[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 441]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  IN RECOGNITION OF THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BOARD OF COOPERATIVE 
              EDUCATION SERVICES, BOCES, MONROE COUNTY, NY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES T. WALSH

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 31, 2006

  Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the Board of 
Cooperative Educational Services, BOCES' 50th anniversary. Enacted in 
1948, New York State Legislature and the New York State Education 
Department sought a way to offer districts an even stronger cooperative 
network. In 1955, school board members from several eastside Monroe 
County school districts petitioned the State Education Department for a 
BOCES to serve their area. On January 5, 1956, Monroe BOCES was 
established.
  Boards of Cooperative Educational Services, or BOCES, are public 
education collaborative that function as extensions of local school 
districts. A BOCES helps school districts provide quality programs and 
services that are more economical to offer cooperatively, sharing costs 
with other districts. The function of a BOCES is to provide shared 
services to the component school districts, providing efficiency, 
effectiveness and equity for students.
  Monroe BOCES provides support for thousands of individuals, from 
newborns to adult students, to help them achieve success and improve 
the quality of their lives. BOCES coordinated more than 86 programs and 
services that helped students of diverse backgrounds and abilities 
discover their learning potential in an environment that benefited all 
students. More than 5,500 students from the 10 suburban school 
districts in eastern Monroe County attended BOCES programs. BOCES also 
served school districts by helping their students meet the State 
learning standards in specialized areas.
  BOCES programs and services provide valuable hands-on learning 
opportunities for students that they might not experience otherwise, 
opportunities such as career and technical training, workplace 
preparation and internships, as well as a network of services for 
transitioning to the workforce.
  An organization such as Monroe BOCES will sustain itself and continue 
to coordinate innovative educational enrichment programs, from the arts 
to technology, to help students reach beyond classroom walls.
  It is my honor to recognize and congratulate Monroe County BOCES on 
its continued success and 50th anniversary.

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