There are many components to an educational team. Certainly there are teachers and administrators, but a key part of the equation is classified personnel. Without these good people, running schools would be impossible.

The educational leaders who manage classified personnel perform a crucial role in schools. One of the best of these is Debby Wulff, director of the Personnel Commission for Poway Unified School District  and ACSA’s 2009 Classified Manager of the Year.

Wulff began her career on the front lines of education in the classroom. She started out as an instructional assistant, then became an administrative assistant at the elementary and high school levels before moving into the area of personnel. All these positions were with Poway USD.

Wulff left Poway in July 2004 to become the director of classified personnel for Carlsbad USD, the position for which she earned the ACSA nomination. She returned to Poway as director of the Personnel Commission in March.

Her nominators describe Wulff as a person who cares about each individual she works with. Even in an era of cutbacks and layoffs, or in dealing with complaints about employees, she is singled out for the kindness and compassion she exhibits for people.

Wulff considers that quite a compliment. “I guess I never thought that a humanistic approach was anything other than the way it should be, so I don’t think too much about how I teach it other than by example,” she said.

Dealing effectively with people, Wulff said, requires a commitment to be “in the moment” with them, to listen and treat their issues with respect. “I strive to make each person who contacts me for information, to express concerns, or seeking advice feels like they are the only person in the district,” she said. “I work with managers to meet their needs, and make them feel that not all things are black or white.”

As schools struggle with greatly reduced budgets and the attendant stresses, Wulff said she strives to keep her employees informed about what is going on.

“I have found that the more information I can give to people about what is happening and why, the better they are able to deal with the news,” she said. “The workshops I have given for layoffs and reductions is for that very purpose. What’s the expression? Forewarned is forearmed?

“Knowledge in advance enables them to be prepared. I stress that I know how uncomfortable waiting is, how hard the decisions are that they need to make, and that while I can’t do anything to fix it, I am there for them to guide and help them through the process.”

Wulff said she believes that for her classified personnel, knowing they have an advocate in everything from hiring to retirement, someone willing to get answers for them and be straightforward with them, is a plus. And in turn, she gains job satisfaction.

“I have been blessed to work in districts where there is a collegial atmosphere of respect for the work we do,” Wulff said. “My approach in dealing with district needs is to find out what their desired outcome is, and then do what we can to reach that outcome within the rules that we need to follow. Sometimes that is impossible, but the dialogue helps us to understand the different perspectives.

“Keeping an open door and inviting questions from district administration really helps in circumventing adversarial interactions.”

Interestingly, Wulff has a musical sideline as a violinist. She has played with the Palomar Symphony and for church functions.

“I’ve played the violin since I was in elementary school,” Wulff said. “Originally, I was a music major in college, but later finished my degree in business administration and human resources. Right now, I am not actively playing with a symphony group, just due to lack of time. But music has always been a catharsis for me. Playing violin takes total concentration and therefore is my stress relief.

“You can’t worry about other things when you are focused on playing. And I’m sure music has taught me to be attentive to detail! Another passion of mine is backpacking. Like playing the violin, it gives me complete separation from everyday stresses, which returns me to my work refreshed and ready for new challenges.”

Wulff said her first reaction to this statewide award was one of shock.

“But more than that, (I feel) tremendously honored,” she said. “I work with amazingly talented colleagues in classified personnel, who have taught me so much. I look at their contributions to our mutual goal of hiring and retaining the highest and most qualified classified staffs, and only hope that I contribute as much as they do.

“To have my professional contributions recognized is indeed an honor. And I am so proud to be a part of an organization that recognizes and celebrates classified employee contributions.”

ACSA Administrators of the Year will be formally honored at the 2009 Leadership Summit, Nov. 5-7 in Sacramento. Click here for more information.