Miguel Cardona: Secretary of Education appointed for examination of teachers, vaccination in Senate hearing

Miguel Cardona: Secretary of Education appointed for examination of teachers, vaccination in Senate hearing

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“There is no substitute for a classroom experience for our students, standing in front of their teacher,” said Cardona, Connecticut’s education commissioner, at his confirmation hearing.

“Therefore, we have to do everything in our power to reopen schools safely in a way that takes students back to the learning environment,” he added.

Cardona, whose family is from Puerto Rico, has had a meteoric rise to the top of Connecticut’s public education system. He started his career as a fourth grade teacher in Meriden, in the same district where he attended school. Cardona soon became director and then assistant superintendent of the district before being appointed state commissioner in 2019.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Commission is expected to forward its nomination to the Senate floor for confirmation in the coming days.

President Joe Biden has pledged to reopen most K-12 schools in 100 days – an ambitious goal as Covid’s cases increase and teachers in some parts of the country are struggling with some plans to reopen.
The teachers’ union leaders, who support Cardona’s nomination, are satisfied with Biden’s sense of urgency, but warn that the 100-day reopening schedule may need to be a goal, not a fixed goal.

Vaccinating teachers is a priority, not a requirement

Some teacher unions argue that educators need to be vaccinated before returning to classes.

When asked about the position of the Fairfax Education Association in Virginia, which has tweeted that there should be vaccines “for all students, families and staff,” Cardona did not say he agreed with the union group.

“We have great examples across our country of schools that are able to safely reopen and do so while following mitigation strategies,” he said, adding that he believes it is necessary to focus on Covid’s surveillance tests.

At a meeting at the White House on Wednesday, the director of the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, said an increasing number of studies show that students can return to school safely.

“Vaccination of teachers is not a prerequisite for the safe reopening of schools,” said Walensky.

School reopening in Connecticut

Cardona did not even ask for any demands or deadlines for the schools to reopen. Instead, he said he would partner with public health experts and provide districts with clear guidance, as he did in Connecticut as the state’s commissioner of education.

After being in office for less than a year, Cardona was an early advocate of reopening schools. In June, he told districts to prepare to provide face-to-face instructions in the fall. Not every school system has been able to do this, including the New Haven district, which began reopening in January. In December, almost 22% of Connecticut students were wholly or mostly in person, 42% used a hybrid model and 36% were still totally or mainly remote, according to state data.

“He led the effort to reopen Connecticut schools earlier than most people thought possible and did so in a way that did not separate teachers from students and parents,” said Connecticut Democratic Senator Chris Murphy.

Biden asks for more federal funding

Biden argues that schools’ ability to reopen safely depends on available resources. He is asking Congress to approve another $ 170 billion for K-12 schools, colleges and universities to help them operate safely in person or facilitate remote learning, as part of a $ 1.9 Covid aid package. trillion.

Many Republicans do not agree that another $ 170 billion is needed for schools now. They proposed to provide $ 20 billion.
Congress previously approved $ 82 billion in aid for schools in December, which Biden said he saw as an “initial payment”, as well as $ 13 billion last March.

Cardona said the funding proposed by Biden is needed to help schools recover in the long term, including money for school counselors, summer programming, extended hours and hiring more teachers.

“If we really want to recover, we need to invest now,” he said.

CNN’s Jen Christensen contributed reporting.

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