Susan Davis

Mrs. DAVIS of California

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to be an original cosponsor of this bill, Improving Education Through the RRRs. Increasing the excellence of our children's education must be our national priority. This approach to funding and focusing on educational reform is a philosophical framework for how to keep our eyes on that goal. First, it recognizes that a large increase in funding for education is not only critical and possible, but that money must be directed where it is most needed. Title I funds not only deserve the 50-percent increase called for, but also are protected from nonprogram uses. The bill requires accountability of the results of these programs. Second, there is an emphasis on promoting the recruitment and retention of high-quality teachers and principals. This is fundamental to improving teaching, particularly in California where less than half of the needed new teachers are being trained in our universities. There are many successful programs to recruit new teachers and support them, and they deserve new funding. In California, we have supported a very successful mentoring program for teachers in their first 2 years. Individuals who enter teaching as a second career also need extensive mentoring and training support when they enter the classroom. These are costly programs and need additional funding which is included in this bill. Retaining the best teachers is also important. As a member of the California legislature, I sponsored substantial one-time awards for teachers who have achieved National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Certification; and, as a result, the number of candidates for this demanding program which demonstrates excellence in the classroom have doubled annually. This is one example of the type of program which would be eligible for funding under this bill. It inspires excellence and rewards the best professionals. Public recognition of professionalism is another way to improve retention of our most valued teachers. Targeting funding to recruitment of mid-career teachers is also critical. The new Troops to Teachers program can be a model for the much larger Transition to Teaching program called for in this legislation. Third, as prudent stewards, we must insist on accountability of the programs we fund. California has initiated many of the types of accountability called for under this proposal. As a result, I am keenly aware of the care which must be taken in aligning our testing with State and locally developed curricula and of moving toward testing which evaluates many different types of student performance. I look forward to working on refining these programs so that they also are effective. Mr. Speaker, I believe that this bill establishes the appropriate framework for improving education, and I commend it to my colleagues.

Mrs. DAVIS of California

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Olive Wehbring. Communities are indeed fortunate to have political activists who choose to devote their time to the cause of good government after they retire from a paid career. It is rare when that commitment to public issues becomes another 30-year career. Olive Wehbring, who passed away recently in San Diego at the age of 95, was just such an exemplary citizen. When I was a young mother and new board member of the San Diego League of Women Voters, I was delighted to meet Olive and to be introduced by her and to the intricacies of local government. She was a model for several generations of League of Women Voters leaders. Her enthusiasm was matched by tireless perseverance and sitting through long meetings, whether they be a county health committee, a regional planning meeting of the San Diego Association of Governments, or a city planning commission hearing. In fact, she attended a meeting of regional planners only 3 months before she died from complications of breast cancer. Three years ago, I had the opportunity to speak at a State League of Women Voters convention in San Diego, and Olive, well over 90 years old, appeared at the meeting. She had volunteered all morning at the registration table, driven 10 miles home to check on her cat during lunch, drove back downtown, parked, and walked several blocks in time for the afternoon session. Olive's energy was legendary. Her spirit indomitable and her intellect unsparing. She served as President of the League of Women Voters of San Diego County in 1981, and for the city league she authored a guide to the city's structure and operation. Mrs. Wehbring was also active in the Church of the Good Samaritan, where she served as clerk of the vestry and as head of the Altar Guild. Olive was born here in Washington, D.C. but grew up in New York. After graduating in 1927 from Smith College, where she was a competitive swimmer, she became a reference librarian. Managing the reference department for a library in White Plains, New York, she earned a Master's Degree in library science in 1955 from Columbia University. In New York, Olive served as President of the United Nations Association of Westchester County and on the board of the Westchester Mental Health Association. After moving in 1970 to the newly developed University City area of San Diego with her late husband Leon, she became a member of the University City Planning Board. As the University of California San Diego grew, the area expanded with diverse business, scientific research, and high-density residential buildings. Olive became a watchdog for good growth policies to tailor the growth of the community. Olive Wehbring will be missed by many community members, as well as her daughter Brenda Holman of San Diego, her sons John of San Diego and Kurt of Portland, Oregon, and her five grandchildren and ten great- grandchildren. She will always have a special place in my heart and the hearts of many women for whom she was a role model and mentor.