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
Janet Carter, a Para-educator II in the Special Education Department, was nominated by Principal Sharon Holstege for her contributions to the Sacramento County Office of Education. Ms. Carter provides educational support to preschoolers with special needs in inclusive programs at Markofer Preschool and the Cosumnes River College Child Development Center. At both of these SCOE sites, Ms. Carter is an integral part of the learning environment and is always seeking ways she can contribute to the Special Education program. She keeps student records organized and, says her supervisor, "has even been known to help organize her principal." Ms. Carter is a valued member of the Special Education Advisory Team that meets monthly to work collaboratively toward program goals. According to her supervisor, Ms. Carter "is a conscientious employee who rarely misses a day of work, and when she takes a summer vacation her concern is always about making sure that the students are well taken care of in her absence." Ms. Carter has been employed by the Sacramento County Office of Education since August 1975.
Certificated Employee of the Month
Carol Johnston, a Teacher with the Sacramento County Regional Occupational Program, was nominated by Principal Judy Yamamoto for her contributions to the Sacramento County Office of Education. Ms. Johnston instructs students in the Dental Careers program at SCOE's Leo A. Palmiter Center, preparing them for positions as Dental Assistant and to take the state exam for Dental X-Ray Certification. Her course content covers the dental health field, but Ms. Johnston goes beyond the teaching of professional skills. Ms. Johnston models and encourages team collaboration and rapport, and she fosters a learning environment in which students interpret for each other, help and tutor each other, and most important, form a support system for each other. Her typical enrollment of nearly 40 students per class is multi-cultural, with as many as six to eight different languages being spoken. Outside of the classroom, Ms. Johnston contributes to SCOE in numerous ways. She has served as a member of the Shared Decision Making Steering Committee, as a facilitator for the ROP Site-Based Decision Making Committee, as a member of the ROP WASC Accreditation Steering Committee, as a focus group facilitator of the Strategic Planning Process, and as an officer and active member of SCOE's Teachers Association (SCOETA). Ms. Johnston currently represents SCOE as its Teacher of the Year 2004 and was honored February 3rd by the Sacramento Kings during a special Teachers of the Year halftime ceremony at ARCO Arena. She has been employed by the Sacramento County Office of Education since September 1989.