District Honors School Related Employee of the Year

The School District of Lee County is proud to announce James Busscher has been selected as the 2023 School Related Employee of the Year. Busscher is the Building Supervisor at Franklin Park Elementary School. He was surprised by Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier with his award this morning.

“I was very surprised. It was very humbling for sure,” Busscher said just after being presented his award. “It’s an honor because it goes past the work that I do. Everything that I do here is to make sure the kids are OK and they’re getting what they need while they are here. That’s why I do what I do. It’s for the kids.”

Busscher was nominated by his school administrators for his hard work and dedication to the school, students and staff at Franklin Park. Known as “Mr. James” on campus, he maintains a safe and clean school while also creating a welcoming environment. In addition to serving as Building Supervisor, Busscher is the co-sponsor of the school’s Young Gentlemen’s Club where he teaches 4th and 5th graders the importance of a strong work ethic and engages them in community service projects.

“From the moment I began at Franklin Park Elementary School, I can truly say that Mr. James is one hard-working man,” said Franklin Park Assistant Principal Dr. Mia German. “He gets here very early to make sure the campus is ready for teaching and learning. The day after Hurricane Ian he was at the school checking out the damage and working with administration to determine the plan of action. He goes out of his way to make sure everyone who steps on our campus has what they need to be successful.”

Busscher began his career with the School District as a Head Custodian in 2014. Due to his work with students through the Young Gentlemen’s Club and some small group instruction he is considering becoming a teacher. He will go on to represent the School District of Lee County in the Florida Department of Education’s School-Related Employee of the Year competition and be formally recognized by the Lee County School Board at a February board meeting.

The School Related Employee of the year represents the thousands of dedicated staff members that work in Lee County Schools every day. They are the bus drivers, technical support staff, social workers, helping teachers, paraprofessionals, secretaries, cafeteria staff, custodians and more. District leadership nominated deserving support personnel. A selection committee of school and district leadership reviewed nomination forms, commendations received, and continuing education and training courses completed by nominees to select the award recipient.

The School District is also proud to recognize Lissette Arocho, Instructional Paraprofessional at Ray V. Pottorf Elementary School, and Clarence Finnie, Safety and Security Specialist at Harns Marsh Middle School, as finalists for School Related Employee of the Year.