California’s 28th State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Thurmond, was sworn in recently for his second term during a ceremony in Los Angeles.
U.S. Secretary of Education, Dr. Miguel Cardona, administered the oath of office to Thurmond on Jan. 7 in front of more than 500 education leaders, state lawmakers, students, friends and relatives at the historic Cocoanut Grove Theatre at Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools in Los Angeles.
“We come together at a moment of truth for education. Over the last two years, our nation’s children and young people have been recovering from a pandemic that profoundly disrupted their education,” said Cardona. “The good news is this: We have a chance to raise the bar for the country on improving literacy and math, elevating the teaching profession, improving mental health, promoting multilingual education and so much more. Let’s get to work.”
Thurmond reflected on his first term and looked ahead to his second.
“When I took the job as state superintendent of public instruction, I made it clear that education is the key and gateway to a world of opportunities, especially for our vulnerable students and communities. Today, we are much stronger than we ever have been and have created many historic initiatives to transform our schools and uplift our students.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also spoke at the ceremony.
“Superintendent Thurmond has dedicated his life to addressing inequities, to celebrating diversity and to creating the conditions to lift up all students, and I couldn’t be more pleased to be here to mark his second term in office,” Bass said.
