[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 56 (Friday, April 15, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E732]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 A TRIBUTE TO RAMON C. CORTINES, SUPERINTENDENT OF LOS ANGELES UNIFIED 
                            SCHOOL DISTRICT

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                          HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 15, 2011

  Mr. SCHIFF. Mr Speaker, I rise today to honor Ramon C. Cortines for 
his lengthy and distinguished career as an educator. Mr. Cortines will 
be retiring shortly as the Superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified 
School District. His tenure as Superintendent of the LAUSD has capped 
off a 55-year career in education that has taken Mr. Cortines to 
schools all across the country and has demonstrated his passion for 
both education and public service. His dedication to our Nation's 
children is admirable, and I stand today to commend his service as a 
teacher, mentor, administrator and advocate.
  The breadth of Mr. Cortines' experience in education is impressive. 
His work both in and out of the classroom has focused on improving 
education in this country. As an administrator and public servant at 
the State and Federal levels, Mr. Cortines used the perspective he 
gained in the classroom to address the educational challenges this 
country faces from a big-picture perspective.
  While Mr. Cortines has worked for schools all across the country, he 
spent a considerable portion of his career in California. He started in 
1956 as a teacher in Aptos, California and went on to hold numerous 
positions in schools and districts across the State. This service 
included time as superintendent in Pasadena, San Jose, San Francisco 
and finally Los Angeles.
  Mr. Cortines has also lent his expertise to many taskforces and 
governmental agencies. He worked at both the State and Federal levels 
on education policy, as well as for many non-profit foundations 
dedicated to improving education. Mr. Cortines has also held numerous 
positions in academia at Universities across the country, sharing his 
expansive knowledge with the next generation of educators and policy 
makers.
  I ask all Members to join me in honoring Ramon C. Cortines for his 
exceptional service to the community.

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