U.S. Senate Confirms Cardona As Education Secretary

CONNECTICUT — Former state Department of Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the next secretary of the U.S. Department of Education.

Cardona was approved by a 64-33 margin.

Cardona was appointed commissioner by Lamont in August 2019. He attended Meriden Public Schools as a child and started his career in education as an elementary school teacher in the city. He worked his way up to assistant superintendent for teaching and learning in the district.

He has been an advocate for bolstering English learning programs in Connecticut schools and closing achievement gaps for disadvantaged students.

Cardona was a strong advocate of as much in-person learning as possible in the fall. Biden made getting children back to in-person learning a top priority during his first 100 days as president.

More than half of Connecticut public schools districts are predominately opened for full in-person learning and another 38 percent are open on a hybrid basis.

Lamont congratulated Cardona and the Meriden public school system.

“This is an incredible moment for Connecticut, as someone who was educated in our public schools and went on to lead a successful teaching career in those very schools has been confirmed to be our nation’s top education advisor," Lamont said in a statement. :I’m feeling bittersweet emotions today knowing that our administration is saying farewell to someone who has been a wonderful commissioner, but we’re also gaining ally on the national stage."

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, a member of the Senate health, education, labor and pensions committee also congratulated Cardona.

“Connecticut should be very proud today. One of our own, a public school teacher from Meriden who rose to lead our state’s education system, will now serve as the U.S. Secretary of Education,” Murphy said in a statement. “Dr. Cardona is a public servant. He’s a consensus builder. And he’s uniquely qualified to help our schools re-open safely, address the gaps that this pandemic has exacerbated among students, and tackle racial inequities in our education system.