Student success starts with people who care. Our classified employees show that care every day, keeping schools running and students supported. They are the backbone of our public education system. They work with students, educators, families, and partners. They keep offices running and buildings safe. Our community depends on them.
At Clackamas ESD, more than 60 classified job types support this work. To honor their impact, our Board of Directors has proclaimed March 2–7, 2026, as Classified Employee Appreciation Week.
Their work reflects our mission to lead, serve, and innovate for learning. We are grateful for the more than 260 classified staff members and contractors who make a difference every day. Meet five of our classified employees and learn how they serve our community.
Beth Strand’s work rarely happens in a classroom, but the impact of her work reaches each one. Beth is the administrative assistant for Clackamas Education Service District’s Special Programs department, which serves students in our region who experience complex cognitive, physical, emotional, or behavioral challenges that impact their ability to learn. Her work includes contract management and billing, producing data reports for the state and our partner districts, and coordinating with district partners, often as the first point of contact when questions arise about students, services, or systems.
Innovation in Service
Beth enjoys developing new ideas to serve our partner districts and Special Programs staff. This year, she developed a dynamic dashboard that gives districts an up-to-the-minute view of how many of their students are currently enrolled in the Life Enrichment Education Program and Heron Creek Therapeutic Program, and their district’s total anticipated costs for the year. And her next innovative and forward-thinking project? She’s currently working on an automated update report process for our district partners — a dynamic dashboard that shows how many students are using our bus services.
Growing from Within
Before Beth earned a promotion to Special Programs administrative assistant in 2023, she served as Heron Creek’s administrative assistant for eight years. She applauds the strides Clackamas ESD has made in promoting from within over the last couple of years.
“Watching Clackamas ESD promote educational assistants to coaches and support them in moving up to teaching roles has been really gratifying,” Beth shares. “Opportunities like this not only help staff grow, they make the whole organization more dynamic and vibrant.”
A Front-Row Seat to Impact
Through her work as an administrative assistant in our Special Programs department, Beth has gained an appreciation for the work teachers, educational assistants, and related support staff do with students every day.
“When I was at Heron Creek, I had a front-row seat to watch people do some of the hardest work in education,” she says. “When they come to me for help, they don’t need to hear ‘go look it up.’ They need support. That’s my job.”
Supporting Students by Supporting Staff
Beth takes pride in her role supporting students by supporting Clackamas ESD Special Programs staff. She looks back fondly at the success stories she’s witnessed, like students who, with years of support, transitioned back into general education in their home district, and even a former student who, in adulthood, returned to Heron Creek as a staff member.
Care Beyond the Office
Beth’s care for the community doesn’t stop at the office: she leads the CESD Employees Association union, enjoys baking for co-workers and friends, and is the mother of two daughters.
“I think you judge a community by how it takes care of its most vulnerable people,” Beth says. “Programs like LEEP and Heron Creek don’t just support students — they support families, districts, and the community as a whole.”
When Beth’s not at work, she enjoys quilting, kayaking, gardening, traveling, listening to music, and spoiling her three cats.
