Harris County Department of Education Superintendent James Colbert Jr. and the Board of Trustees recognized more than 20 essential employees who answered the call to work while HCDE facilities were closed for an entire week due to Hurricane Beryl. 

During its regular board meeting on July 29, Colbert recognized Information Technology Services, Business Services and Human Resources, and Facilities team members for their work July 8-12, when HCDE and many other area school districts, government entities and businesses were closed. The work included ensuring networks and internet stayed running and available, checking HCDE facilities and nearby areas, and processing scheduled payroll for all employees. 

“Every place in the country has first responders,” Colbert told the room. “Harris County Department of Education has our own version of first responders and they’re the people that rarely get talked about. When this whole place gets shuts down, did you know there were people with Harris County Department of Education actually working on that day?”

Colbert praised each group, highlighting the importance of their work, which often goes unnoticed until a problem arises. Each group then received its own separate round of applause from those in attendance before they all posed for a group picture with Colbert and the Board of Trustees. 

“They are a small microcosm of how fantastic many of our employees are, and you hear me talk about this all the time,” Colbert said. “But they’re the gems we tend to not recognize. They’re the people that make it possible. We take for granted when things run smoothly, and we don’t appreciate it until they stop running that way. I want to thank you so much for what you do.”