Frank A. Carrano
Frank Carrano was born into an immigrant family in Wooster Square, the last of seven children. His parents fostered a sense of pride in their children regarding their Italian heritage while also celebrating the wonderful benefits of living in this land of opportunity.
After graduating from Southern Connecticut State University, he began a teaching career in New Haven that would span thirty-seven years. He served twenty-five years as head of the New Haven Federation of Teachers. He participated in many of the efforts made to improve teacher’s compensation and working conditions. He has always believed that better working conditions for teachers lead to better learning conditions for students. He has served in many capacities within the labor and education communities; president of the New Haven Central Labor Council, vice president of the CT State Federation of Teachers and education arbitrator and negotiator.
His civic activities have included serving on numerous boards, including the United Way, Red Cross, Shubert Performing Arts Center, Regional Workforce Initiative, the Community Health Care Plan, the Branford Interfaith Housing Corporation, the Italian American Historical Society of CT and the CT Coalition for Justice in Education Funding.
In 2005, he was elected to the Branford Board of Education, serving for ten years, six of them as chair. As a member of the BOE, he found an opportunity to bring his knowledge of education practice and organization to board discussions. He strongly supported the establishment of the full day kindergarten and began the process that has resulted in the Walsh Intermediate School renovation.
After retiring from New Haven, he worked in the Education Issues Department of the American Federation of Teachers in Washington, DC and was an adjunct professor in the School of Education at SCSU where he also served as coordinator of the student intern program.
He has also volunteered at the Community Dining Room and coordinated the Midnight Run program at St. Mary’s Church. He currently serves as president of The Branford Arts & Cultural Alliance which he helped organize.
He has been married for fifty-three years to Angela Scaramella Carrano, herself a retired math teacher. They are very proud of their sons, Matthew, a paleontologist and Curator of Dinosauria at the Smithsonian Museum and Frank, a physician at Newton Wellesley Hospital.
After graduating from Southern Connecticut State University, he began a teaching career in New Haven that would span thirty-seven years. He served twenty-five years as head of the New Haven Federation of Teachers. He participated in many of the efforts made to improve teacher’s compensation and working conditions. He has always believed that better working conditions for teachers lead to better learning conditions for students. He has served in many capacities within the labor and education communities; president of the New Haven Central Labor Council, vice president of the CT State Federation of Teachers and education arbitrator and negotiator.
His civic activities have included serving on numerous boards, including the United Way, Red Cross, Shubert Performing Arts Center, Regional Workforce Initiative, the Community Health Care Plan, the Branford Interfaith Housing Corporation, the Italian American Historical Society of CT and the CT Coalition for Justice in Education Funding.
In 2005, he was elected to the Branford Board of Education, serving for ten years, six of them as chair. As a member of the BOE, he found an opportunity to bring his knowledge of education practice and organization to board discussions. He strongly supported the establishment of the full day kindergarten and began the process that has resulted in the Walsh Intermediate School renovation.
After retiring from New Haven, he worked in the Education Issues Department of the American Federation of Teachers in Washington, DC and was an adjunct professor in the School of Education at SCSU where he also served as coordinator of the student intern program.
He has also volunteered at the Community Dining Room and coordinated the Midnight Run program at St. Mary’s Church. He currently serves as president of The Branford Arts & Cultural Alliance which he helped organize.
He has been married for fifty-three years to Angela Scaramella Carrano, herself a retired math teacher. They are very proud of their sons, Matthew, a paleontologist and Curator of Dinosauria at the Smithsonian Museum and Frank, a physician at Newton Wellesley Hospital.