[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 121 (Monday, September 17, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1665-E1666]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           A VISION FOR SAGINAW INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DISTRICT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES A. BARCIA

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 17, 2001

  Mr. BARCIA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend Saginaw Intermediate 
School District Superintendent Richard Lane, Board of Education 
President Joseph W. Powe, Vice President Ruth A. Coppens and members 
Leola Wilson, Gerald W. Rustem and Richard F. Burmeister, Jr., upon the 
occasion of the dedication of the Saginaw Intermediate School District 
Transitions Center. Their hard work, foresight and initiative in 
building this center has greatly enhanced the educational potential of 
the district and will do much to improve the future of all residents.
  The Transitions Center, the fifth complex owned and operated by the 
Saginaw Intermediate School District, will house two school programs, 
each designed to enable students with various disabilities to learn 
important and vital life skills. The lessons they learn at the center 
will provide these students with valuable tools to gain and maintain 
jobs, live independently and function responsibly long after they leave 
school. Their efforts also will greatly improve the entire community by 
unlocking the potential of those whose unique gifts might otherwise 
have gone untapped.
  Throughout the years, the tremendously capable and hard-working 
leadership and staff of

[[Page E1666]]

the Saginaw Intermediate District have championed cost-effective and 
efficient communications among local school districts and sought new 
and better methods to achieve that goal. To that end, they developed 
the Saginet Fiber Optic Network at the Transitions Center. This 
telecommunications network connects local districts with the 
Intermediate District. Establishing such cost-saving measures has freed 
valuable local school funds for other needs, giving students and 
teachers the money for assets they desperately needed.
  The facility also includes the Instructional Services Department and 
Teacher Training Center, which together help local school districts and 
educators retain and improve proficiency in the development and 
implementation of curriculum and leads the way in many areas of 
professional training.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in expressing 
appreciation to Superintendent Lane, Board members and staff of the 
Saginaw Intermediate School District for their vision and dedication to 
the educational needs of the entire region. I have faith that their 
work will serve as a beacon for others and that they will continue to 
seek, find and implement many more methods for the betterment of 
schools, teachers and students everywhere.

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