[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16828]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    IN RECOGNITION OF ROBERT SANCHO

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 20, 2016

  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay 
tribute to Mr. Robert Sancho, an experienced Urban Affairs Specialist 
and cultural activist who has dedicated his career to serving his 
community.
  For the past forty-five years, Mr. Sancho has fought to improve the 
quality of education in New York City's public schools, and to make 
healthcare services more accessible in New York City neighborhoods. 
Today, Mr. Sancho continues his fight as a Member of the Board of 
Trustees of the Center of Educational Innovation, Icahn Charter 
Schools, and the Multicultural Committee of the Metropolitan Museum of 
Art.
  Mr. Sancho was born and raised in the South Bronx. After completing 
his primary and secondary education in the New York City public 
schools, Mr. Sancho went on to earn his Bachelor of Arts degree in 
Education and Political Science at the Inter-American University in San 
German, Puerto Rico, where he was also offered a teaching fellowship. 
Later, Mr. Sancho was granted a scholarship to the reputable Graduate 
School of Urban Affairs at Hunter College, where he earned his Master 
of Science Degree.
  Mr. Sancho was appointed to serve as Deputy Superintendent of Schools 
in Community School District 4 in East Harlem, which is responsible for 
roughly 24,000 students. During his time in office, the district rose 
from 32nd place in reading and math achievements among New York City 
public school districts, the lowest ranking at the time, to 13th place. 
This unprecedented rise is considered one of the most successful 
educational turnarounds in our nation. Thanks to Mr. Sancho's bold 
success, Community School District 4 was awarded national competitive 
grants under his leadership.
  Mr. Sancho became a community activist in the late 1960s, when then-
New York City Mayor John Lindsay tried to shut down the Metropolitan 
Hospital Center, a public hospital which provided low cost vital health 
services to the community in East Harlem. Mr. Sancho helped organize 
the East Harlem community to reject the proposed closure. After a two-
year struggle, the city decided to keep the hospital open.
  In 1981, Mr. Sancho was appointed Vice President of Development and 
External Affairs at the Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center, which is located 
in the poorest Congressional District in the nation. As Vice President, 
Mr. Sancho helped the hospital secure over $240 million in funding, 
which helped to finance three new hospital buildings and repair 
existing buildings. Additionally, Mr. Sancho's department helped raise 
almost $15 million in the past few years for various hospital programs.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating the 
extraordinary work of Robert Sancho has done for the great city of New 
York.

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