[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 24140]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   IN HONOR OF DR. JOAN PATON ACOSTA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. XAVIER BECERRA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 2, 2003

  Mr. BECERRA. Mr. Speaker, it is with utmost pleasure and privilege 
that I rise today to recognize and pay tribute to Dr. Joan Paton 
Acosta, an outstanding educator, a passionate advocate for our youth, 
and a wonderful friend and confidant. Dr. Acosta will retire this 
Thursday, October 2, 2003, after 38 years of exceptional service to the 
students and families of the Los Angeles Unified School District 
(LAUSD).
  A Los Angeles native, Joan is a product of the very school district 
to which she committed her professional career. She is a proud alumna 
of 68th Elementary, Audubon Junior High, and Dorsey High School. Her 
public education served her well on the path toward achieving a masters 
from California State University at Los Angeles in 1968, and a 
doctorate from Claremont Graduate University in 1978.
  Joan has become such an indispensable asset at LAUSD, with so many 
accomplishments, that her curriculum vitae is not stored on its 
computer database, but within the veteran microfiche files. She began 
her career with the school district on February 1, 1965, as a third 
grade teacher at Ford Boulevard Elementary School. Since that initial 
teaching position, Joan has worked as a special education teacher, an 
advisor and administrative coordinator at the Office of Legislation and 
Government Affairs, an administrator at the Office of Chief Advisor, 
and as an administrator in legislation and grants for the Division of 
Special Education. In 1984, Joan received the prestigious Theodore Bass 
Memorial Teacher in Politics Award, for her political activism and 
contribution to education.
  Los Angeles families are forever indebted to Dr. Acosta for her 
instrumental role in the pursuit of an accurate Census for the year 
2000. Her work organizing LAUSD's ``We Count'' outreach campaign 
targeting typically undercounted and highly mobile minority families 
ensured that thousands of Angelenos were counted, many for the first 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, most of us wake up in the morning and, after subduing 
the regular aches and pains of life, move on to enjoy another day. We 
take for granted that simplicity of life. Joan Acosta understood how 
precious and complex living each and every ``next day'' could be, 
especially for our children. Joan leaves her work in Los Angeles and 
our nation's capitol, Washington D.C., as a true champion for disabled 
students. I am personal witness to--and willing victim of--her 
tenacious advocacy for increased funding for special education programs 
and reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities and Education 
Act.
  In addition to her hard work and dedication to the students of LAUSD, 
Joan has also fought for the teachers of the Los Angeles Unified School 
District. Joan was one of the initial organizers of United Teachers Los 
Angeles (UTLA), which today represents the 44,000 teachers, counselors, 
psychologists, and nurses in LAUSD. Widely recognized by the teaching 
community as a leader, Joan has been elected by her fellow educators to 
represent them on the Board of Directors of UTLA, all the way to the 
2.7 million strong National Education Association (NEA), where she 
served as the alternate to the NEA Board of Directors from California, 
and as a member of the body's Resolutions Committee.
  Regardless of what department or position Joan has served, she has 
always left a lasting mark, thanks to her professional demeanor, 
devotion to education, and cheerful disposition. Her smile is 
infectious, and I have never known her to start a day without it. Joan 
has rightfully earned her reputation as a dedicated public servant, 
committed educator, and advocate for the rights of all students and 
employees of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
  Joan's retirement marks the final chapter in a distinguished career 
in education that began and ends in Los Angeles. I wish her much luck 
and leisure in the days to come when she can enjoy her cherished 
pastimes of wine tasting and traveling. However, if I know Joan, I am 
sure we have not witnessed the last of her talents. She will always be 
a powerful and unyielding voice for children.
  Mr. Speaker, as family, friends, and colleagues gather to celebrate 
Joan's many accomplishments, it is with great admiration and pride that 
I ask my colleagues to join me today in saluting this exceptional 
woman. May we all be fortunate to wake up for many days to come and 
appreciate the simplicity of a better life that Dr. Joan Paton Acosta 
has secured for our children.

                          ____________________