[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 98 (Friday, June 26, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1601]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO LARRY E. REIDER

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KEVIN McCARTHY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 25, 2009

  Mr. McCARTHY of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. 
Larry E. Reider, a resident and community leader from Bakersfield, 
California, on his retirement as Kern County Superintendent of Schools 
and to recognize his remarkable and distinguished leadership while 
serving the students of Kern county. Over the last 44 years, Larry has 
been instrumental in advancing Kern County's public education system.
  Larry was born in the State of Washington and was raised on his 
family's farm. In 1965, he earned his bachelor's degree from Central 
Washington State University and made the move to Kern County to teach 
in the Arvin Union School District. A dedicated math teacher, Larry 
spent 19 years in Arvin schools' classrooms and later as a school 
administrator. He also earned advanced degrees from the California 
Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and the University of 
Southern California.
  In 1984, Larry joined the Office of the Kern County Superintendent of 
Schools as a district advisory consultant. Recognizing his dedication 
and commitment to the schools, students, and parents of the community, 
the Kern County Board of Education tapped him to be the Kern County 
Superintendent of Schools in 1999.
  Since becoming Kern County Superintendent of Schools, Larry has been 
integral to a plethora of local initiatives and projects designed to 
enhance the reading, writing, and mathematical skills of elementary 
school students in the county. For instance, he partnered with the 
Bakersfield Californian to develop the Community Reading Project, which 
places volunteer reading tutors throughout various classrooms in the 
county to aid second graders in becoming more proficient readers. 
Additionally, he developed the Kern Reading Collaborative, an 
association that analyzes which reading programs are productive and 
investigates ways those programs can reach more students. Larry also 
established the Do The Math program, a bi-weekly television homework 
help channel where teachers assist students in both English and Spanish 
with their math problems both on and off the air, as well as Ready to 
Start, a summer pilot program that prepares pre-kindergartners to learn 
more efficiently as they begin their academic career.
  As a former teacher, Larry was always cognizant that highly qualified 
and effective teachers in the classroom are the best recipe for 
successful students. To that end, he co-chaired a task force which 
formulated various approaches to recruit and retain highly qualified 
teachers in Kern County schools and get them in the classroom. This 
initiative has been highly successful, and our schools have some of the 
best and brightest teachers in the region. He also recognized that new 
generations of students are exceedingly technology savvy, and so opened 
a learning center that helps teachers integrate technology into the 
classroom to better teach and engage their students. This not only 
helps teachers be more effective, it also helps ensure their students 
continue to develop the skills necessary to be successful in the 
technology-driven workplace of today.
  Not only has Larry harnessed cutting-edge technology in the 
classroom, he has also been an advocate to use technology to help keep 
our environment clean. Under Larry's leadership, Kern County schools 
are in the process of converting their current diesel school bus fleet 
to clean burning Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). More than half of the 
diesel buses have already been replaced. As part of this initiative, in 
2006, the Superintendent of Schools opened a CNG fueling station, which 
serves Kern County school buses and is open to the public. As Kern 
County unfortunately has some of the dirtiest air in the United States, 
this initiative is extremely important to helping clean the air in the 
Central Valley.
  Larry is also active in several community organizations, including 
the Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce, Kern County Network for Children, 
United Way, Rotary Club of Bakersfield, and Vision 2020. He has also 
been honored by several local and state organizations over the years 
for his leadership by organizations such as the Community Action 
Partnership of Kern, California State University-Bakersfield School of 
Education, Association of California School Administrators, California 
Teachers Association, Kern Council of Governments, and Kern Reading 
Association.
  Larry exemplifies how one can serve their community with great 
enthusiasm, fortitude, and dedication. Over the years, I have enjoyed 
working with Larry and always found his perpetual optimism infectious. 
There was never an obstacle he did not challenge head-on in his 
amiable, but no-nonsense style, and fight for the best interests of the 
students of Kern County. After 44 years in public service, I know that 
Larry looks forward to spending more time with his wife, Sandy, a 
retired junior high language arts and drama teacher, and his daughter 
Mikhail. I know that Larry will be missed in the Kern County public 
education system, and I salute his lifetime of service and wish him the 
best as he begins this new chapter in his life.

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