Connecticut
Connecticut Seeks to Fund Teachers’ Project Proposals With $4M Investment
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Kate Dias, president of the largest teachers union in the state, the Connecticut Education Association, this week recalled a time in her teaching career when she bought Barbie dolls to make a lesson more engaging.
One of her colleagues, she said, used Play-Doh to help create calculus models.
For both projects, the money to purchase those supplies came out of the teachers’ pocket, Dias said.
According to a survey from the Association of American Educators, teachers spend an average of over $650 a year on supplies, which sometimes includes toys for innovative ideas, but also purchases of everyday items for the classroom like notebooks and markers.
This week, state Department of Education officials announced a new $4 million investment that aims to give thousands of educators the opportunity to propose projects and have the supplies paid for by the state.
“Connecticut is home to excellent educators, and they deserve to be celebrated,” Charlene Russell Tucker, the state’s education commissioner, said at a press conference on Thursday at Highcrest Elementary School in Wethersfield. “Teachers work enthusiastically on behalf of our students every single day, fostering classroom environments where students are encouraged to be curious and take risks, and where student learning, growth, and well-being is always at the forefront. This investment emphasizes how important our educators are and how deeply we value the work they do on behalf of our state’s students.”
The Connecticut Educator Support Funds Initiative launched this week in partnership with DonorsChoose, a website that allows teachers to crowdfund for classroom supplies and resources.
Eligible projects must prioritize “learning acceleration, academic renewal, and student enrichment,” or “social, emotional, and mental health of students and school staff,” the education department said.
Pre-K through 12th grade public school teachers can apply for up to $1,000 worth of funding per project they propose. Funding will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis and eligible projects are expected to be funded within a week of posting the request.
“We know that additional funds allow us to think and do things differently and in some cases, just enhances an opportunity we’ve seen and forecast in our classrooms,” Dias said. “These opportunities allow us to say ‘Listen, we want everyone to have access. We don’t want it to be based on what your teacher can afford to do. We want everyone everywhere to have opportunities to engage and do things differently.’ ”
Most of the existing posts on the DonorsChoose website are requesting money for classroom supplies including dry-erase markers, notebooks, pencils and water bottles.
Other requests include scooter-boards for physical education classes in Danbury, T-shirts and snacks for a student yoga club in Bridgeport and headphones for state testing in Hartford.
This story was originally published in CT Mirror.
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Connecticut
Florida High School State Bronze Medalist Dajah German Verbals To Connecticut For Fall 2027
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Florida high school state bronze medalist Dajah German has announced her verbal commitment to swim and study at the University of Connecticut beginning in the fall of 2027. She publicized the news on SwimCloud, writing:
I am so excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at the University of Connecticut! I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who has supported me throughout this journey, my family, coaches, teammates, and friends who have pushed me to be my best throughout the years. And a very special thank you to Coach Chris and Coach Nicole for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. I’m so excited for what’s ahead. GO HUSKIES!
A rising senior at Fort Lauderdale High School in Florida, German trains year-round with Swim Fort Lauderdale and primarily specializes in the sprint and middle-distance freestyle events.
German has improved each year of her high school career, most recently dropping from 23.78, 51.39, and 1:50.56 in the 50/100/200 free to 23.54, 51.35, and 1:49.69 during the 2025-26 short course season.
German’s top meet of the season was the Florida Senior Championships in March, where she recorded her current PBs in both the 50 and 200 free. She finished second in the 500 free (4:55.94) and 1650 free (17:02.78), third in both the 50 free and 200 free, and fifth in the 100 free (51.43). She set her current 100 free PB at a smaller holiday meet in December. In the 500 free, she clocked a season-best 4:55.21 at the Speedo Cup in January, with her lifetime best of 4:53.19 coming at the 2025 Florida Senior Championships.
German has qualified for the FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association) State Championships for the past three years, with her top performance coming at the 2025 iteration in November. She placed third in the 50 free (23.96), fifth in the 500 free (5:01.12), and helped Fort Lauderdale to fourth place in both the 200 free relay (24.64 leadoff) and 400 free relay (53.08 anchor).
Top SCY Times:
- 50 Freestyle: 23.54
- 100 Freestyle: 51.35
- 200 Freestyle: 1:49.69
- 500 Freestyle: 4:53.19
A Division I Mid-Major program, Connecticut competes in the Big East, with the women’s team placing second out of seven teams at this past season’s conference championships. German’s current lifetime bests would have placed third in the 200 free, fourth in the 500 free, eighth in the 50 free, and ninth in the 100 free, setting her up as an immediate contributor with two full seasons of training still ahead before her first conference meet.
German joins Anna Mumford, Lyla Devlin, Lena Brown, and Louisa Holda in committing to the Huskies’ class of 2031 so far.
If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].
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Here are the forecast details for northern Connecticut via the National Weather Service:
Today: Sunny, with a high near 80. Light west wind increasing to 6 to 11 mph in the morning.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 56. Northwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Monday: A chance of showers before 2pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 2pm and 4pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 4pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 76. Calm wind becoming southeast around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Monday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Low around 59. Southeast wind around 8 mph becoming southwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
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