Tina Lundy's commitment to students, at Matzke and beyond, earns support employee finalist nod

BRADENTON -- Puzzle piece in hand, Tina Lundy helps kindergarten student Annabella Clay put the final touches on a "Frozen"-themed puzzle.

After admiring their handiwork, they dismantle the puzzle, put the pieces back in a plastic bag and bundle up to head outside as part of Wakeland Elementary School's after-school program.

"Make sure you get your jacket," Lundy tells the class of pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students. "It'll be cold for a couple of days."

Annabella gives Lundy a hug and says she is her "best friend."

A project assistant in the Manatee County School District's capital projects department, Lundy spends most of her days working in a small office at the district's Matzke Complex, which also houses the district's bus fleet and a number of support staff offices on 26th Avenue East. She coordinates with contractors, schools and the project director in an effort to help keep the district's construction schedule up-to-date and on task.

But by 4:45 p.m. each day, she makes the five-minute drive to Wakeland to assist with the after-school program, helping the children with homework and chaperoning while they play outside before their parents pick them up.

It's the dedication beyond her official job duties that make Lundy one of four finalists for the support employee of the year award in Manatee County.

Manatee County native

A lifelong Manatee resident, Lundy still lives on the east county farm where she grew up. Her dad was a rancher and her mom worked at Tropicana. She attended Manatee Elementary for a few years, then went over to Wakeland Elementary when it opened. She attended mid

dle school at the now-defunct Bradenton Middle and graduated from Southeast High School in 1984.

She met her husband, a Palmetto High graduate, on a blind date. Derek, 56, is a mechanic at Keener Auto in Palmetto and the couple have two children. James, 26, attended Ava Maria Preparatory School in Myakka City, and Garrett, who turns 19 this month, is a senior at Braden River High School. A "very spoiled dog," Diesel, also lives on the farm.

Lundy, 50, has been with the school district for 28 years. She spent 10 years in the human resources department, from 1988 to 1998, one year as a guidance secretary at Palmetto High School, took two years off to stay at home with her younger son, staffed the front desk for risk management for a couple years and has been in capital projects since 2002.

"I like knowing I'm a part of building the environments for our kids," Lundy said.

On a day-to-day basis, Lundy will handle a variety of projects. On a recent afternoon she was working on a "close out book," a final step in completing a project. The book involves all the records, documents, warrants and instructions for the construction project.

"It keeps everyone in the loop of what was done," she said.

Three copies of the books are made, one for the contractor, one for the department and one for the school or site where the work was done. The redundancy helps make sure that if there's staff turnover, or a part breaks, everyone has the same records.

Lundy also coordinates payments, sets up meetings, handles problems that may arise with contractors and does a lot of planning. The finances are a big portion of the work, she said, making sure the money for the projects is coming from the right funds and flowing to the right contractors for payment.

She can work on up to 10 projects at once, which may include drainage improvements or traffic pattern changes.

In her office, she has a framed "award" her coworkers gave her as a joke. The full-size sheet of paper lists all the projects at Southeast High School that Lundy was involved with from 2007-2012. The state of the school was a "mess," Lundy said. Changes in the department, the economy and issues with district financials had left many projects at the school only half-complete. Lundy was a driving force in sifting through old paperwork and helping get projects back on track, so her co-workers presented her with the mock award when the projects were complete.

The $16 million project included HVAC renovations, a culinary project and an addition.

"Project complete with zero balance. No one died and hell did not freeze over. Congratulations, Tina!" the sign reads.

Getting her 'people fix'

Although her work is rewarding, Lundy is a self-described "social person," and can get bored in her office. She quietly plays country music during the day, but also gets a people fix when she heads to Wakeland every day. This year marks her third year.

"It's probably the best part of my day," she said.

One of the women she works with at Wakeland, Rosa Garza, also went to school with Lundy. During the day, Garza works in the food service program at the school and has been with the after-school program for about seven years. Several of the elementary school students parents or grandparents went to school with Lundy as well, driving that community feel.

When she first arrives, the students are still inside the school, working. Lundy sits with pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students, helping them complete puzzles from Disney movies including "Frozen" and "Cars." The students then bundle up in coats and jackets for the Florida winter before heading outside.

With a walkie-talkie in hand, Lundy heads out to the back playground with a small group of students. Every now and then, she's radioed when a parent arrives for pick-up. An older student is then allowed to walk the young student inside.

When hearing about Lundy's recognition, 9-year-old Sophia Joseph jumps with joy.

"She means everything to me because she's like the most awesomest teacher I have ever seen," she said. "She has taught me so much I can't even name one. I only see her in Wildcat Care but she makes it awesome."

Meghin Delaney, education reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7081. Follow her on Twitter @MeghinDelaney.

This story was originally published February 6, 2016 at 10:55 PM with the headline "Tina Lundy's commitment to students, at Matzke and beyond, earns support employee finalist nod ."