Vicki Lanier (R) of Old Lyme, announced today her candidacy for state representative for the 23rd district of  the Connecticut State Assembly serving the towns of Old Saybrook, Old Lyme, Lyme and a portion of Westbrook.

The seat is currently held by Marilyn Giuliano, who has announced her intention not to run after six terms of service.

Lanier states, “I am excited and honored for the opportunity to effectively represent all the people of the 23rd district.  My professional accomplishments and first-hand experience in realizing goals through hard work and perseverance will help me serve my fellow citizens with the right balance of practical experience and good legislative judgment.”

Lanier, born and raised in Old Lyme, was elected to the Region 18 Board of Education in 2009, where she served as treasurer and chair of the finance committee from 2011-2013.  She holds a Juris Doctorate from Quinnipiac University and currently manages a private legal firm focusing on family law.  In addition, she volunteers her time and experience to various women’s groups and is active in local community efforts.

Rep. Marilyn Giuliano, who represents the 23rd district

Yesterday, House Republicans forced Democrats to conduct a formal public hearing on the controversial Common Core state standards, the public school teacher evaluation process, and the transition from Connecticut Mastery testing to the computerized Smarter Balanced assessment.

The Republican caucus said they felt it necessary that the voices of all stakeholders be heard – parents, teachers, students and education experts – a step they contend was neglected by the majority party in the Education Committee.

Republicans resorted to a seldom used petitioning process under House Rule 11 that calls for a required 51 signatures from legislators in order to trigger legislation to be raised and a public hearing to be held.  The two bills target stakeholder input on the Common Core – one drafted by State Rep. Marilyn Giuliano of Old Saybrook, and the other by the House Republican Caucus – and were denied public hearings by the majority party chairs of the legislature’s Education Committee.

The bill proposed by Giuliano would freeze the implementation of the Common Core curriculum until all stakeholders have time to examine its potential effects and consider possible changes.  The other Republican bill codifies the proposals brought forth by the committee created to establish teacher evaluation standards known as the Performance Evaluation Advisory Council.

The Democratic leadership had only agreed to have an informational hearing where the speakers would be selected ahead of time and public input would be excluded.

Giuliano has witnessed firsthand the reaction to Common Core.  “I received a large amount of feedback from my constituents that led me to investigate Common Core more deeply,” said Giuliano, who is employed as the school psychologist at Mile Creek School in Old Lyme.

Giuliano comments, “The pace of implementing the standards is quick in that it does not accommodate various rates of student learning.  Standards are a good idea, and masteries are an absolutely critical idea, but education up until this time has always accommodated individual students’ developmental learning curves.”

A coalition of 500 national early childhood experts has signed a petition citing the Common Core State Standards as developmentally inappropriate for learners in grades Kindergarten through grade three, said Giuliano

“Without a doubt, the debate over Common Core has turned into a controversial topic throughout the country and especially in Connecticut.  The concerns of parents and educators need to be heard, “said Giuliano.

Editor’s Note: Marilyn Giuliano is State Representative for the 23rd District where she is serving her sixth term representing the shoreline communities of Lyme, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook and the southern portion of Westbrook.