© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Are We Investing In Our Teachers?

West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona. Across the country, teachers have been striking for better wages. This hour, we talk about the challenges facing public school teachers nationwide and here in Connecticut. Have we invested enough in the professionals who educate the next generation?

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

GUESTS:

  • Michelle Hackman - Education reporter for the Wall Street Journal (@MHackman)
  • Adam Risch - Band teacher at Mountain View High School in Mesa, AZ
  • Dr. Richard Schwab - Raymond Neag Endowed Professor of Educational Leadership at UConn’s Neag School of Education. He also served on the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future from 2002-2017
  • Karen Lott - Executive director of the Women’s League Child Development Director and a former principal of Milner School in Hartford
  • Patrice McCarthy - Deputy director and general counsel for Connecticut Association of Boards of Education

READING LIST:

The Wall Street Journal: The New Test for Cash-Strapped U.S. States: Teacher Protests - “Phoenix physics teacher Mike Vargas and his colleagues at Pinnacle High School tried for years to seek raises from their local district. This year they are taking their demands to a much larger venue: the state capital.”

The New York Times: Teacher Pay Is So Low in Some U.S. School Districts That They’re Recruiting Overseas - “As walkouts by teachers protesting low pay and education funding shortfalls spread across the country, the small but growing movement to recruit teachers from overseas is another sign of the difficulty some districts are having providing the basics to public school students.”

CT Mirror: With no court mandate, what’s next for school funding?  - “When Connecticut legislators last fall voted to phase-in changes in how the state funds public schools so more aid gets to the neediest districts, many touted it as the right thing to do.”

Lucy leads Connecticut Public's strategies to deeply connect and build collaborations with community-focused organizations across the state.
Carmen Baskauf was a producer for Connecticut Public Radio's news-talk show Where We Live, hosted by Lucy Nalpathanchil from 2017-2021. She has also contributed to The Colin McEnroe Show.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.