Eight Recognized as Classified Employees of the Year
As California celebrates Classified School Employee Week, the Alameda County Office of Education is proud to announce and recognize the 2022 Alameda County Classified Employees of the Year.
All 18 of Alameda County’s public school districts were able to nominate standout employees in occupational specialties designated by the California Department of Education (CDE).
A panel of judges from ACOE selected an honoree in each category with all winners being considered for recognition by the CDE as one of the State Classified Employees of the Year. The announcement of the state-level honorees is expected in late May.
“I am beyond honored to bring attention to these employees who work tirelessly to serve our students and schools everyday,” said Alameda County Superintendent of Schools L. K. Monroe. “The pressure on our school staff over the last two years has been unrelenting and everyone being honored has repeatedly gone above and beyond to make great impacts on the schools and districts they touch. They are pillars in our education community and are well-deserving of this recognition.”
ACOE is gratified to share these outstanding staff members and also breadth of their impact on the students, staff and school communities they serve. All of these honorees will be celebrated at an event in the fall, the time and place to be determined.
Jane Luk of Canyon Middle School (2022 Alameda County Classified Employee of the Year:
Food and Nutrition Services) excels at ensuring that every single student who wants a meal gets one, doing everything in her power to make that happen. In addition to performing her own tasks as a Cafeteria Assistant, she goes above and beyond by filling in for leads as well as completing production records and ordering food and non-food products. She also has helped out as a Kitchen Lead at multiple elementary schools and as a Kitchen Manager at middle schools as well.
Jane supports not only the kitchens, but also the Child Nutrition office. She helps out with various data-entry tasks such as counting money, and inputting data points to help support the entire department. She is always willing to come in to work early or stay late. Jane knows many students and staff members by name and grows a relationship with every person that she meets. Since she goes to so many other sites to assist when employees are absent for the day, she also has been able to create strong relationships within the community and district-wide.
Jimi Baum of the District Office for the Castro Valley Unified School District (2022 Alameda County Classified Employee of the Year: Skilled Trades) is beloved throughout Castro Valley USD for his work ethic and dedication to his craft. Job requesters know that if Jimi is assigned, not only will the job be performed competently and completely, but he also will be accountable and follow up to ensure the customer is pleased with the final result. He takes every task seriously and takes on a lot of extra responsibilities in his job as a Skilled Tradesman. He also has a great sense of humor and takes everything in stride.
He serves all schools in the district and has developed trusting relationships with each site. Jimi always goes the extra mile and his responsiveness and attention to detail is unparalleled. JImi is innovative and collaborative when planning a solution and he possesses great commitment to not only his craft but also to his school community. You will never hear Jimi say “that’s not my job.” With each new task, he is quick to assess the situation and use his sharp problem-solving skills to figure out the best solution for any issue that arises. He is calm and cool under pressure, and shows strong leadership skills when working with his colleagues and delegating tasks.
