[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 5 (Thursday, January 10, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E31-E32]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        HONORING CENTRALIA SCHOOL DISTRICT TRUSTEE STEVE HARRIS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. J. LUIS CORREA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 10, 2019

  Mr. CORREA. Madam Speaker, I would like to take some time today to 
honor Steve Harris, an elected Trustee for the Centralia School 
District, who is retiring with honor and distinction, having been 
changing the lives of students and teachers for decades.
  After graduating from California State University Long Beach, Steve 
brought his talents to teach some of the most academically and

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socially challenged students in the region, he began his education 
career as a learning disability aid eventually becoming an elementary 
school teacher. When Steve saw a need, he acted, which is why he went 
back to school himself, where he earned a master's degree with Second 
Language acquisition so that he could bring a diverse language program 
to English language learners.
  Steve Harris went beyond the classroom and began teaching teachers 
and developed the prototype for standard-based evaluations, including 
having served as Chair of the Los Angeles County Consortium for Peer 
Assistance and Review. Steve went on to become a program specialist for 
Title I schools and a teachers' union official, where he lobbied 
countless members of Congress and the California State Legislature on 
issues relating to advancing student achievement, including for 
meaningful changes to No Child Left Behind. Steve has been recognized 
by the President of the United States, legislators, and the countless 
students whose lives he has impacted.
  After retiring as a teacher, Steve first ran for the Centralia School 
District board of trustees in 2014 on a platform focused on serving the 
entire child and their family, and won in one of the largest margins of 
victory in the District's history. As a Trustee, Steve championed 
serving children more meals after school and during the summer, 
expanding a local resource center, ensuring adequate raises to 
employees, bringing improvements to special education, and implementing 
a local hire agreement on bond construction projects.
  Steve retires from the Board of Trustees ready to continue making a 
difference in his synagogue, neighborhood watch, and most importantly, 
with his three children. Steve's service will be missed, but his impact 
will continue.

                          ____________________