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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
| 3 | Representatives are pleased to congratulate Jim Speciale on the | ||||||
| 4 | occasion of his retirement as President of the Edwardsville | ||||||
| 5 | District 7 Board of Education in April of 2009; and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, Jim Speciale was elected to serve on the | ||||||
| 7 | Edwardsville District 7 Board of Education in 1989, running on | ||||||
| 8 | the platform of finding solutions to the problems facing the | ||||||
| 9 | school district; as a board member, he utilized his financial | ||||||
| 10 | expertise to analyze the district's financial position, | ||||||
| 11 | working with the rest of the board to develop strategies for | ||||||
| 12 | attaining financial stability; early in his tenure, his | ||||||
| 13 | positive attitude led to his reputation as a consensus builder, | ||||||
| 14 | which led to his 16 years of service as board president; and
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| 15 | WHEREAS, Jim Speciale accomplished many initiatives during | ||||||
| 16 | his long and distinguished tenure; he was instrumental in the | ||||||
| 17 | construction of the "new" Edwardsville High School, which | ||||||
| 18 | opened in the fall of 1996, and Liberty Middle School, which | ||||||
| 19 | opened in the fall of 2003, as well as Goshen Elementary, | ||||||
| 20 | Albert Cassens Elementary, and Worden Elementary, which all | ||||||
| 21 | opened in the fall of 2008; he was integral in the completion | ||||||
| 22 | of over $20 million in health/life safety projects to existing | ||||||
| 23 | buildings and many improvements to athletic facilities; and
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| 1 | WHEREAS, Under Jim Speciale's direction, the Edwardsville | ||||||
| 2 | District 7 Board of Education has also shown a long-standing | ||||||
| 3 | commitment to small class sizes, which have created | ||||||
| 4 | immeasurable good will among students, parents, and teachers; | ||||||
| 5 | in addition, the district's curriculum cycle was reinstated and | ||||||
| 6 | significant program improvements were made with his full | ||||||
| 7 | support; full-day kindergarten was established, a latch-key | ||||||
| 8 | program was developed for the district's elementary students, | ||||||
| 9 | the district moved from traditional junior high to middle | ||||||
| 10 | school, and the high school established the Writing Center, a | ||||||
| 11 | staffed resource center available to all EHS students every | ||||||
| 12 | school day; and
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| 13 | WHEREAS, As a CPA and successful businessman, Jim Speciale | ||||||
| 14 | lent considerable financial expertise to the Edwardsville | ||||||
| 15 | District 7 Board of Education; he helped manage district funds | ||||||
| 16 | in a fashion that reflected good stewardship towards the public | ||||||
| 17 | it serves; under his leadership, the district's debt was | ||||||
| 18 | restructured in the late 1990s and the district continues to | ||||||
| 19 | operate with a balanced budget; and
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| 20 | WHEREAS, Jim Speciale serves as a model of hard work, | ||||||
| 21 | integrity, and dedication for the people of the State of | ||||||
| 22 | Illinois; therefore, be it
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| 1 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
| 2 | NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | ||||||
| 3 | congratulate Jim Speciale on the occasion of his retirement and | ||||||
| 4 | wish him many happy and healthy retirement years; and be it | ||||||
| 5 | further
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| 6 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 7 | presented to Jim Speciale as a symbol of our esteem and | ||||||
| 8 | respect.
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