Thomas Mooney is active in all areas of school law, including labor negotiations for certified and non-certified staff, teacher tenure proceedings, grievance arbitration, freedom of information hearings, student disciplinary matters, special education disputes and all other legal proceedings involving boards of education. In addition, Tom has taught school law at the University of Connecticut School of Law since 1985, and has served as Professor in Residence at the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut since 2001.
Tom is the author of A Practical Guide to Connecticut School Law (6th Edition, 2008), a comprehensive treatise on Connecticut school law, published by CABE and used by teachers, administrators and board of education members throughout the state. He also writes two monthly columns, "See You in Court!," which appears in the CABE Journal, and "Legal Mailbag," which appears in the CAS Bulletin. In 2000, CABE awarded Tom its Friend of Public Education award, and in 2001, the Connecticut Association of Schools awarded Tom its Distinguished Friend of Education Award, its highest award for persons not directly involved in public education. Tom is Co-Chair of the firm’s School Law Practice Group.
- AV Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell
- Listed as a Connecticut Super Lawyer®: Schools & Education; 2007
- Listed in The Best Lawyers in America®: Education Law, Employment Law-Management, Labor Law-Management; 2006-2012
- Distinguished Friend of Public Education Award, Connecticut Association of Schools (2001)
- Friend of Public Education Award, Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (2000)
- Articles Editor, Harvard International Law Journal
- University of Connecticut: Professor in Residence, Neag School of Education
- University of Connecticut School of Law: Adjunct Professor, Law and Public Education
- American Bar Association
- Connecticut Bar Association
- Hartford County Bar Association
- Connecticut School Attorneys Council: Former President
Interest Arbitration Proceedings for Boards of Education
Successfully represented board of education clients in interest arbitration proceedings concerning the payment of teacher incentives under a grant program called Project Opening Doors ("POD"). The decisions cleared the way for our clients to receive grant funding.
The respective teacher unions objected to incentive payments being made to teachers on the basis of student performance. As the boards and the unions were not able to reach agreements regarding the payment of these incentives under the grant program, three person arbitration panels were appointed in accordance with statutory procedures to determine whether such incentives would be paid.
Both arbitration panels determined that the POD program, including the incentive payments to teachers, served the public interest by promoting higher achievement for minority students. Based on work by our school and labor lawyers and staff, as well as information from Connecticut’s then Commissioner of Education Dr. Mark McQuillan (who has referred to POD a “blessing” that will help “transform our secondary school system in a very significant way”), both arbitration panels permitted the POD grants to be awarded to the boards, including the disputed incentive payments.