[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 8474-8475]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              IN RECOGNITION OF DR. KAREN RUE'S RETIREMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL C. BURGESS

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 9, 2016

  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. Karen Rue, 
Superintendent of Schools at Northwest ISD. Dr. Rue is retiring from 
this leadership position after over ten years of exemplary public 
service to its students, faculty and staff.
  During her term as superintendent, Dr. Rue skillfully met the 
challenges of a rapidly growing school district. Dr. Rue guided NISD's 
transformation from an educational entity serving 8,700 students in a 
largely rural area to a more suburban district with an expanded 
enrollment of more than 21,000. She successfully shepherded the passage 
of three bond elections, with the overwhelming support of the 
community, to meet this dynamic growth. During this period, academic 
performance was increased to ensure that graduates would be equipped 
for success in higher education and prepared to compete in a global 
workforce. During Dr. Rue's tenure, the district saw the opening of two 
new high schools, Byron Nelson, and V.R. Eaton. Additionally, she was 
instrumental in the implementation of community-based accountability, 
the expansion of specialized NISD academies and the development of the 
Outdoor Learning Center.
  Dr. Rue has been nationally recognized as a leading proponent of the 
importance of a digital learning environment to equip all students to 
be ``future ready.'' She was selected to participate in the Connected 
Superintendents Summit at the White House, was named one of the 
nation's Top 50 Innovators in Education by the Center for Digital 
Education and was chosen as a finalist in the eSchool News

[[Page 8475]]

Tech-Savvy Superintendent Awards program. In addition, she was elected 
by her peers to serve as president of the Texas Association of School 
Administrators and was named Region XI Superintendent of the Year. Dr. 
Rue is also a dedicated community leader, having served as President of 
the Northwest Communities Partnership and as a director of the 35W 
Coalition.
  Cumulatively, Dr. Rue has dedicated 37 years to improving the quality 
of American public education. She began her impressive career as a 6th 
grade teacher, then served as Executive Director of Elementary 
Education at Katy ISD, and as Superintendent of Schools of Tuloso-Miday 
ISD before assuming her position as superintendent of schools for NISD. 
I salute Dr. Rue for her exemplary career and extend best wishes upon 
her retirement and future endeavors. It is my privilege to represent 
Northwest ISD in the U.S. House of Representatives. Dr. Rue's positive 
impact and dedicated service to Northwest ISD will not soon be 
forgotten.

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