Generally, the most visible people at any school, and therefore the most well-known are the
administrators, coaches, and teachers. But what many folks don’t realize is that there are
some school employees who may work behind the scenes, but they’re the ones who really
keep the wheels on the bus. At Marietta, those three people are the ladies who work in the
Administrative Offices: Cynthia O’Connor, Nati Sanchez, and Angela Vega.
Each one has specific and important job duties, all of which work cooperatively to keep track of
the budgets, manage all the accounting, and make sure everyone gets paid on time, among
many, many other things.
Cynthia O’Connor is the district’s Business Office Manager. O’Connor began her tenure with
the district almost 20 years ago as a substitute teacher. From there, she became an assistant
secretary at the elementary school and then the middle school secretary. She then transitioned
to the administrative office in her current position.
As Business Office Manager, O’Connor wears a variety of hats. She manages budgets and
claims for federal programs and she attends every meeting of the Board of Education and is
the Board Minutes Clerk.
But perhaps the part of her job that requires the most attention is that she single-handedly
takes care of everything human-resource related. That’s payroll, taxes, retirement, insurance
and other benefits, service credit, onboarding and exiting employees, maintenance of
employee files and records, and tracking employee leave. For approximately 125 employees
across the district, all that adds up to a lot of paperwork, but somebody has to do it, and
O’Connor is that somebody.
O’Connor graduated from high school at Stratford before earning a bachelor’s degree from
Oklahoma State University. Her husband Brian and sons Devin and Logan are Marietta
graduates.
“I have enjoyed all my jobs at the district for different reasons, but the common denominator is
the people I work with,” said O’Connor. “I do enjoy working on the financial side and knowing
this office does an excellent job of being fiscally responsible with the taxpayer’s dollars that we
are entrusted with. I take pride in the fact that our office has had outstanding audits and that
we put in the time and effort to be as transparent and error free as possible.”
The district’s Encumbrance Clerk, Nati Sanchez is a Marietta High School graduate who
returned to her alma mater to work after earning her associate’s degree in business. She’s now
been with the district for seven years, moving to the Administrative Office after a short stint as
middle school secretary.
In her position, Sanchez manages budgets for general and building funds as well as child
nutrition programs. That means the responsibility for millions of dollars annually in purchases
and payments for all those accounts.
Sanchez must ensure that encumbrances are within the limits of appropriations, that payments
are made to vendors, and keep records that document all purchases. That’s a lot of record
keeping for a lot of dollars for a lot of accounts, all of which must be balanced to the penny and
are audited regularly.
Additionally, Sanchez greets visitors to the office and manages mail and deliveries.
“One thing I like about my job is the variety of work I do,” said Sanchez. “Every day presents
me with different challenges.”
In her free time, Sanchez enjoys spending time with her children and family.
For two years, Angela Vega has served as the Treasurer and Activity Fund Custodian, coming
to the school after working for 15 years as the area supervisor and Family Advocate for Love
County Head Start for Big Five Community Services.
Vega’s position requires that she manage all incoming revenue for the district. She also works
with activity account sponsors to manage the activity on 40 separate activity accounts across
the district. From athletics to ag and principal’s offices to prom, all have their own activity
account, and Vega keeps a thumb on all of them, making sure that all dollars are accounted for
correctly.
Vega also wears the hat of keeping track of the district’s property, auto, and liability insurance
and bus driver requirements – including random drug testing. And she answers phone calls
that come into the Administrative Offices.
“Being constantly busy is what I like about my job,” smiled Vega. “It makes my day go by fast. I
also enjoy that I’m able to interact with teachers, administrators, and students on a daily basis.”
Vega also serves on the Marietta City Council. She enjoys family vacations, spending time with
her family, and attending church.
“Our district is blessed to have these three talented ladies,” said Superintendent Brandi Naylor.
“All of these positions require someone who is meticulous, honest, and can multi-task and get
a lot of work done, and obviously, they can. All three of them are a credit to our district, and
this school district would not function as efficiently or effectively without them.”