Each year, the Encinitas Union School District recognizes outstanding classified employees in the District.  Each school site selects a Classified Employee of the Year based on a variety of criteria including motivation on the job, job performance, cooperation with others, knowledge of the job, school and community service, willingness to take the extra step, and outstanding characteristics, achievements, and contributions to the betterment of the school site and the District. 

Each of the Classified Employees of the Year personifies the high quality of employee in the Encinitas Union School District.  Moreover, their selection reflects the high regard their peers have for them and their contributions to the site and District.

This year's school site Classified Employees of the Year include:

Josephina Ibarra has been selected as the Classified Employee of the Year. Josefina began her employment with EUSD in the fall of 1987 as a bilingual aide at Capri in 3rd grade. The next four years, Josefina continued as a bilingual aide in combination grades 2nd and 3rd. During this time she worked with Spanish speaking students in all subject areas, presenting small group instruction and performing classroom clerical duties for the teacher. 

In the fall of 1992 Josefina went to Paul Ecke  Central to work in a bilingual 3rd-4th combination bilingual classroom. After that year, she moved to Ocean Knoll to work in a 2nd grade bilingual classroom for the next three years. During that time, she continued to work with small groups and perform clerical duties for the classroom teachers. 

At the end of those three years, she stayed at the same school, but transferred to the special education classroom to work with the resource specialist program. Although she continued to work with small groups and individuals for the next three years, she also became the parent liaison for the program as well as a valuable bilingual assistant to the teachers when testing bilingual students. 

After three years in the special education program at Ocean Knoll, Josefina moved with the resource specialist to El Camino Creek for five months when the school first opened. 

In 2000, Josephina transferred to Capri for three years, and when the entire Special Day Class program was moved to Paul Ecke Central, she went with her current assignment. Josefina is currently working as a bilingual paraprofessional at Paul Ecke Central where she was recently voted as the classified of the year. Josefina provides small group instruction and sometimes whole group instruction with grades 2nd-6th. She also performs organizational and clerical duties such as setting up IEP meetings, communication with parents - especially with Spanish speaking parents, recess and lunch time supervision, translating for IEPs, and all duties delegated by teacher as required by the IEPs. 

Josefina is especially talented at organizing conferences, anticipating student and teacher needs, carrying out teacher directives, advocating for Spanish speaking students, and willingly following through with IEP goals and objectives - all this with a minimal amount of supervision. Josefina, through her calm yet consistent manner, is capable of obtaining high expectations with all students. She anticipates needs within the class or with organization of paperwork and will initiate solutions often before the teacher gives her a task to complete. The success of this program is often related to the unannounced contribution that she makes throughout the year. In her 19 years of employment with EUSD, she has always put her students and the program first.