U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today issued the following statement:

For more than 30 years, Henry Johnson has dedicated his life's work to seeing that America's children have an equal opportunity to succeed in school and in life. His counsel and experience were invaluable to me as he worked tirelessly to help states and school districts implement the No Child Left Behind Act. His efforts brought our nation closer to realizing its dream of a first-rate, world-class education for all students.

Henry had barely unpacked his bags at the Department of Education last year when I called upon him to coordinate our effort to assist students displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. His hard work and dedication helped them recover and inspired us all. Nearly $2 billion in federal aid has since been distributed to help students in the Gulf Coast region and elsewhere, getting children back on their feet and into the classroom.

President Bush and I are grateful for Henry Johnson's numerous contributions to America's schools, students and families. I wish him all the best in the future-a future made brighter by his work.

Dr. Johnson will retire as of December 31, 2006, to North Carolina to do consulting work with state and local education agencies.

###

Top

Back to December 2006