This is not an official government website.
© 2026 PLEJ LC. All rights reserved.
Congressional Daily Record
This section is a tribute, commemoration, or district-facing statement. It mentions members such as Adam Gray. Extensions of Remarks are statements submitted for the official record, even if they were not spoken live on the floor.
Issued
September 28, 2026
house side of the record
People
1
Linked members mentioned in this section
Legislation
0
No linked legislation in this section
Committees
0
No linked committees in this section
Senate Holds
0
No hold activity linked here
Source Document
Connected Data
People mentioned
1 Helpful Term
Extensions of Remarks
Material lawmakers submit for the official record even when it was not spoken live on the floor.
Source Control
Reader mode is for comprehension. The linked government PDF is the official published source.
Download official Extensions PDFReturn to issue contextHON. ADAM GRAY
of california
in the house of representatives
Mr. GRAY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize my good friend, Dr. Steve M. Tietjen, who is retiring as Merced County Superintendent of Schools after 45 years of service to students and their families.
Dr. Tietjen earned his Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and Administration from the California State University, Fresno, and his Doctor of Education, Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Southern California.
In 1980, Dr. Tietjen started his career in education as a history teacher in Visalia. Just 12 years later, he became the Superintendent of Woodlake Public Schools in Tulare County, where he served for 15 years before moving to Los Banos Unified School District to serve as Superintendent from 2009 to 2016.
Superintendent in 2016, and in less than a year, he was elected to serve as the Merced County Superintendent of Schools, where he leads the 1,400 employees of the County Office of Education.
During the COVID pandemic, Dr. Tietjen oversaw countywide efforts to keep students learning, a time he calls the “most challenging period of his tenure.” He also expanded the Virginia Smith Trust scholarship program to award more than $500,000 annually to Merced County students and acquired two downtown Merced buildings to make services for families, mental-health support, and employment programs more accessible to all.
It is my privilege to thank Dr. Steve M. Tietjen for his support and friendship as well as for his 45 years in education where he has tirelessly worked to educate, elevate, and empower the students and families he served.