Commissioner of Education

Pender Makin

Governor Janet Mills nominated Pender Makin for the position of Commissioner of Education for the Maine Department of Education. Until the legislator approves the nomination Pender will be Acting Commissioner. Pender was a teacher at Westcott Junior High School in Westbrook, principal of the REAL School in Freeport and most recently has served as the Assistant Superintendent in Brunswick. She has been recognized for her work in education receiving the Milken Educator Award in 2001 and named Principal of the Year by the Maine Principal’s Association in 2013-14.

Press Herald photo by Andy Molloy

Quotes from the articles linked below from Pender Makin:

• “Our work must start with rebuilding trust, first in the Maine Department of Education, and then, of course, in our schools, our educators, our administrators, certainly in our students,” Makin said, “and ultimately in the institution of public education overall. For too long, a negative culture has been crafted around public education.”
• “Our work must start with rebuilding trust, first in the Maine Department of Education, and then, of course, in our schools, our educators, our administrators, certainly in our students,” Makin said, “and ultimately in the institution of public education overall. For too long, a negative culture has been crafted around public education.”
• “The truth is that miraculous successes are taking place in our public schools and in our classrooms every single day and public education in Maine outperforms any reasonable expectation, especially given the magnitude of our responsibilities and the scarcity of our resources,” she said.

Sun Journal

Portland Press Herald