On April 12, 2026, educator, family member, colleague, mentor, and friend, Jerome “Jerry” Belair passed peacefully among family.
Over twenty years ago, when I began my relationship with Connecticut education, I was invited by CAPSS to facilitate a statewide assistant superintendents’ retreat. It was there that I first met Jerry. I still remember being struck right away by the rare combination of intellect, charisma, sense of humor, and genuine warmth he carried into the room. That first meeting launched a two-decade-long friendship.
In the years that followed that first meeting, he invited me into his work, where I was able to see him lead as either an assistant superintendent or superintendent in Southington, Weston, and Waterford. What I noticed was his commitment to being an instructional leader. He created the conditions for the administrators in his care to wrestle with what defines quality instruction, what student learning entails, and how to build a professional culture that supports educators’ growth. He was meticulous in his planning, as we often spent hours considering every move we could make in a retreat to create the greatest impact. But beyond investment in planning for impact, what really defined Jerry was the way he showed up with his people. He listened carefully. He spoke thoughtfully. He understood how to lead with authority without losing his humanity.
Years later, when I joined the then CT Center for School Change, I helped facilitate the CT Superintendents’ Network and observed Jerry in a different professional space. For many of us, Jerry was also a defining presence in the Network. He was the kind of colleague every professional community hopes for. He came ready to think. He came ready to support. And, perhaps most important, he came ready to be vulnerable, willing to put his leadership dilemmas on the table to support collective learning. Paul Freeman, who was hired by Jerry into his first administrative position and who eventually became a colleague in the Network, had the following reflection:
For five years, I was fortunate to work for, with, and alongside him. When he left the principalship, I followed him into that role in the school he had, quite literally, built. In later years, he and I served side by side as colleagues in the superintendent role here in Connecticut. In every day of that nearly 30-year relationship, Jerry was a mentor, a coach, and a friend. As with everyone he touched, Jerry cared about me as a friend and as a person. As an educator who was simply never able to turn it off, he also always cared about the work I was doing, about my individual successes, and about the ways I was striving to make schools better for kids. Every conversation with Jerry was an opportunity to learn and to laugh with a master teacher who loved classrooms and learning.
After Jerry retired, we hired him to bring his talents to the SIIP Network, our community for assistant superintendents of teaching and learning. It was exactly the kind of work he was built for. He understood the complexity of the role. He knew the pressures these leaders carried. And he brought both credibility and care to the work. And this understanding of the participants and their role helped him build conditions for trust and vulnerability, where tears could be matched with laughter. Laura Boutilier, his co-facilitator of SIIP for several years, reflected on her long relationship with Jerry:
I was fortunate to learn from—and alongside—Jerry as we redesigned SIIP in 2016. He was a meticulous planner who drew on a rich and varied career in education. His genuine care for every person in the room, coupled with a wonderful sense of humor, resulted in a productive experience for all – we had fun as we grew! I feel deeply grateful to have shared a friendship that began in our early days as middle school principals and grew over the years. Thank you, Jerry, for all you gave to me and to so many others. Your legacy will endure.
One of the members of SIIP was Miguel Cardona, back before he was CT Commissioner or the US Secretary of Education. Secretary Cardona shared the following reflection after he learned of Jerry’s passing.
I got to know Jerry during periods of transition for myself. As I was developing skills on how to support instructional leadership at the district level, I listened to Jerry’s advice, not only on educational issues, but also on how to develop people. He reminded me that this is a people business. His positive energy and optimism modeled what leadership could look like. I’m sad he’s no longer with us, but thankful that I had the benefit of his tutelage. He was a bridge for me and so many others. A bridge that helped educators who were eager to make a difference for kids as they crossed over to leaders who were able to achieve their God-given purpose. That was Jerry for me. Rest in peace.
A few years ago, Jerry shared with us that he had been diagnosed with an advanced stage of cancer. Even then, he did not want the story to become about illness. He met that season the way he met so much else in life, with grit, steadiness, and a grounded optimism that never felt forced. As we adjusted his responsibilities over time, he remained an essential part of Partners and, more than that, a steady presence among us. What stays with me most is not his illness, but the grace with which he carried it. Jerry rarely wanted to dwell on his condition or the toll of treatment. He wanted instead to talk about the work, the people, the relationships, his family, and the possibility still ahead. Even in a time that would have given anyone permission to turn inward, Jerry kept turning outward toward purpose, others, and the good still being built.
What public education loses when it loses someone like Jerry Belair cannot be measured only in titles held or years served. It loses a certain kind of leader, one whose strength is his humanity. It loses a colleague who understood that leadership is about presence, courage, and connection. And yet, Jerry leaves us with something that endures. He leaves behind a standard worth holding onto in a profession that desperately needs more of all of that.
Jerry’s obituary can be read here.
Richard Lemons
Executive Director
Partners for Educational Leadership
rlemons@partnersforel.org
Twitter: Richard_Lemons
