San Diego County Library Media Technician Named CA Classified School Employee Of The Year

OCEANSIDE, CA — A San Diego County library media technician was named one of the California Classified School Employees of the Year, the California Department of Education announced.

Angela Cruz was honored as the California Classified School Employee of the Year in the Clerical and Administrative Services category. She has served as the library media technician at Stuart Mesa School in Oceanside Unified School District for five years.

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State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond recognized Cruz and eight other classified school employees for their dedication to students and school communities.

"I'm honored to celebrate the exemplary work and tireless efforts of our classified employees, who play key roles in the lives of our students by building positive relationships, fostering safe and healthy learning environments, and promoting academic achievement," Thurmond said in a statement.

As the library media technician at Stuart Mesa School, which is located on Camp Pendleton, Cruz ensures that every student on campus has access to books and literacy activities that match their interests and abilities to build both strong literacy skills and a lifelong love of reading, according to the California Department of Education.

She has also transformed the library collection to meet the needs of today's readers, raising the average publication date from 1996 to 2014, with 47% of the collection now published in 2020 or later.

This year's recipients were chosen from 141 nominations statewide. The 2026 award winners will be honored by Thurmond at a luncheon on May 20 in Sacramento.

"These awardees exemplify the profound commitment that their classified colleagues bring to work every day, shaping the success and well-being of their students and their entire school communities," Thurmond said. "I couldn't be more grateful for the compassion and integrity shown by these incredible school employees, and I'm proud to uplift their contributions with this statewide recognition."