Secretary Cardona Visits Boston School, Hears Pandemic Reopening Lessons From Staff

BOSTON — July 22, 2026 — U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona visited Joseph Tynan Elementary School in South Boston on July 22 for a roundtable on pandemic school reopening. Cardona, making his first Massachusetts school visit since taking office, was joined by Mayor Kim Janey, BPS Superintendent Brenda Casillas, and School Committee Chair Alexandra Oliver-Davila for roughly 20 minutes of structured conversation with Tynan staff. Principal Leslie Gantt reported that 182 of the school's 239 families had opted to return for five-day in-person learning beginning April 26, with the school's success attributed to multilingual outreach and a mirrored hybrid schedule. Casillas outlined three planned uses for American Rescue Plan dollars — direct school grants through equity roundtables, centrally deployed early literacy supports, and community school investments through a YMCA partnership — telling Cardona that BPS, unlike many urban districts, had avoided pandemic-era layoffs due to sustained city support. Oliver-Davila called for greater ESSER fund flexibility, consistent federal messaging, and sustained family engagement supports, citing frustration voiced on a weekly Council of the Great City Schools board-chair call. Cardona closed by proposing a "ditto-free summer" using federal funds to give every child a free community experience through camps, YMCAs, or Boys and Girls Clubs.