Gregg Simon, longtime high school athletic administrator, coach and teacher, has been selected from a pool of highly qualified candidates to join the central office staff as the associate executive director of CIAC effective July 1. He will be replacing Dr. Steve Wysowski who is retiring from the position at the end of June. “I understand that I have huge shoes to fill with the outstanding work that Steve Wysowski has done over the last three years, but, I look forward to the challenge and am excited to be a part of this incredible organization,” Simon stated.

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The CAS Annual Summer Leadership Institute (SLI) is one of the association’s largest and most lauded educational gatherings, attracting school leaders from around the state. Registration for this year’s conference, Leading Personalized Learning: Supporting the Emotional Needs of Our Students, is now open! Join us at the Heritage in Southbury on June 22nd and 23rd for conversations centered around social-emotional learning and whole child wellness.

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Looking for a fantastic summer leadership experience for your students? Look no further! The 7th Annual New England Student Leadership Conference (NESLC) is scheduled for July 25-28, 2017, at Worcester State University (MA). This four-day, residential event is designed to help talented, committed young people become better citizens who will be positive, contributing adults and role models for youth. Registration closes on June 12th!

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CAS and LEAD Connecticut have just concluded their joint Turnaround Principals Program for the 2016-17 school year. Select principals from Alliance Districts participated in this year-long initiative along with their assigned CAS coaches who provided on-site guidance and support. Throughout the year, these "revolutionaries" worked on developing the LEAD Leadership Competencies and focused on implementing district goals through careful planning, self-evaluation and action. On May 18th, program participants came together at CAS to reflect on and celebrate a memorable year. 

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CAS is offering a two-day training session on June 27 and 28 to acquaint school leaders with the provisions of the administrator evaluation model. This workshop is designed for all public school and private program leaders having evaluation oversight for school and district administrators. The Administrator Evaluation Foundational Skills Two-Day Workshop, which will be held at the CAS offices in Cheshire from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. each day, is offered without charge and is sponsored by the Connecticut State Department of Education. Please contact Ev Lyons at elyons@casciac.org if you have any questions regarding this program. Register now!

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There are three federal government loan forgiveness programs for which teachers and public school district employees may qualify. Those programs can forgive anywhere from $5,000 to the remaining balance of a student loan. Horace Mann offers no-cost Student Loan Solutions workshops to explain program details and eligibility requirements to interested schools and districts. Schedule a workshop with your local Horace Mann representative now and help your employees determine if they qualify for federal student loan forgiveness. 

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The Learning Counsel, a research institute focused on providing context for the shift in education to digital curriculum, will host its annual Connecticut Digital Curriculum Sustainability Discussion on October 19th, not on the 17th as originally announced. The forum will run from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the CAS office in Cheshire and is open at no cost to all administrators and teachers. Breakfast and lunch will be served. Attendees will hear from education leaders on the state of the national education market; best-practices for digital transformation; winning strategies from state to state; and, what superhero schools are making happen and how. Schools/districts are encouraged to bring teams as there will be group exercises and chances for collaboration and planning for next steps.

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High school principals are invited to nominate a student to be considered for service as a member of the State Student Advisory Council on Education (SSACE). The council gives Connecticut students a voice in education planning and provides educational decision-makers with high school students’ perspectives on key issues. Please consider nominating one of your students. Applications must be submitted by June 23, 2017.

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Last Friday, the Connecticut State Department of Education issued a memorandum with important updates concerning requirements for data collecting and reporting. One change that is of particular note is that, beginning with the 2017-18 school year, the CSDE will add “Non-Binary” to the current gender identity options under PSIS. “Non-Binary” is intended for students who don’t identify exclusively as male or female.

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Last week, Senators Al Franken (MN) and Thomas Carper (DE) circulated a "Dear Colleague” letter in the Senate to generate Congressional support for Title II, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Title II, Part A funds are authorized to provide states and local districts with the ability to support professional development for teachers and principals. The President’s FY 2017 budget proposal cut the program funding by nearly half, and funding for the program is projected to be eliminated altogether in FY 2018. Unfortunately, Congress cut almost $300 million already and the program continues to be in jeopardy of losing additional funds. This funding is critical to maintain as states begin to implement ESSA. Please contact Senators Blumenthal and Murphy and urge them to sign onto the Franken-Carper Dear Colleague letter. The deadline for senators to sign-on is May 24.

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