[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 90 (Thursday, June 30, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S7801]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO CARLOS A. GARCIA

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, it is with great pleasure that I say 
farewell to one of Clark County's most effective and innovative 
superintendents, Carlos A. Garcia.
  I have worked with Carlos for several years and have had the pleasure 
of seeing first-hand his work as superintendent of Clark County 
schools, the fifth largest school district in the Nation.
  I believe that one of the reasons he has acclimated so well to Clark 
County, and Las Vegas in particular, is because he grew up in Los 
Angeles. After graduating from high school in L.A., he earned 
bachelor's and master's degrees from Claremont College and an 
administrative credential in educational administration from California 
State University.
  He developed experience as a teacher and principal in California. 
After several years, including serving as principal at a National Blue 
Ribbon School, he eventually became the superintendent of the Fresno 
Unified School District. When Carlos Garcia arrived in Clark County, he 
began to reorganize. He divided the county into regions; he began to 
address achievements and accountability; and he championed the cause of 
educating Nevada's young people to parents, teachers, business leaders 
and lawmakers.
  It has been my pleasure to participate in different events and 
discussions with Carlos. We sat around a table with the other 16 
superintendents in Nevada to discuss the No Child Left Behind Act. As a 
result of his organization and participation, I was able to come back 
to Washington with a clear idea of what Nevada's school districts 
needed. His leadership of the superintendents was impressive, and the 
mutual respect was apparent.
  Together, Carlos and I welcomed 60 new teachers from the Teach for 
America program. As a result of this venture, I am a cosponsor of 
legislation that will ensure that recruiting, training, and supporting 
this teacher corps will be supported by the Congress. When it comes to 
our school children and teachers, he always has a plan and always looks 
toward the future.
  Now, Carlos has a new future to plan: his own. I am sorry that I 
cannot be there to shake his hand. Thank you, Carlos, for being 
dedicated to providing the children of Clark County with a first-rate 
public education. All the best to you.

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