BERLIN, Conn — Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona spent Thursday touring two Berlin schools to welcome students back to class.
Hubbard Elementary School and Berlin High School students got to say hello to both leaders as they stopped in multiple classrooms.
This tour is part of Cardona's larger effort to visit schools across the United States. He will head to the Midwest next week to say hello to students in Missouri, Arkansas, and more.
Lamont told FOX61 he has always loved the first day of school, even since he was attending himself. He said these tours are a special visit in his schedule.
“You ought to see the joy in these kid’s eyes when we say come back to school, we miss you, we want everybody back,” Lamont said. “We are pleased to hear here at Hubbard we are only one teacher short and we are doing everything we can to help by way of the government and the Department of Education.”
Cardona said he used to teach at Hubbard Elementary School and grew up in Connecticut, which is why he chose the Nutmeg State as part of his visits.
Cardona spent a few minutes in about 10 different classrooms on Thursday. He told students that education and staying in school is important, asked how they liked their teachers and made personal connections with some of the faculty.
He went on to say at a time when schools are suffering from a chronic lack of staffing, he is pleased to see that some Berlin schools are not having that problem.
Cardona told FOX61 that this district is also not seeing an issue with students missing too much school.
“Here in Berlin they have reduced chronic absenteeism, students are coming back to school regularly and families are understanding how to work well with the schools,” Cardona said.
Lamont echoed his words during a press conference, saying he and others are working together to make sure teachers’ salaries are getting higher and schools are becoming more well-funded.
Brooke Griffin is a reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at bgriffin@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
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