[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 159 (Tuesday, December 11, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1902]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      IN HONOR OF JOHN T. COLLINS

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 11, 2012

  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. John T. Collins, 
II, MPH who served for the past ten years as an elected Trustee of the 
Santa Cruz City School Board. A native of Santa Cruz, California, Mr. 
Collins earned his Master of Public Health Degree from San Jose State 
University, and his Bachelor of Science Degree in Health and Human 
Services Administration from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. 
In addition, I am honored to know John on a personal level as a dear 
friend.
   As the Senior Vice President of Workforce Development Programs to 
Goodwill Industries of Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Luis Obispo 
Counties, Inc. John brought his passion for creating opportunities into 
the Santa Cruz schools as an advocate for the Individuals with 
Disabilities Education Act, ensuring services to children with 
disabilities. He also addressed the needs of the Spanish speaking 
community with programs to help early language learners, and promoted 
the School to Careers program.
   During his tenure, the Board passed four parcel taxes enabling them 
to build a new pool and a stadium for two high schools, improve their 
IT infrastructure, make classroom upgrades, and place solar arrays on 
nearly every school. Those years also saw improved test scores and 
college admission rates including to the highest ranked colleges such 
as the UC Berkeley, Harvard, Princeton, UCLA and Stanford.
   Mr. Speaker, as John steps down as Trustee, I know that the many 
projects, issues, and problems that he helped tackle and solve have 
made the school district a better place for learning and growing. His 
guidance enriched the lives of the students, as well as the Monterey 
Bay region as a whole, and I know the whole House joins me in thanking 
John for his years of leadership in public education--well done!

                          ____________________