December 2025 President's Message

A Letter of Gratitude: Holding Space, Imagining Future

Dear CMC Community,

As I offer my final message as State President, I do so with a full heart—one shaped by gratitude, transformation, and the belief that communities like ours are capable of creating the future our students deserve. Over the past two years, I have been reminded that leadership—restorative, emancipatory, accessible, and liberatory leadership—is not simply about decision-making. It is about the courage to imagine, the willingness to evolve, and the love required to stand together through change.

In Holding Change, Adrienne Maree Brown reminds us that transformation begins with how we show up for one

another. She writes:

“We need to learn ways of being in space together that help us see beyond false constructs of superiority and inferiority, without sacrificing what shaped us. We need to become receptive and nonjudgmental with each other, letting the earth and community hold us until we remember we already belong.”

CMC is more than an organization—it is a community, a family, a constellation of educators, students, families, and partners connected by purpose. We are rich in diversity, insight, and imagination. In this community, we already belong to one another. That sense of belonging has shaped our work, fueled our leadership, and anchored our actions—even through the most challenging of times.

Bold Leadership in a Constantly Changing World

Throughout my presidency, Holding Change has served as both a companion and a compass. Brown urges us to ask:

“How do we attend to, and liberate, imagination—recognizing that we must imagine what we want in order to create a future we aspire to have; imagine who we need to be in order to move and grow in life-affirming directions; and imagine solutions, even when we are told we have reached an impossible problem or condition?”

Change is constant. The space we hold—individually and collectively—is always shifting. Yet the CMC community has demonstrated again and again that flexibility, courage, and radical imagination are not only possible but essential. We have embraced complexity and uncertainty with tenacity. We have held space for one another with humility and care. And we have shown what is possible when a community chooses to lead boldly—together.

A Board That Reimagined What Was Possible

I am profoundly grateful for our Board, whose dedication, spirit of service, and willingness to reimagine, innovate, and transform shaped two powerful years of progress. Together, we worked tirelessly to uplift the work of mathematics educators across the state, continually leaning into the future with hope, discipline, and compassion.

Our committees embodied this collective leadership. Together, they:

• Led a transformative Walk to the Hill, ensuring legislators heard CMC’s clear and compelling stance on mathematics education;

• Deepened mathematical understanding through enriched professional learning experiences;

• Strengthened affiliate relationships and coordinated statewide efforts around High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM), empowering affiliates to expand their professional learning offerings;

• Expanded our digital presence and improved accessibility, ensuring our message, resources, and advocacy reached educators, families, and communities across California;

• Deepened partnerships with families and communities, uplifting the essential role they play in students’ mathematical journeys; and

• Elevated diverse voices through lessons and articles featured in ComMuniCator, advancing and deepening our equity work.

Strengthening CMC’s Capacity Through Strategic Investment

This year, CMC was honored to receive a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to co-create and disseminate messages about the importance of High-Quality Instructional Materials. This partnership extended far beyond messaging—it strengthened CMC’s internal operations by supporting improvements to our website, refining and stabilizing our financial systems, and allowing us to offer mini-grants to our affiliates.

These mini-grants expanded professional learning opportunities centered on the California Mathematics Framework and the principles of high-quality math instruction. CMC also proudly joined the HQIM Learning Partnerships Coalition, advancing our advocacy for equitable instructional materials that especially support multilingual learners. This work positions CMC as a statewide leader in championing resources that honor the brilliance and linguistic assets of all students.

Strengthening CMC from Within

Our Board updated all organizational policies to ensure clarity, sustainability, and alignment with our mission. We continued to build meaningful partnerships with publishers and organizations that share our commitment to high-quality instructional materials and student-centered practices.

One of our most significant accomplishments was the revival of the Leadership Summit, re-establishing a critical space for collective learning and strategic visioning. For the first time, CMC leaders walked together to the Capitol, met with legislators, and boldly affirmed the California Mathematics Council’s stance and values. That moment was not only historic—it was symbolic of the collective courage that defines us.

A Community Moving Forward in Courage

As I transition out of this role, I hold deep gratitude for every member, educator, affiliate, student, family, and partner who continues to breathe life into this organization. You remind me that transformation is possible—not because systems change easily, but because people choose to imagine something better and work toward it together.

CMC has shown that we can be both steady and flexible, rooted and visionary, grounded and expansive. We have shown that we can hold space for change—and for each other—with generosity, brilliance, and boldness.

A Future Held with Hope

You have inspired me, challenged me, and strengthened my belief that transformative change is not only possible but already underway. As Brown reminds us:

“We are constantly creating the world—intentionally or unintentionally. The question is: are we creating the world we long for?”

CMC is answering that question with a resounding yes.

We are imagining boldly.

We are leading responsibly.

We are embracing change with courage.

And we are creating the conditions for a mathematics future that is inclusive, rigorous, and joyful.

Thank you for your trust.

Thank you for your partnership.

Thank you for the work you will continue to do—work that holds space for possibility, honors community, and advances justice.

It has been an honor to serve as your State President for 2024 and 2025.

With deep respect and enduring hope,

Dr. Ma Bernadette Andres-Salgarino, NBCT

State President, California Mathematics Council