Secretarial
‘Superstars’
Here’s a Nod to Those Who
Keep Districts Running Smoothly
by Michelle Brown, TASB,
April 27
April 27 is Administrative Professionals
Day, a time to show appreciation for those who do
so much to keep Texas school districts running smoothly.
The six women featured here have a combined 96 years
of service to public schools.
Phylliss Sandifer, Mexia ISD
Length of service in district: 11 years
Sandifer has been the superintendent’s
secretary for the entire time she has been with Mexia
ISD. As such, she ensures the efficient operation
of the superintendent’s office by handling the
superintendent’s mail, setting appointments,
and taking minutes for the board of trustees.
“My job is stressful at times, but I love it!”
Sandifer says.
In addition to these administrative duties, Sandifer
also is responsible for human resource duties such
as maintaining personnel files and preparing employee
contracts.
You can’t work for a district for 11 years without
encountering change, and Sandifer has experienced
her fair share. “I have worked for three different
superintendents since coming to Mexia ISD,”
she says. “Each superintendent had different
personalities and different ideas about how things
should be done. I have learned a lot from each of
them, and I liked them all.”
Her current superintendent, Charlene Simpson, has
nothing but praise for Sandifer. “My office
certainly would not function as efficiently or effectively
without her professionalism,” Simpson says.
“In addition, she is a wonderful liaison between
my office and the public that we serve.
“Phylliss is invaluable to me and a huge asset
for the board,” says Simpson. “Her experience
in the superintendent’s office has made my transition
into the superintendent’s role much easier.
She has so much knowledge of the history of the board
and superintendent’s work.” That may be
because, as Sandifer says, “my favorite aspect
of my job is getting to meet different people.”
Debbie Myers, Eustace ISD
Length of service in district: 16 years
Myers has been the superintendent’s
secretary for 12 years. She was originally hired as
the assistant superintendent’s secretary in
September 1989 and moved into her current position
in 1992.
Because Eustace ISD is small—“I love being
in a small district where I know every employee and
always see someone I know when I am out and about
in the community”—Myers says her duties
are quite varied. In addition to secretarial duties
for the superintendent and board of trustees, “I
am responsible for all employee records (service records,
contracts, certification, training, vacancy announcements,
etc.), and I keep the superintendent’s and board’s
budget and process all purchase orders. I oversee
the day-to-day operations for our office, and I am
also the backup for the main incoming telephone line
and for greeting all visitors. I’m sure I’ve
forgotten something!”
Variety is the spice of Myers’ work life. “I
am never bored!” she says. “No two days
are alike, which helps when I have to do more tedious
projects because I know I’ll be doing something
different tomorrow. I love organizing events like
our annual employee banquet and our annual Welcome
Back breakfast.”
“She has a thorough understanding of the business
component of schools,” says Eustace ISD Superintendent
Coy Holcombe. “Debbie not only handles all of
our administrative matters, she can step in and help
with any component of the business office if needed.”
Myers’ favorite aspect of her job is working
with district personnel. “I’m a people
person,” she says, “and I like interacting
with the new employees as well as existing ones, putting
them at ease, answering all their questions.”
Her job has evolved during her time with the district,
which has more than doubled its employee and student
population in those 16 years. “With every session
of the Legislature and every school year, I take on
new duties and delegate other ones,” Myers says.
“I am always learning something new. I am on
my third superintendent, and with every change, I
have to adapt to new personalities and preferences.”
She says, “I’m thankful for the innovations
in technology that help me keep up with my workload.”
Holcombe adds, “Debbie takes great pride in
her work. Her attention to detail enables our office
to function efficiently and effectively.”
Fraya Fisk, Royse City ISD
Length of service in district: Almost seven years
Fisk began working in Royse City ISD
as the Royse City High School principal’s secretary.
She was there for three years when she was invited
to interview for the position of superintendent’s
secretary.
As the superintendent’s secretary, Fisk is responsible
for fielding the many telephone calls that come through
the superintendent’s office, scheduling appointments,
and “making certain that his day runs smoothly.”
She also serves as the elections administrator for
all board and bond elections.
Fisk says the favorite part of her job is working
with parents, teachers, and community members. “I
always enjoy meeting new people, and, frankly, I am
quite good with name recall,” she says. “I
enjoy being able to help people when they come into
the office. I feel I make a difference in helping
to calm parents or make businesspeople feel welcome.”
Most recently, Fisk has welcomed a new superintendent.
Mike Harris, named 2004 Superintendent of the Year
by TASB for his work in Slaton ISD, joined the district
March 11.
“My job has indeed evolved over the past four
years,” Fisk says. “Our district is in
a rapid growth spurt, which requires constant planning
for the future.” She describes the district
as more political now, with the media is more focused
in its direction.
In the four years that Fisk has been in the superintendent’s
office, Royse City ISD has completed two new elementary
schools and broken ground for a new high school. She
says, “With the construction of new schools
taking place, my job has expanded to include some
duties in the construction area, also.
“When I arrived at the administration building
to work for the superintendent,” she continues,
“our rapid growth had just begun. Because of
the growth, our days move at a much faster pace, and
we face many different challenges—I like the
different directions my day takes me.”
Fisk says no two days are alike, and the opportunities
are boundless. “I enjoy my job so much, and
Royse City Independent School District is a great
place to work!” she adds with pride.
Lori Mynarcik, La Vega ISD
Length of service in district: 17 years
Mynarcik has worked for public schools
for 24 years, beginning in La Vega ISD in 1980 as
the secretary for the personnel director. She then
worked for Temple ISD for seven years before returning
to La Vega in 1991 to work in her current position
in the superintendent’s office.
Mynarcik truly is a jack-of-all-trades in La Vega
ISD. In addition to administrative support duties
for the superintendent and the board of trustees,
she serves as the district’s public information
officer, coordinates media coverage, serves as the
Webmaster, and organizes district events such as the
annual employee appreciation luncheon, open houses,
and groundbreaking ceremonies for new buildings and
campuses. She doesn't just serve in an administrative
assistant capacity, however.
“As the public information officer, Lori is
a valued member of our executive team, which consists
of our top central office administrators. Her duties
as the public information officer give her an insight
and historical perspective that is a great help to
me and our executive team as we deal with current
issues or plan for the future,” says Monte Geren,
La Vega ISD superintendent.
Her favorite activity is visiting the campuses to
take photos of the students and teachers, which she
uses in publications, presentations, videos, and the
Web site. She also has enlarged and hung several of
the photos on the walls of the lobby and boardroom
of the district administration building. “Visitors
to our office love to walk through the lobby and get
a glimpse of the great things happening on our campuses,”
she notes.
Geren is effusive in his appreciation for Mynarcik.
“Lori has that special instinct for determining
what needs to be done,” he says, “and
often when I notify her of a task she has already
initiated it or completed it. Lori goes all out in
her efforts to perform her many duties, and she is
highly respected by the employees of the district
for the thorough and professional manner in which
she goes about her job.”
One of the biggest changes Mynarcik has seen during
her years in La Vega ISD is in technology. “When
I started in 1980, we used typewriters and had to
cut and paste a newsletter together by hand,”
she says. “Now the majority of our public relations
is done through our Web site. The last four or five
years, I have been concentrating mostly on getting
our Web site developed and on line. Now the pages
and information must be updated almost daily.”
Another way Mynarcik uses technology is in updating
the school information and events on the large electronic
marquee located at the American Bank on I-35. “I
can type in the information from my computer in my
office, and something like this would not have been
possible 20 years ago.”
Mynarcik is the district employees’ cheerleader.
“One of the things I am most known for here
at La Vega is the ‘six weeks treats notes.’
At the end of every six weeks, a little note with
a corny little rhyme or saying appears in every employee’s
mailbox, with some type of candy bar or goodie attached
(for example, ‘We’d be a ZERO if you weren’t
our HERO’ with a Zero candy bar attached). We
get more ‘thank yous’ for this little
gesture than anything else that we do!”
“Lori performs her duties in a manner that makes
everyone around her a better educator, board member,
or La Vega employee,” says Geren. “I know
that I’m a better superintendent because of
her assistance. Our board of trustees knows that they
can count on Lori to get it right, whatever the assignment,
and she always does a great job for the board and
the superintendent.”
Dovie Burrow, Connally ISD
Length of service in district: 32 years
After working in various jobs in Connally
ISD, including librarian at the Elm Mott Center, Burrow
moved to the superintendent’s office 25 years
ago, first as assistant to the superintendent’s
secretary, and then four years ago as secretary to
then-Superintendent Don Hancock.
Burrow’s day begins at 7 a.m., when she gets
the office ready for the day. She says, “My
duties are what all secretaries do—answer the
phone, type letters, do board duties, and try to take
care of parents’ problems if I can. Sometimes
I can help them, and that helps the superintendent.
This year, Dr. Hancock had open-heart surgery and
was out for six weeks, so the administrative office
kept everything running without any problems. We were
in the middle of hiring a new superintendent [Bruce
Shores came aboard in January], and everything was
on schedule.”
Burrow enjoys meeting people and trying to help everyone
who comes into the superintendent’s office.
She also loves meeting the new teachers because “you
can tell sometimes what kind of teacher they will
make.”
Burrow says she is dedicated to her job and can’t
imagine retiring now: “I would be lost because
I love helping our school family.”
All three of Burrow’s sons graduated from Connally
ISD (Burrow served as room mother, was active in the
PTA, and was president of the athletic booster club
for two years). Her son, Stephen, and his wife, Donna,
both taught in the district, with Stephen also serving
as athletic director and head football coach. In addition,
Burrow’s husband, who retired from TXU Energy
after 37 years, now does grounds maintenance for Connally
ISD.
Burrow’s work in the district isn’t limited
to her secretarial duties. She says, “I have
made cheerleader uniforms and still hem all of the
ROTC pants and sew patches on jackets and shirts.
This is something I just do because I feel like I
am helping out the different organizations and saving
them money.”
Joni Summers, Lampasas ISD
Length of service in district: 13 years
Summers began working in Lampasas ISD
as secretary for the director of Child Nutrition,
then was asked to apply for and received the position
of accounts payable specialist. About one year later,
she was promoted to secretary for the superintendent.
In addition to performing secretarial duties for the
superintendent and board of trustees, Summers also
assists in planning and coordinating other community-
and school-related meetings; answers inquiries from
outside agencies and the public or refers people to
the appropriate administrators or staff personnel;
and assists with travel arrangements for the superintendent,
trustees, and administrators.
“Joni Summers has served Lampasas ISD for more
than a decade,” says Carlton Tucker, Lampasas
ISD superintendent. “Her interests are those
things that will benefit the children of our community
and those with whom she works. She is a loyal, hard-working
employee who strives every day to make the work place
efficient and service-oriented.”
Summers takes particular pride in “completing
an important task or project with the outcome being
successful.” She says, “To sum it up,
I would say that a very important and satisfying role
of this position is to support a good superintendent
and assist him or her in providing the best possible
support and service to the staff and students.”
The outstanding personnel featured here are just a
small cross-section of the secretarial “superstars”
who serve in school districts all across Texas. Be
sure to recognize your district’s “superstar”
on Administrative Professionals Day April 27.?
Michelle Brown is advertising coordinator
of Texas Lone Star.
# # #
Reprinted with permission from
the April 2005 edition of Texas Lone Star,
published by the Texas Association of School Boards.
Copyright 2005, all rights reserved.
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