Carolyn Griffin-Bugert Named NCESD 2017 Classified School Employee of the Year

Carolyn Griffin-Bugert is the Classified School Employee of the Year for 2017. North Central ESD announced the award on March 16, 2017.  Carolyn has been employed at Wenatchee School District for 18 years as Grant Coordinator and has a total of 33 years in education. Carolyn’s grant writing efforts have yielded $12 million dollars to bring innovative programs into the district.

“It’s an honor,” Carolyn says of the award. “One of the reasons that I've been successful bringing money to the district is the people that I work with—the people who are actually doing the programming at the schools, which is not me. I'm the paper pusher in the background.” 

For several years Carolyn managed five separate grants (three federal grants and two private foundation grants) with an annual budget of $2 million, 18 salaried staff and 35 hourly staff.  Her salary has been entirely grant-funded since 1998.

“The programs that Carolyn has initiated in our school district serve over 2,500 students yearly,” wrote Wenatchee Superintendent Brian Flones in Carolyn’s nomination. “In nearly twenty years of service, Carolyn’s impact is far reaching for our students and has provided them with opportunities, hop, and dreams that will last a lifetime.”

Statistics have shown that many of the grant-funded programs, like the After School Program, result in higher achievement in academic scores for students. “You can create a lot of great programs, and feel good about what you’re doing,” says Carolyn, “but if it's actually not improving students' test scores, if it's not improving their lives, if it's not improving the lives of their parents, then it's kind of a waste of time. If what we're doing has value, then we do more of it. If it doesn't have value, then we adjust and try something different.”

State Superintendent Chris Reykdal will recognize Carolyn and other regional finalists at the annual award ceremony in Olympia in April, where the state Classified School Employee of the Year will be announced. The state award winner and regional finalists are invited to several annual recognition events including the Governor's Reception for Exceptional Educators.

“I am not the district’s grant writer,” said Carolyn. “I write grants because I see students with needs.”