The Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) is one of 58 county offices located throughout the state. Approximately 650 regular and more than 950 temporary and substitute SCOE staff work year-round providing services that complement and supplement those offered by public school districts in Sacramento County.
Classified Employee of the Month
Joanne Spencer, an Office Assistant with the Instructional Support Services Division, was nominated by Director Bill Palmer for her contributions to the Sacramento County Office of Education. Ms. Spencer works in the Capital Region School Support and Improvement Center/Elementary Education. In this capacity, she has played a large role in helping SCOE develop and implement its first School Assistance and Intervention Team (SAIT). SCOE was selected by the California Department of Education to play a leadership role in the newly adopted statewide school improvement process. This process generates recommendations for specific corrective actions to assist in the turnaround of low-performing schools. Ms. Spencer has assisted by preparing all documents needed by the nine-member team and by being present at the school site throughout the five-day site investigation. Her work has also included collecting and tabulating data, as well as completing all of the final documents used in the investigation. Her supervisor says that Ms. Spencer, "under great pressure, has done all of this work with a positive and caring attitude." Ms. Spencer has been employed by the Sacramento County Office of Education since October, 2000.
Certificated Employee of the Month
David Welsh, a Teacher in the Sly Park Environmental Education Center, was nominated by Principal Stephen "Hoppy" Hopkins for his contributions to the Student Programs and Services Division of the Sacramento County Office of Education. According to his supervisor, "David Welsh is a talented and resourceful outdoor school instructor. He has an aptitude for clear thinking that has earned him the respect of the entire Sly Park staff. Enduring by nature, he is a mentor to his colleagues, and his easy-going temperament augments his qualities of leadership and conflict resolution." An example of his enthusiasm to inspire the children to challenge themselves and feel a real sense of accomplishment is his designing and building the rock climbing wall in the campus gym. The climbing wall has become one of the most anticipated activities for Sly Park students. In addition to his teaching skills, Mr. Welsh has served as a PAR (Peer Assistance and Review) teacher of SCOE since the inception of the PAR program. He is well-acquainted with environmental education programs throughout California and has served as a member of outdoor science school accreditation teams for the California Department of Education. He is chairperson of the Sly Park curriculum development team. He holds certificates in Wilderness First Aid and CPR and assists in developing campus emergency training programs and procedures. Mr. Welsh has been employed by the Sacramento County Office of Education since October, 1991.