Clerk serves 80+ ISDs from her little-known department
Cynthia Legette
When Cynthia Legette first came to HISD back in 1979, she thought she was accepting a temporary position as a clerk in Food Services. Now, the longtime employee is celebrating her 35th anniversary with the district.
“I went through a temporary service at the time, and it was supposed to be for just one day,” said the Furr High School graduate. “But one day turned into a month, and then they asked me if I wanted to stay permanently.”
Legette spent her first 25 years with HISD in Purchasing, but for the last ten, she has been working as a budget clerk in the little-known Medicaid office, which provides services not only to HISD, but also to 80 other school districts.
“A lot of people don’t know about us,” she said, “and they are so shocked when they hear. But I work in the call center, helping people with login problems on the eSHARS system or questions about what’s billable. We provide consulting services to other districts and bill Medicaid for Special Education services provided to students. That returns money to districts that can be used to pay the salaries of other employees, such as nurses, speech pathologists, and occupational therapists.”
Legette said the most gratifying part of her job is knowing that she is helping students with special needs receive a high-quality education. “My daily work fosters an environment where all students can achieve and learn to believe in themselves,” she said. “That makes for a more sound and secure future for both the students and their communities.”
Legette officially marked her 35th anniversary with the district on Nov. 26, but a few other employees have also marked theirs over the past few weeks (Nov. 21–Dec. 6). See if you know anyone on this list:
35 years
- Rita Robinson, counselor, Coop ES
30 years
- Natalie Adams, teacher, Sharpstown HS
- Joyce Thompson, teacher, Montgomery ES
- Delores Tisdale, teacher, Askew ES
25 years
- Joseph Alva, instructional specialist, Jackson MS
- Marion Gay Jr, teacher, Chavez MS
- Linda Houston, student information representative, Lockhart ES
- Chandra Jones, registrar, Westbury MS
- Theresa Meza, student information representative, Fonville MS
- Robert Miller, teacher, Stevenson MS
- Stephen Roquemore, Special Education employment representative, Madison MS
- Cynthia Vega, student information representative, Briscoe ES
- Jose Zaragoza Jr., site services team lead, Construction & Facility Services
20 years
- Debra Coleman, attendant, Food Services
- Yolanda Dockery, attendant, Food Services
- Maria Garcia, attendant, Food Services
- Tonya Houston, teacher, Reynolds ES
- Carolina Kopinsky, evaluation specialists, Child Study
- Juana Martin, plant operator, Construction & Facility Services
- Deborah Ross, teaching assistant, Furr HS
- Janan Skaf, teacher, Pilgrim Academy
- Suzette Taylor, teacher, Reagan K-8
- Mary Thomas, teaching assistant, Blackshear ES
- Daniel Torres, parent engagement representative, Benbrook ES
- Alicia Villalobos, attendant, Food Services
- Carolyn Washington, teaching assistant, Hobby ES
15 years
- Sarai Barrera, clerk, Cunningham ES
- Gregory Coker, teacher, Briargrove ES
- Guillermo Garza, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
- Eugene Salazar,senior manager, Construction & Facility Services
- Cuauhtemoc Sandoval, teacher, Barrick ES
10 years
- Diana Aguirre, teacher, Moreno ES
- Richmond Akrofi-Mensah, senior HVAC repairer, Construction & Facility Services
- Karin Atina, teacher, Smith ES
- Vanessa Gamez, teaching assistant, Looscan ES
- Chase May, teacher, Roberts ES
- Vanessa Narvaez, teacher, Ketelsen ES
- Elaine Reed, teacher, Smith ES
- Ana Rodriguez, teacher, Rodriguez ES
- Kenneth Sanders II, teacher, Dowling MS
- Sarah Tovar, instructional specialist, Laurenzo ECC
- Zhong Zhuang, press operator, McCarty Printing
5 years
- Angelica Becerra, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
- Dennis Bowen, warehouse driver, Food Services
- Shannon Frazier, teacher specialist, Elmore ES
- Griselda Garza, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
- Catalina Gomez-Monsalve, teacher, Coop ES
- Eugenia Gomez-Warren, teacher, Lyons ES
- Leonardo Hernandez, tractor operator, Construction & Facility Services
- Delton Jones, tree pruner, Construction & Facility Services
- Calvin Justice, warehouse driver, Food Services
- Matthew Lipp, assistant foreman, Transportation
- Maria Mejia, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
- Ivannia Recio, compliance manager, Alternative Certification Program
- Paola Roldan, teacher, Neff ECC
- Kassie Saucillo, clerk, Herrera ES
- Elva Sifuentes, clerk, Piney Point ES
| Check back next Friday for more December Milestones. Leave a comment below if you’d like to congratulate any of the above employees. |
When will my name show up? Can you please check on this? Thanks.
Sure, Tammy.
Looks like your hiring date was in late April of 1993, so your name appeared in the 20-year section of this posting from 2013: https://blogs.houstonisd.org/employeenews/?p=2208. Congratulations on your many years of service!
Congrats Chandra! It was a pleasure to work with you! I wish you the best in your continued service to the students of HISD.
Congraulations Ms.Cynthia!!!
Congratulations Cynthia! I’ve known you since 1983 back when everything was paper, and memos were walked from office to office. Do you remember when you use to walk all the forms to the keypunch area to have the data keyed in? Seems so long ago. It’s hard to believe how we functioned with little technology back then. It makes me so happy to see you recognized here. I have not seen you in years but I know you are as dedicated to the children of HISD as you were back then. Again, congratulations! You do not look a day older! Sylvia Lopez (Information Technology)
I think I completed my 25 yrs. in Nov. but I don’t remember seeing my name listed. Can you please check on this form me. Thanks!!
Sure. Your name appeared in this list: https://blogs.houstonisd.org/employeenews/?p=5379. Congratulations on 25 years!
I would like to say Congrats to Debra Coleman for 20 years of service to HISD you are the best.
Congrats Cynthia keep up the good work.
Congrats Everyone!!!! It has only been 1 Year for me, cant wait until my 35th Anniversary
Thank you for the acknowledgment but I am at Sharpstown High School.
Thank you
Whoops! Our apologies. That was a typo. Now fixed. Thanks for bringing to our attention.