Glen View Secretary Named Among Classified Employees of the Year

On May 2, the Santa Clara County Board of Education honored six staff members from countywide school districts as the 2012 Classified Employees of the Year.

Among the child nutritionist and transportation honorees receiving recognition Wednesday evening, Janet Burke, school secretary at , was named as the Santa Clara County Office of Education office and technical staff honoree.

She was the only staffer from the to receive the recognition.

"I was really, really surprised when I found out I had been named as one of the honorees," Burke said. "I knew that my name had been submitted but I didn't expect to get the honor. It was really exciting."

Burke, who has been the secretary at Glen View for 10 years, was nominated by the school's principle, Corina Sapien. 

"Janet probably knows more about the school and how to keep it running than anyone else on staff," Sapien wrote in her recommendation for Burke. "From the beginning of the year to the end, she makes sure everything that needs to get done, gets done."

The commendations go on for three pages and include comments from staff like, "Janet knows the children and families by name. She is a constant problem-solver at all levels of the school environment—student, teacher, support staff, administration! Wow!"

According to Andrea Woodhouse, a communications/public relations specialist at the SCCOE, classified employees are non-credentialed staff. Honorees are chosen based on nominations and three letters of recommendation sent in by the school districts.

A SCCOE judging panel then reviews the nominations and selects one employee from each of the six categories to represent the county in the state's Classified Employee of the Year program.

Before the statewide winners are announced, Burke said she'll be attending a GUSD board meeting in June to receive recognition there.

Despite the recent accolades, Burke said that the best part of her job remains interacting with the students who pass through her office, and scurry by her in the halls, every day.

"I really love the kids," she said. "They really make the job because it's not just a regular secretarial job with them. Every day is different."

While Burke has enjoyed a fruitful career at Glen View, after the school year ends she'll be putting on a new hat as the office coordinator for the district's maintenance department.

She said she found out she got the new job the day after being told she'd been honored by the SCCOE.

"The timing was a little weird," she said. "It's a good step up, but I'll definitely miss the kids."

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