Carrie Poldrack is all about new technology, maybe because she is researching and purchasing the latest and greatest for the district for the better part of her day. As the purchasing clerk, technology administrative assistant, administration technician, DOI technician, among other duties, she is constantly making the numbers crunch to make sure that our students get the best technology for the best price.
She said, “I am very cognizant of the taxpayers’ money and always double check to make sure I’ve found the best deal for purchasing. My goal is to make sure teachers and students have the best technology and that it meets our district standards and goals. Our department mantra is that we will do what is best for students.”
Carrie knows Lufkin. She’s been in the school district since her kindergarten days all the way up to being an officer in FHA in high school. Her favorite teachers were Mrs. Brumble in fourth grade and Mrs. Haas in high school.
“To this day I know what a haiku is because of Mrs. Brumble. I’m a mathematical brain, so she made learning fun and challenging. Mrs. Haas was my algebra teacher. My favorite was working algebraic equations,” she said.
Having a math brain helps Carrie in her day-to-day job. Her first order of business for the day is checking the tech tickets, which can average to 150 tickets a day. Tech tickets can range in importance, such as a phone or password reset all the way up to security system issues that need immediate attention.
“I’ve learned a lot of what I know about computers from my father-in-law. He would build computers at home, and my husband and I began to piddle with building computers on the side. I’ve always been curious about putting stuff together. I’m an instructions reader,” she said.
Carrie has been with the district for eight years. Before coming to work for Lufkin ISD, Carrie worked as the Operations Specialist for Bank of America. She left her bank job after being face-to-face with a bank robber at gunpoint when coming around a corner from the vault in the back of the bank. She thought she heard a co-worker fall but instead almost ran into a man with a large gun. He appeared to be wearing a type of straw hat and a mask. He was demanding money. The man had jumped the counter and told everyone to get down. This was one of six to eight bank branches that he and his two partners had robbed. This one making the biggest hit.
Carrie said, “My mother instinct kicked in, and I wanted to get all of the employees safe near the vault. On Friday’s, especially at lunchtime, the bank lobby is normally packed. It was two days after July 4th. That day, for some reason, there were not many people in the bank. That was God. I left that job six months later because I heard the robbers were making their way back around to the banks they’d already robbed and even shot a bank manager in the face at one of those banks. It wasn’t worth it to stay.”
She entered the district as a grade level paraprofessional for Coston Elementary and has since held the positions of receptionist for Coston Elementary and 8th grade Administrative Assistant at Lufkin Middle School.
With the board’s recent decision to approve 2,000 devices across the district as part of the technology initiative, Carrie has been busy ordering and getting bids for the iPads and laptops.
“With this new initiative, we will have three carts of iPads for the younger grades and three carts of touchscreen laptops for each upper grade,” she said.
Her days are busy but she enjoys the team she works with and said the technology department eats lunch together every day like a family.
“Lufkin is my home and I was excited to come back and work for the school district that I had been a part of as a student. Seeing everything from the other side has made me appreciate all the opportunities I had in school growing up in Lufkin,” she said.
Carrie is married to Mike and together they have two children, Shelby, age 19, who attends Texas State University, and Hunter, age 17, who is a high school senior. She is a very active member of her church and runs Cafe Aroma for Timber Creek Church.
Carrie said, “I like serving others and feel led by God to do my part in my community. I see some crossover in my job and my church life with the way that I serve others. I like to pass on the knowledge that I have to others to make their job easier.”
That is what she does every day, makes all of our jobs easier. Thank you, Carrie!