Text of Obama’s Farewell Speech to Duncan, and Duncan’s Response
The following is my transcription of the October 02, 2015, announcement of US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s resignation, offered by President Obama and followed by a response from Duncan. The transcription is of this 9 1/2-minute video clip provided by Fox News. (Note that Fox News ends the clip before John King speaks.)
[Obama speaking] Arne Duncan is one of my longest serving Cabinet secretaries, and he’s been a friend for a lot longer than that. So, it’s with some regret and sorrow that I’ve accepted his decision to return home to our hometown of Chicago.After more than six years of living in Washington, Arne’s wonderful wife, Karen, and their excellent kids, Claire and Ryan, who are also buddies of mine, wanted to move back home, and that’s meant in the interim a lot of time apart. So, I’ll be honest, I pushed Arne to stay– sorry guys. Uh, but, I also know from personal experience how hard it is to be away from your family on a sustained basis. So, while I will miss Arne deeply, he has more than earned the right to return home.Take a look at what Arne’s accomplished over the last six and a half years: He’s one of the longest-serving secretaries of education in our history– and one of the more consequential. In just a few years, Arne and his team have delivered some incredible results at every stage of the educational experience. More than 30 states have upped their investment in early childhood education. Nearly every state in American has raised standards for teaching and learning and expectations for what our kids can learn. And our high school graduation rate is at an all-time high.We helped millions more families afford college. More Americans are graduating from college than ever before. And that’s just scratching the surface. Arne’s done more to bring our educational system– sometimes kicking and screaming– into the 21st century than anyone else. America’s going to be better off for what he has done. It’s going to be more competitive and more prosperous. It is going to be more equal and more upwardly-mobile. It’s a record I truly believe no other education secretary can match.Um. Arne bleeds this stuff. He cares so much about our kids, and he has been so passionate about this work. And everybody who interacts with him, including people who disagree with him on some issues never questions, uh, the genuineness and heart that he has brought to this job. So, I couldn’t be more proud of him, and for good measure, Arne also holds the record for most points scored in an NBA All-star game. [mild laughter and applause][Duncan’s expression is somber]And he is my favorite partner in pick-up basket. Uh, the smartest player I know. Even though he’s very slow. [Laughter; Duncan smiles.] And he has no hops. [Duncan say something, inaudible.] He knows it’s true. I will say, watching Ryan, by the way, that the son will soon be surpassing the father because this young man has got game.Now keep in mind, none of this change has been easy. And we still have aText of Obama’s Farewell Speech to Duncan, and Duncan’s Response | deutsch29: