[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 107 (Tuesday, July 5, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1032]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO DR. JACQUELINE A. YOUNG

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. DONALD M. PAYNE, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 5, 2016

  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the U.S. House of 
Representatives to join me as I rise to pay tribute to Dr. Jacqueline 
A. Young on her retirement from the Essex Regional Educational Services 
Commission in June 2016.
   Dr. Young has been an educator for 42 years. She received her B.A. 
from Douglas College and her M.Ed. and Ed.D. from Rutgers University 
Graduate School of Education. Dr. Young began her career as an 
Elementary School Teacher in the Newark Public Schools. She then worked 
as an Elementary School Teacher and a Reading Resource Teacher for the 
East Orange School District. In 1980, she joined the New Jersey 
Department of Education as a Basic Skills Consultant and soon became a 
School Program Coordinator. In that capacity, she served as a 
facilitator between the Essex County Office of Education and the 
special needs urban districts for school improvement activities.
   Since 1982, Dr. Young has been at the Essex Regional Educational 
Services Commission (ERESC) where she has held several positions 
including Supervisor of Instruction and Director of Services to 
Nonpublic Schools. In 1992, she assumed the position of Superintendent. 
Under her leadership and direction, the ERESC has grown into the 
largest educational services commission in the State of New Jersey. The 
ERESC provides services to local school districts, agencies and 
nonpublic schools throughout northern New Jersey.
   Over half of Dr. Young's career has been spent championing the needs 
of special education and at risk students. During her tenure at the 
ERESC, she has assisted school districts by developing programs and 
establishing schools to meet the needs of those students who have 
difficulty functioning in traditional school settings. These schools 
incorporate strategies and techniques conducive to the educational and 
emotional needs of the students in an environment with a low student/
teacher ratio. In September 1997, Dr. Young assumed the responsibility 
of establishing a school for pre-adjudicated adolescents in the Essex 
County Juvenile Detention Center in Newark which is now called Sojourn 
High School. Sojourn High School addresses the specific needs of the 
students using a combination of thematic instruction and service 
learning. For the past 19 years, she and her staff have provided these 
students with the opportunity to earn high school diplomas from their 
resident school districts or GEDs. Presently, the ERESC operates the 
following schools: Essex Campus Academy in Fairfield; Essex Junior 
Academy in Cedar Grove and Essex High School in Passaic in addition to 
Sojourn High School.
   Dr. Young has received awards from a variety of organizations and 
communities for her work with this population of students. She was 
inducted into the Rutgers African American Alumni Alliance Hall of Fame 
Award in October 2011 and received the Shirley Chisholm ``Catalyst For 
Change'' Award. She is a member of the National Association of School 
Administrators, New Jersey Association of School Administrators, New 
Jersey Network of Superintendents, New Jersey Superintendents' Study 
Council, Essex County Superintendents' Group, Association of 
Educational Service Agencies, Association for Supervision and 
Curriculum Development, International Reading Association and Phi Delta 
Kappa. In addition, she is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, 
Inc., Montclair Alumnae Chapter. At this time, she is Co-Chairperson of 
Delta GEMS which stands for ``Growing and Empowering Myself 
Successfully''. This program services teenage girls between the ages of 
14 and 18 in grades 9-12 addressing the following areas: sisterhood, 
community service, scholarship, college preparation and career options. 
Dr. Young's sincere concern for these young people and dedication to 
helping them has been a source of inspiration throughout her career.
   Mr. Speaker, I know my fellow members of the U.S. House of 
Representatives agree that Dr. Jacqueline A. Young deserves to be 
recognized for a job well done and for many years of service to the 
people of New Jersey.

                          ____________________