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
The Senior Personnel Technician team of Kristen Durham, Rosana Chavez and Silvia Holloway was nominated by Effie Crush, Chief Administrator of Human Resources, for its contributions to the Human Resources Department of the Sacramento County Office of Education. This team is responsible for a variety of day-to-day activities related to recruitment, testing, employment processing and maintenance of employee records. Its members are often the very first contact that an applicant has with SCOE when the Senior Personnel Technicians call to set up interviews or meet applicants to answer questions about position postings. Their supervisor says, "All three employees excel in providing great customer service and go to great lengths to answer all questions and to help applicants and employees feel comfortable." During the course of a year, they prepare hundreds of documents that are necessary for the correct payment of SCOE employees, as well as ensuring that demographic information is current for all regular and substitute employees. The Senior Personnel Technicians issue reminders about TB tests, expiring credentials and permits and evaluations that are due. They enter data into SCOE's system so that accurate reports can be prepared for others to complete their work assignments. A recent project of this team consisted of scanning thousands of documents from employee files into an electronic archival system to help facilitate SCOE's efficiency and becoming less "reliant on paper." Each of these honorees has an area of "specialty" dealing with classified employees, certificated or substitute employees; however during peak periods of work, they all work together to assist each other in getting the work done. Reports their supervisor, "This past summer is a perfect example of their combined teamwork as we were very busy in the HR office staffing positions due to retirements and turnover. They handled over 948 applications during the months of May to September and prepared numerous interview packets and related materials to support the recruitment and hiring of 40 positions." Ms. Durham, Ms. Chavez and Ms. Holloway make personal connections with employees during the pre-employment processing. Those relationships last throughout an employee's career as he or she-when having questions or needing assistance with leaves, employment verifications and anniversary or longevity increments or credential renewal requirements-rely on the original Senior Personnel Technician with whom they had contact. Their supervisor concludes, "A recently hired administrator shared with me that she felt like she was a 'rock star' during her pre-employment processing as our employees reached out to her to make sure every detail was covered when she was signing her employment documents. Together they bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to their daily work as all three ladies have worked at SCOE for a long time. They are a tremendous asset to SCOE." As a team, they have served for more than ten years. Ms. Durham was hired by SCOE in December 1991, Ms. Chavez was hired in September 1993 and Ms. Holloway was hired in September 1997.
Certificated Employee of the Month
Guy Holman, Special Education/SH Teacher, was nominated by Principal Beth Vieira for his contributions to the Sacramento County Office of Education. At George Washington Carver High School, a Sacramento City Unified School District campus, Mr. Holman serves students enrolled in a Special Day Class. He teaches state-adopted curriculum to students while meeting their individual needs as outlined in students' IEPs (Individualized Educational Program). To help ensure the success of his students, he collaborates with SCOE Para-educators, DIS (Designated Instructional Services) providers such as Speech Therapists, School Nurses, Occupational Therapists and School Psychologists; Program Specialists; Principal; and parents. His supervisor says, "Guy establishes great relationships with his students' parents. He invites parents into the class for many classroom activities, which are based on thematic lessons on which the students have been working. Parents feel welcomed in his classroom and Guy is able to make connections with families who need real support with their child." In addition to his work in the classroom, Mr. Holman serves as a Teacher-In-Charge. A recent project of his was working with another teacher to co-write a Medical Billing Job Guide and to provide an in-service on that subject for SCOE teachers. His supervisor concludes, "Guy runs a very structured classroom and truly feels all students can learn. This is seen through his daily positive interaction with his students." Mr. Holman has been employed by the Sacramento County Office of Education since August 2003.