[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 25, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E235-E236]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   IN RECOGNITION OF BETH HUNKAPILLER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 25, 2014

  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Beth Hunkapiller who has 
been named San Carlos Citizen of the Year for her outstanding and 
numerous contributions to San Carlos schools and the community at 
large. Beth is a 20-year veteran of the San Carlos School Board, and 
has worked tirelessly to ensure that our children have access to a 
quality education and to outstanding facilities.
  Beth was instrumental in creating the San Carlos Charter Learning 
Center, the first charter school in California. She served as a 
founding member and chair of the State Board of Education's Advisory 
Commission on Charter Schools. She also served as the Department of 
Education's Charter School Division Director. She currently is the 
chair of the board of directors of Aspire Public Schools, the largest 
charter school organization in California.
  It was Beth's experience as a parent that got her deeply involved in 
education. She was a volunteer teacher in her son's co-op nursery 
school and a Girl Scout Daisy troop coordinator. She later served as 
Heather PTA president, Heather Fun Day Chair, a member of an Ad Hoc 
Superintendent Selection Citizen Committee, and a campaign chair for 
the Committee to Defeat the Voucher.
  After her election to the school board in 1993, Beth continued 
volunteering her time and expertise to the Healthy Cities Tutoring 
program which strives to help children who struggle to succeed in 
school. Beth was routinely re-elected by wide margins since 1993.
  When it comes to supporting public schools, Beth Hunkapiller is at 
the head of her class. The San Carlos Education Foundation has been a 
success in large part because of its amazing volunteer parents, but 
also in part to one forever parent: Beth Hunlcapiller. Year after year, 
Beth and her husband Mike have been generous donors and have set the 
standard for philanthropy within any community. But Beth doesn't just 
write checks. She volunteers for the largest annual fundraiser, Spring 
Fling, and she lent her credibility as a school board member to 
volunteer efforts to raise funds from residents and businesses in and 
around San Carlos. She and her amazing husband, Mike, started ``Fund-A-
Need'' ten years ago, an effort that is emblematic of their vision and 
generosity. The Hunkapillers have matched donations raised for specific 
needs such as science equipment, LCD projectors, smart boards, 
computers, iPads, PE needs, counseling and wellness programs, literacy 
specialists, calculators, musical instruments, art supplies and teacher 
development training.
  I must also note, Mr. Speaker, that Mike Hunkapiller is an 
outstanding business leader and that his expertise contributed to 
modern science being able to efficiently sequence the human genome. It 
could be said of Beth and Mike that they are a real team. Mike figures 
out what makes us tick and Beth figures out how to make us tick better, 
through education.
  No mention of Beth's record in education would be complete without 
mentioning her ceaseless efforts to support bond measures and parcel 
taxes. Beth is an advocate for fiscal responsibility, and in her role 
as a trustee, Beth was noted for asking important questions to ensure 
accountability by the administration for the funds that were raised. 
Beth realizes that education is the foundation of democracy, and a 
well-funded education is the foundation of every classroom. In public 
forums large and small, and literally across decades, Beth has lent 
tier voice and credibility to the effort to grow the capacity of the 
district to support new waves of children as they entered the schools.
  Mr. Speaker, the schools in San Carlos are bursting at the seams, so 
much so that many new classrooms will soon be built. Young couples 
routinely mention the schools as their primary reason for moving into 
San Carlos. Beth is being named as the Citizen of the Year by the 
Chamber of Commerce, but the local realtors should name her salesperson 
of the century. The schools of San Carlos are beloved. Beth would be 
the first to note that it takes a remarkable team of parents and staff 
and administrators to create outstanding schools, but make no mistake, 
Beth deserves a fair share of the credit.
  The Hunkapillers have raised their two children in San Carlos and 
their children graduated from Heather, Central, Menlo High School and 
Stanford. Their grandson now attends the Charter Learning Center. Beth 
is

[[Page E236]]

also an active member of the San Carlos Rotary.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to rise with me to 
honor Beth Hunkapiller for her recognition by the Chamber of Commerce 
as Citizen of the Year. I couldn't think of a more deserving candidate. 
Beth is a beacon of public service and an inspiration to all of the 
residents of the City of Good Living, San Carlos, California.

                          ____________________