In January, the Stanislaus County Office of Education (SCOE) and the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) Region VII partnered to honor outstanding classified (non-supervisory) education employees in Stanislaus County and seven honorees were selected to represent Stanislaus County in the California Department of Education’s (CDE) statewide recognition program. The CDE recently announced the nine 2023 California Classified School Employees of the Year. Teresa Altom, Maintenance, Operations and Transportation, from Hart-Ransom Union School District in Stanislaus County was selected as a 2023 California Classified School Employees of the Year and will be recognized on May 23 in Sacramento.
“Congratulations to Teresa Altom and the eight State Classified Employees of the Year,” said Stanislaus County Superintendent Scott Kuykendall. “Teachers, principals, & superintendents know that the success or failure of any school or district office depends on the competency, passion and hard work of a talented support staff.”
According to Hart-Ransom District Superintendent Matthew Shipley, “Teresa Altom is a wonderful person, and she is truly a joy to work with,” said Shipley. “Teresa has a huge heart for children, and she has been a real blessing to thousands of students during the 22 years she has served here at Hart-Ransom. She is an excellent representative of the values that our district stands for, and we are all immensely proud of her.”

ABOUT TERESA
Teresa Altom is keenly aware of the wide range of responsibilities of the Transportation Department, which includes the creation and establishment of yearly bus routes and student ridership within the school district. She has 22 years of services at Hart-Ransom and takes the extra time needed to be present on kindergarten assessment days to make sure that parents have all the necessary information to register their children for needed busing services. Altom then takes this information to develop class lists of new students registered to ride the bus and makes color-coded wristbands for kindergarten students assigned to color-coded buses and their associated routes. This extra effort has been designed and implemented by Altom to ensure that the youngest students have a safe and enriched experience while being transported to and from home.

The annual Classified School Employees of the Year (CSEY) program honors outstanding classified school employees in the following categories: Paraprofessional Services, Clerical and Administrative Services, Transportation Services, Food and Nutrition Services, Custodial and Maintenance Services, Security Services, Health and Student Services, Technical Services, and Skilled Trades Services. This year’s recipients were chosen from 151 nominations statewide. The 2023 award-winners will be honored at a luncheon in Sacramento on May 23, 2023.
A selection committee evaluates the applications using eligibility criteria and performance documentation in work performance, school and community involvement, leadership and commitment, local support from colleagues who speak to the nominee’s exemplary work, enhancement of classified school employees’ image in the community and the school, and any other areas the school deems exceptional and pertinent to the CSEY Award. Finalists are approved by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction or his designee.
Please visit the California Department of Education Classified School Employees of the Year web page for more information. The program is presented in partnership with the Classified School Employees Association and this year, Service Employees International Union 1021 (SEIU 1021) joins as a Gold Sponsor. California’s Classified School Employee Week, established as an official week of statewide recognition in 1986 through Senate Bill 1552, will be celebrated from May 21 to May 27, 2023.