Herron Keyon Gaston

Senator Gaston Receives ‘A’ Grade from Connecticut Teachers

Today, State Senator Herron Keyon Gaston (D-Bridgeport) announced he received an “A” grade from the Connecticut Education Association as it released its Legislator Report Cards for the 2023 legislative session. The CEA releases these report cards every other year; 2023 is the first time the organization is issuing them annually, noting legislators’ support of policies supporting education strength and enhancing the teaching profession.

According to the CEA, any legislator who scored an “A” proposed or co-sponsored bills positively impacting students, teachers and public education, advocated for bills supporting those priorities and discussed pressing educational issues.

“Education is important and leads to a student’s success,” said Sen. Gaston. “As a first year State Senator, I made it a priority to make sure our teachers felt supported in the classroom. I am humbled for this recognition by the Connecticut Education Association as we will always fight for significant funding for our schools, improvement upon health and safety, and consistently advocating for our teachers.”

The CEA reported that Sen. Gaston’s score was due to support of policies including supporting teacher recruitment and retention; addressing challenging student behavior and working to make classrooms safer; improving indoor air quality in schools; support for play-based learning; the state budget, which provided significant school funding through education cost sharing; allowing for kindergarten start age waivers; providing tuition assistance for some educators; and aiding the formation of a special education task force designed to examine case loads, among others.