact tracing measures are in place in their schools.”

Educators who participated in the survey also raised concerns about a lack of strategies to engage absent students, as well as those who have still not logged into remote learning for a single day so far in the school year. About half of Alliance District teachers said students do not have the school resources and supplies that ensure they can fully access the curriculum, compared to 25% of teachers in non-Alliance Districts.

The state recently purchased more than 80,000 laptops for families in need and about 60,000 at-home internet connections for students, including wired broadband or personal hotspots. Still, about a quarter of Alliance District teachers and 14% of teachers in other districts said children do not have the electronic devices they need for remote learning. About 35% of of Alliance District teachers said access to internet remains a problem as well, compared to 14% of teachers in other districts.

In response to the survey results, the state Department of Education said Tuesday afternoon that it has “been working aggressively to address the educational emergency that is exacerbating inequities due to the ongoing pandemic” and its “actions and investments in our students and educators demonstrate our continued commitment to ensuring equity and access by reducing barriers to learning while prioritizing the health and safety of our school communities.”

Among the actions and investments mentioned, the department discussed providing options for in-person learning and reducing the number of disengaged remote students to fewer than 4% from 25% in the spring. It also noted that of the $266 million in coronavirus funding Connecticut has set aside for schools, more than half went to Alliance Districts. The department also said it was taking “tangible action” to close the digital divide.

In a press conference Tuesday on diversifying the state’s educator workforce, Gov. Ned Lamont doubled down on the state’s preference in-person education, saying a hybrid model of online and in-person learning was not as good as in-person learning five days a week. But he acknowledged not everyone felt comfortable reopening schools full time, and said that was why the state invested in laptops and internet connections for students.

“The inequality I see is a lot of small towns and suburban schools are open, many of them full time for the elementary grades. I see some of the Alliance [Districts], New Haven, some of these schools aren’t open at all, and those kids don’t have the option of going to school,” he said.

The New Haven Board of Education has stated previously that part of the reason they chose to delay reopening school buildings in the state’s largest urban district and start the year entirely online was in part due to concerns about lack of funding and resources.

Lamont added, “I can tell you that Connecticut used more of our CARES Act money for education than I think any other state in the country. I think we’re providing PPE for all of our schools, doing everything we can to give teachers and students the confidence that you can go back to school safely.”

Amanda Blanco can be reached at ablanco@courant.com.