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 which complement and supplement those offered by public school districts in Sacramento County. Over 230,000 K-12 students are served by public schools in Sacramento County.
Classified Employee of the Month
Michael Freeman, Accounting Technician, was nominated by Financial Services Coordinator Sharmila LaPorte for his contributions to the Sacramento County Office of Education. Mr. Freeman works at SCOE's Mather site in the Accounts Payable unit of the Financial Services Department. With his two colleagues, he is responsible for processing and paying all of SCOE's vendor bills. His supervisor says, "Mr. Freeman is diligent in collecting information necessary to process a payment, which often means spending time on the phone with a vendor to clear up a bill or with a SCOE department to gather paperwork together. Quick, earnest and efficient are a few ways to describe his approach to work." The standard review conducted by Accounts Payable staff represents the "final set of eyes" on a payment before it is paid. According to his supervisor, "Mr. Freeman takes this responsibility very seriously and will treat each payment as if he is the first person to look at it. His work speaks for itself and this is evident in his final work product." Mr. Freeman is also responsible for collecting and maintaining W-9 (request for taxpayer identification number) forms from SCOE vendors. He worked with colleagues to establish and maintain a database to monitor W-9 forms as they are requested and received. Mr. Freeman is known for his ability to problem-solve and deal patiently with vendors when occasional difficulties arise, meeting with vendor representatives and helping resolve issues. Concludes his supervisor, "What I most appreciate about Mr. Freeman is that he will tackle any new project with a professional 'can-do' attitude. He has approached me on more than one occasion to express his willingness to take on additional tasks and projects as needed to help Financial Services. It is a real pleasure to have Mr. Freeman working in Accounts Payable." Mr. Freeman has been a SCOE employee since April 2006.
Certificated Employee of the Month
Matt Silva, Community Schools Teacher, was nominated by Principal Lisa Alcalá for his contributions to the Sacramento County Office of Education. Mr. Silva serves at Elinor Lincoln Hickey Jr./Sr. High School, teaching high school students in a self-contained classroom. In his unique class, students receive the majority of their curriculum via computer. Mr. Silva has been instrumental in planning and creating SCOE's first-ever credit recovery lab -- greatly benefiting the many students who enter E.L. Hickey School with academic deficiencies. His supervisor says, "Mr. Silva has established a classroom setting with high standards where his students achieve." Mr. Silva has been described by his co-workers as very compassionate with his students. He is successful, his supervisor says, because he is fair, consistent and diligent. He is dedicated to seeing that his students learn and succeed. Concludes his supervisor, "Mr. Silva is an important asset to the E.L. Hickey campus, and we are very happy that he is part of our team." Mr. Silva has been employed by SCOE since August 1996.