The Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) is one of 58 county offices located throughout the state. Approximately 700 full-time and more than 2,500 part-time SCOE staff work year-round providing services which complement and supplement those offered by public school districts in the County of Sacramento. Over 230,000 K-12 students are served by public schools in Sacramento County.
Classified Employee Team of the Month
Betsy Bourne, Bill Mullen, Scott Pantalone, Robin Satow and Fernando Soares(Technology Support/Trainers) were nominated as a team by Technology Projects Director Jerry Jones for their collective contributions to the Sacramento County Office of Education. As a team, these CNTS staff members provide technology support for SCOE programs and administrative staff. They support desktop computer hardware and software, laptops, telephones (including cell phones) audio/video equipment, networking equipment, and any other technology-related items that SCOE programs and departments utilize. On any given day, the Technology Support/Trainers perform a variety of duties, including diagnosing and troubleshooting technical problems, repairing computers or telephone equipment, researching new and emerging technologies, providing recommendations to SCOE staff members, providing hands-on training to individuals or groups, setting up videoconferences for SCOE staff members or meetings, providing support for "smart phones" and other mobile devices, and—most important—using non-technical, clear terms when interacting with SCOE staff members. "These five employees are great assets to both SCOE's Technology Division and our organization as a whole," says their supervisor. "Each person is highly skilled and is required to perform a large variety of technical support tasks on a daily basis. Our technicians are the 'Swiss Army knife' of technology support." Mr. Jones states that the team members possess an extremely broad skill set enabling them to tackle a myriad of technology support. They often work together in pairs or small groups on specific projects that require more than one person to accomplish. The team members routinely think of new and innovative ways to solve problems or improve technology, such as creating a standard way of "imaging" and setting up computers in each classroom or identifying new phone billing methods for SCOE's online billing system. They also exhibit exemplary teamwork during regular SCOE office staff moves, new construction projects and site remodels. Last year, this team was involved in moving all computers and phones from the Clellan "Cy" Young and "Bunker" buildings to the various meeting rooms at the David P. Meaney Education Center where the Personnel and Business Services staff worked temporarily while their buildings were remodeled. The team then worked during SCOE's winter break to move everything back into the newly remodeled buildings so that staff members would have fully functioning workstations the day they returned to work from vacation. Other examples of how this team has contributed towards a successful departmental move or remodel include the Leo A. Palmiter Jr./Sr. High School remodel and the creation of the Sacramento Community Based Coalition (SCBC) facility near Richards Boulevard. The CNTS team was very pleased to receive the "LINKS SCOE Support Team of the Year" award from SCOE's Juvenile Court and Community Schools Program in 2009. Robin Satow (hired by SCOE in August 1995), Betsy Bourne (February 1998), Scott Pantalone (May 2006), Bill Mullen (January 2007) and Fernando Soares (January 2007) collectively represent 40 years of Sacramento County Office of Education technology experience.
Certificated Employee of the Month
Melanie Lee, an SH Teacher, was nominated by Principal Beth Vieira for her contributions to the Special Education Department of the Sacramento County Office of Education. Ms. Lee works teaches in SCOE's SH (students having severe handicaps) classroom at James Rutter Middle School in the Elk Grove Unified School District. Her students are in grades 8-12+ and face multiple learning and physical challenges. She schedules and plans classroom activities, as well as continuously assessing, monitoring and reporting on student progress. Ms. Lee works in collaboration with Rutter School staff to coordinate integration opportunities at the campus and in the community. Students from Rutter School work as peer tutors for class credit and are an important part of Ms. Lee's daily instructional program. Some of these students earn points to go on Community Based Instruction opportunities. Her supervisor says, "Ms. Lee is an advocate for her students and families. She goes above and beyond to make connections with families, and does her best to make families feel welcome and comfortable when they visit the school and attend meetings. She utilizes many resources to make connections with families whose first language is not English." Ms. Lee is a MOVE (Mobility Opportunities Via Education) International Trainer and is working with SCOE's MOVE team to help establish her classroom as a MOVE demonstration site. Each of her students' days includes opportunities to foster movement and independence in sitting, standing, walking and transition—all of which combine to encourage fuller participation and inclusion in family and community activities. Concludes her supervisor, "Ms. Lee has a positive attitude, and she celebrates any and all of her students' accomplishments. She is passionate about her students and this attitude has spilled over to her staff, which makes them a strong team. She is an excellent teacher and advocate for students." Ms. Lee has been a Sacramento County Office of Education employee since August 2008.