Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont highlighted the need for more teachers of color during a back-to-school forum in Meriden that he led with State Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona. 

Lamont mentioned that he signed a bill into law that aims to increase the recruiting and retention of minority educators. Overseeing the initiative will be the Teacher Recruitment Policy Oversight Council. Desi Nesmith, the state’s chief school turnaround officer, is among the educators serving on the council. (Dr. Cardona and Mr. Nesmith received Alma Exley memorial scholarships in 1998 and 2000, respectively.)

Specifically, the law mandates that school districts throughout the state must hire at least 250 new minority teachers and administrators per year, and that at least 30 percent of the new hires must be men. The law also directs Connecticut to join interstate agreements to facilitate certification of teachers who move here from other states. And it provides aid for minority college students preparing to be teachers.

Students and educators attended the back-to-school forum at H.C. Wilcox Technical High School, Dr. Cardona’s alma mater.  

Lamont emphasized the need to recruit more minority teachers by noting that 91 percent of Connecticut public school teachers are white while over 40 percent of students are persons of color.

‘I want role models.’

 “It’s really important that kids have folks they identify with,” Lamont said. “I want role models. I want people that young people can look up to and identify and say, ‘This could be me.’”

Christopher Keating, who covered the forum for CT Mirror, wrote that Lamont told reporters after the meeting that the state intends to move quickly to improve the recruitment of diverse educators in the next academic year.

“We’re going to have more minority teachers, more male teachers in our school system starting next year,” Lamont told reporters outside the school. 

Schools Dealing with Society’s Problems

Dr. Cardona said the state’s public schools are facing a wide variety of problems that are prevalent in society.

“Kids can’t learn if they’re hungry,” he said. “They don’t learn as well if they’re hungry. They don’t learn as well if their teeth hurt. They don’t learn well if they have housing instability.”

Dr. Cardona, who previously served as an assistant superintendent in Meriden, has been co-chairman of a special task force on closing the achievement gap — a long-running problem in Connecticut, where test scores have traditionally been higher in the suburbs than in the cities.

HARTFORD (August 7, 2019) — For Dr. Miguel Cardona, family is what it’s all about. 

That was apparent this morning as the Meriden educator celebrated with his extended family as he was sworn in as the Connecticut Commissioner of Education at the State Department of Education.

Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, who administered the oath of office, said, “The governor and I can’t think of a better person to be part of our experienced and diverse team.” She cited Dr. Cardona’s extensive experience in the classroom, his being named a National Distinguished Principal, his leadership role in the large Meriden school district, and his teaching and mentoring educators (as an adjunct professor at UConn).

The selection committee of the Alma Exley Scholarship Program is proud to have chosen Miguel Cardona for a scholarship in 1998 when he was an undergraduate at Central Connecticut State University. He went on to earn master’s and doctoral degrees from UConn. 

He began his career in his hometown of Meriden as a fourth-grade teacher at Israel Putnam School. At age 27, he became the state’s youngster principal when he was named to lead Hanover Elementary School. Since 2015, he had been serving as assistant superintendent for teaching and learning. In that position, he spearheaded the district’s comprehensive drive to build a more diverse teacher corps. 

Dr. Cardona takes pride in his roots in Meriden, where his father, Hector, served as a police officer for 32 years and his mother, Sarah, instilled in their young children a spirit of hard work, devotion to family and service to the community.

Dr. Cardona’s sister and brother also have pursued careers in public service, Marisol as a social worker in the Meriden schools, and Hector Jr. as a sergeant detective with the Meriden police.

Over the years, Dr. Cardona has remained a strong supporter of the Alma Exley Scholarship Program, serving on the selection committee and offering advice and counsel. And he has been a faithful participant in our annual receptions, where he has joined with other previous recipients to honor their newest colleagues. Since he was selected in 1998, the only time he has missed a reception was when he was hosting a birthday party for his daughter, Celine. 

Dr. Cardona has had a big impact as a leader in Meriden and statewide. He co-founded the Meriden Coalition for Educational Excellence, an advocacy group that supports funding for the Meriden Schools. He has co-chaired the Connecticut Legislative Achievement Gap Task Force, addressing achievement disparities in our state. And he has served on a number of local boards of directors in his city.

In 2012 he was honored at the White House upon being named National Distinguished Principal by the Connecticut Association of Schools. Other honors have included the Meriden Wallingford NAACP Education Award for 2005, Connecticut Technical High School Alumni of the Year for 2006 and the Meriden Chamber of Commerce Shining Star Award for 2009.

Now he has the opportunity to have a significant impact across the state as Commissioner of Education. As a highly valued member of the Alma Exley Scholarship family, he exemplifies the values of our program. Through his commitment to serving the children of Connecticut, he provides an outstanding example to future recipients of our scholarship.

Alma would be delighted to know that a recipient of the scholarship bearing her name has ascended to the highest level of leadership of the public schools of Connecticut. What’s more, she would be pleased to know that Ann Marie Hitchery, who was a colleague of hers in the Bureau of Professional Development, is now serving as Dr. Cardona’s administrative assistant. 

– Woody Exley