BY TRACY LEE TATE
Times Staff Writer
Marie Pittman, the 2023 District Office and District School-Related Employee, said she loves her job and all of the people she works for and with.
Pittman was born in Pennsylvania, but said she moved to Florida when she was very young and has been here for 63 years. She has spent 28 of those years working for the Union County School District. She was a stay-at-home mom for a few years then began as a sub at Lake Butler Elementary School, then was hired as a paraprofessional at the school. She then became the bookkeeper for the school then moved to work at the district office as a bookkeeper and secretary.
She wears a few hats in her job. She serves as secretary to District Director of Curriculum and Accountability Stacey Rimes, she also handles risk management for the district (including areas such as worker’s comp, property insurance and related matters). She handles the paperwork for the Union County Schools Education Foundation as well.
“I worked under (past) Superintendent Carlton Faulk from 2013 until his retirement, then moved on to work for Superintendent Mike Ripplinger,” Pittman said. “I have always loved my job under both leaderships – Mr. Ripplinger is a very supportive, motivational and inspirational boss and Stacey is a caring, trusting and amazing boss and person. I enjoy working in a fantastic district office and school system and love coming to work each day.”
Pittman has been the district office SRE once before, but that does not change how she feels about being named a second time.
“I am very, very honored to be selected by my peers to be the district office SRE and even more so by the district,” Pittman said. “I am very happy here and cannot imagine working anywhere else. I have two years until retirement, and I have no plans to go anywhere else.”
