In Recognition of the 50th Anniversary of the Board of Cooperative Education Services, Boces, Monroe County, NY

IN RECOGNITION OF THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BOARD OF COOPERATIVE EDUCATION SERVICES, BOCES, MONROE COUNTY, NY -- (Extensions of Remarks - January 31, 2006)

SPEECH OF 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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