[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 55 (Thursday, April 14, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E725]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


  HONORING RAMON CORTINES FOR HIS EXTRAORDINARY CAREER EDUCATING OUR 
                           NATION'S CHILDREN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. LAURA RICHARDSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 14, 2011

  Ms. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Ramon Cortines, a 
great educator who has spent more than a half century serving America's 
youth at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. His remarkable 
career as an educator dates back to 1956 when he began teaching in the 
small town of Aptos, California. Since then he has worked for seven 
school districts, spanning the country from New York to Los Angeles.
  In his 55 years as an educator, Mr. Cortines has held many titles: 
professor, administrator, principal, chancellor, senior advisor, deputy 
mayor, superintendent--you name it, he's done it. But if you were to 
walk up to him on the street and ask him what he does, his response 
would be simple: ``I'm a teacher.'' Now the Superintendent of the Los 
Angeles Unified School District, Mr. Cortines will soon begin a much-
deserved retirement. It is therefore my pleasure to publicly thank him 
for all he has done for our children. I highlight his career with the 
hope that many bright young Americans follow his example of service.
  Mr. Cortines earned a bachelor's degree in speech and education as 
well as a pair of master's degrees in school administration and adult 
learning, from Pasadena College. After serving in the U.S. Army from 
1953 to 1955, he took his first teaching job in Aptos, CA. In the 
following years he served as a teacher and administrator in Covina, CA; 
an administrator and superintendent in Pasadena, CA; a superintendent 
in San Jose, CA; and a superintendent in San Francisco, CA.
  In 1993, he was appointed Chancellor of the New York City Schools, 
where he served for two years. He soon went on to become the Senior 
Advisor to U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley under the Clinton 
Administration.
  For several months in 2000 he served as the interim superintendent of 
the Los Angeles Unified School District, then went on to become Los 
Angeles' Deputy Mayor for Education, Youth, and Families. In addition 
to advising numerous non-governmental organizations and working at 
Harvard, Columbia, Stanford, and Brown universities, Mr. Cortines 
accepted his most recent post as the Superintendent of the Los Angeles 
Unified School District on January 1, 2009.
  Superintendent Cortines assumed this position with the same goals 
that he advanced as its interim director in 2000. He consistently 
challenged Los Angeles' lowest-performing students and schools to 
perform at a higher level, improving overall academic achievement and 
ensuring that every classroom and child is properly equipped to learn. 
He streamlined internal operations and encouraged greater decision-
making among the administration of every school in the nation's second 
largest school district.
  Mr. Speaker, Superintendent Ramon Cortines is one of this country's 
great educators, and though we are sad to see him go, we are thankful 
for his years of service and the impact he has made on the American 
system of education. I commend him for his remarkable achievements.

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