Special programs assistant finds position interesting
Diane Sefton


Diane Sefton Diane Sefton has been the special programs assistant for Coarsegold Union School District since last May. She also helps with special programs in the Yosemite Joint Union High School District.
This is Sefton’s first job with a school district and she says she is finding it very interesting to see how the school system works on the inside after observing it for several years as a parent.

“I absolutely love it,” she says of her job. “I especially enjoy learning about the rural communities and school districts and the diversity.”
She works at the district level and the school level and has been impressed to see how they coordinate and work together.

“I enjoy working where I see what the teachers and principals and superintendent put into their careers,” Sefton said.

The first day on the job, Sefton was given the task of preparing the Local Edu-cation Agency Plan (LEAP) for the Coarsegold district. “This was a tremendous job,” comments Earlene Ward, who prepared the LEAP for the Yosemite district. “It was a difficult undertaking for someone familiar with the school system and who had a knowledge of all the reports and plans. For someone with no background in education this was an amazing project. Diane did a wonderful job pulling everything together and the plan was approved by the state. We are fortunate to have someone with her skills and dedication working with us.”

Previously, Sefton had worked 16 1/2 years for a corporation in the accounting department. She and her husband, Tom, have lived in Oakhurst for a year and a half.

There are many projects in the special programs department. Sefton is responsible for the Consolidated Application for Coarsegold which covers many of the programs funded by the federal and state government; she is working with staff members to prepare grant applications and she is working on the class size reduction application for kindergarten through third grade in the Coarsegold district. Earlier this year, she was on special assignment to the cafeteria to assist with a project.

Busy from day one on the job, Sefton is looking forward to having time to graph test scores so student progress can be observed. She enjoys working as a liaison between the Coarsegold District Office and the schools in the district.

She says her main goal is to assist everyone in the schools and district as much as possible to complete the paperwork and various requirements involved with the operation of a school.

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