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2004 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 424
Commending Dr. Daniel A. Domenech.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 26, 2004
Agreed to by the Senate, February 26, 2004

WHEREAS, Dr. Daniel A. Domenech, the superintendent of the Fairfax County public schools and a veteran of more than 30 years as a public school educator, will retire on March 5, 2004; and

WHEREAS, a native of Cuba who moved to the United States at the age of nine, Dr. Domenech earned a bachelor's degree from Hunter College in New York City and a doctorate from Hofstra University in Uniondale, New York; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Domenech began his teaching career in New York City, where he taught sixth grade in a predominantly African-American and Hispanic community in South Jamaica, Queens; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Domenech then became program director for the Nassau Board of Cooperative Educational Services, which is the largest intermediate school district in the State of New York; was first named superintendent of schools for Long Island's Deer Park Schools; and became superintendent of schools for the ethnically diverse South Huntington School District, also on Long Island, a position he held for 13 years; and

WHEREAS, from 1994 to 1997, Dr. Domenech was district superintendent of the Second Supervisory District of Suffolk County and chief executive officer of the Western Suffolk Board of Cooperative Educational Services; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Domenech has shared his professional expertise as the elected president of the 16,000-member American Association of School Administrators and has held leadership positions in numerous state, regional, and national professional organizations; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Domenech joined the Fairfax County public schools in January of 1998 as division superintendent of the nation's 11th largest school system and for the past six years has served the 165,000 students, 237 schools and centers, and 27,000 employees of the school system, as well as the more than one million citizens of Fairfax County; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Domenech's challenge upon coming to Fairfax was to keep a wonderful school system moving forward and to build on its excellent quality and reputation in spite of changing demographics and adverse economic conditions; and

WHEREAS, as the division superintendent, Dr. Domenech encouraged greater accountability by leading the development of a vision statement and annual strategic targets focused on raising academic standards and student achievement, initiated a 21st century schools plan to raise the bar for academic excellence, and implemented a program in primary grades through which students follow a customized course of instruction and are grouped together by skills and mastery rather than by age; and

WHEREAS, during Dr. Domenech's tenure, Fairfax County students have come to achieve at record levels, all of the Fairfax County high schools were rated among the best in the country, and Scholastic Achievement Test scores reached the highest they have been in the history of the school system; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Domenech has accomplished his mission for the Fairfax County public schools, and the children of Fairfax County will benefit from his legacy for years to come; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Dr. Daniel A. Domenech on the completion of an exemplary term as superintendent of the Fairfax County public schools; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Dr. Daniel A. Domenech as an expression of the admiration and gratitude of the General Assembly for his visionary and effective leadership of the Fairfax County public schools.