[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 17218-17219]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



           A VISION FOR SAGINAW INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DISTRICT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES A. BARCIA

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 17, 2001

  Mr. BARCIA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend Saginaw Intermediate 
School District Superintendent Richard Lane, Board of Education 
President Joseph W. Powe, Vice President Ruth A. Coppens and members 
Leola Wilson, Gerald W. Rustem and Richard F. Burmeister, Jr., upon the 
occasion of the dedication of the Saginaw Intermediate School District 
Transitions Center. Their hard work, foresight and initiative in 
building this center has greatly enhanced the educational potential of 
the district and will do much to improve the future of all residents.
  The Transitions Center, the fifth complex owned and operated by the 
Saginaw Intermediate School District, will house two school programs, 
each designed to enable students with various disabilities to learn 
important and vital life skills. The lessons they learn at the

[[Page 17219]]

center will provide these students with valuable tools to gain and 
maintain jobs, live independently and function responsibly long after 
they leave school. Their efforts also will greatly improve the entire 
community by unlocking the potential of those whose unique gifts might 
otherwise have gone untapped.
  Throughout the years, the tremendously capable and hard-working 
leadership and staff of the Saginaw Intermediate District have 
championed cost-effective and efficient communications among local 
school districts and sought new and better methods to achieve that 
goal. To that end, they developed the Saginet Fiber Optic Network at 
the Transitions Center. This telecommunications network connects local 
districts with the Intermediate District. Establishing such cost-saving 
measures has freed valuable local school funds for other needs, giving 
students and teachers the money for assets they desperately needed.
  The facility also includes the Instructional Services Department and 
Teacher Training Center, which together help local school districts and 
educators retain and improve proficiency in the development and 
implementation of curriculum and leads the way in many areas of 
professional training.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in expressing 
appreciation to Superintendent Lane, Board members and staff of the 
Saginaw Intermediate School District for their vision and dedication to 
the educational needs of the entire region. I have faith that their 
work will serve as a beacon for others and that they will continue to 
seek, find and implement many more methods for the betterment of 
schools, teachers and students everywhere.

                          ____________________