[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 74 (Tuesday, May 8, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H3789]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   NATIONAL TEACHER APPRECIATION DAY

  (Ms. PLASKETT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, on National Teacher Appreciation Day, I 
rise to acknowledge the outstanding achievements of Virgin Island 
teachers and bring attention to the educational crisis occurring in the 
U.S. Virgin Islands.
  Ms. Michaelrose Ravalier, a teacher at Ivanna Eudora Kean High 
School, represented the Virgin Islands at the 2018 National Science 
Teachers Conference and was awarded the Maitland P. Simmons Memorial 
Award for New Teachers.
  This is the first Virgin Islander to be a recipient of this award, 
yet she and her incredible colleagues, including Margot Oyake and 
Alenia Buncome Murraine of St. Thomas, and the other St. Croix 
teachers, do not have adequate funding to support their duties. The 
Virgin Islands Department of Education reported nearly 150 personnel 
vacancies and 12 shuttered schools following the hurricanes last year. 
Virgin Island students attend school in 4-hour shifts each day.
  I urge my colleagues to work with me to ensure the educational system 
of the Virgin Islands receives the necessary funding to allow students 
to learn and prosper. The best way to support our teachers is by giving 
them the resources they need to teach our children.
  Take time today to thank every teacher who supports our children.

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