Meet the administrative assistant who makes it all tick

Lirey Rodriguez, who is the administrative assistant to Talib Sadiq, is a busy woman. Her day always starts with the hectic task of coordinating substitutes for every teacher who is out that day.  

“I make sure to have coverage for any and every teacher that is out,” she said. “Sometimes it’s easy and it ends before school starts and sometimes I’m finding coverage all day long until flex block.”

Rodriquez works all year long. On top of managing daily, never-ending sub coverage, she juggles budgets and payments, assists paras clocking in throughout the school, and schedules meetings for Mr. Sadiq, who has “so much on his hands,” she said.

Rodriguez also makes graduation possible by handling payments and ordering the caps and gowns. And above all, she maintains order in the main office.

Rodriquez is also an ARHS alumni. “It is different to be on the other side of things,” she said. “I never imagined I would work here, especially as a principal’s assistant.” 

Some upsides of going to the school are that she has fellow peers also working with her, and she gets to see teachers who once taught her in the break room. 

Rodriguez said that when it comes to dealing with staff absences, she navigates an online platform called Aesop Frontline, a software the school uses for teachers and staff to log sick and personal time. 

If a teacher has an unplanned absence, they will enter their absence as a “sub needed.” If a teacher has a planned absence they can put it into the software and even assign the sub themself if they have communicated with them in advance. That said, “it is not as user-friendly as we would like it to be,” said Rodriguez. “Sometimes teachers have a hard time figuring out what teachers or paras they want or can use to cover.” 

Rodriquez helps with this uncertainty. A teacher can send a quick email to her and she will help find coverage. She has a graph to help her stay organized and easily be able to see who is available to cover. 

Rodriquez especially counts on Lilian Wisniewski, the only full-time sub at ARHS, to cover a class, but there are days when Lilian is booked for all classes. Then, she will send an all-staff email to further look for support. 

It depends on the day but overall, she said, “this school year has been the easiest year to find subs.”

“Last year, it was hard [to manage sub coverage] because the staff was on work-to-rule,” which meant they did not take on extra duties until they had negotiated a fair union contract. 

Teachers who are regularly willing to sub during their prep periods include Adriana Morehouse, Ann Paradis, and Evan Mahnken, and she is incredibly grateful to them. “I have noticed [teachers] help out a lot in their departments,” she said. “It’s really helpful and nice.” When teachers sub for others, they do earn their hourly rate, on top of their regular salary, but they also give up what is often their only prep period, when they would grade or plan lessons during the day.

Having another building sub “would be useful” she said. Last year was overwhelming for Rodriquez, as she hated having to send four or five classes to the auditorium each day. “It was unfair for the adult supervising them,” she said. “But it was mostly unfair for the students.” 

If the sub shortage becomes significant, she thinks a new strategy could be to put more adults in the cafeteria who could support a more successful study hall or continuance of the students’ education. 

Last year she had to cover 52 different classes throughout the year. “I didn’t even know we had that many classes,” she said. “But I feel very supported by my teachers and paras who are always willing to help.”

If Rodriquez had a wish, it would be that staff would punctually log their absences, and if they are absent for a few days, log those as well, giving her more notice. Glitches in the Aesop system also create challenges for Rodriquez. For example, some absences that are logged after 8:15 result in needing last-minute coverage. 

Despite the challenges, Rodriquez is grateful for the programs, teachers, and paras who create “stability for our students.” 

When Rodriquez is out herself, she relies on the other office staff to take over, but the job does creep into her home life, too. “Even if I’m not feeling great, I have Aesop on my phone and I’ll log on in the morning,” she said. “If it is chaotic I’ll go in then, and if I’m really feeling horrible, I’ll leave early.” 

Rodriquez did not always live in the Northeast and attend Amherst schools. She was born in Puerto Rico and moved to Amherst when she was eight years old. She attended Crocker Farm Elementary School, ARMS, and then ARHS. 

Rodriquez attended Bunker Hill Community College in Boston and later went to GCC. “I never was able to complete my degree,” she said. “But I do plan on hopefully going back soon.”

Rodriquez is interested in finishing her degree in business management but wants to continue to work in the school system, especially high school level. “Maybe work in human resources… but I’m not certain yet,” she said. 

She currently lives in Pelham and enjoys spending her free time with her labradoodle, Leroy. “We spend a lot of time in the woods,” she said. She also enjoys going to comedy shows and open mics with her friends. 

“I enjoy being able to support local artists,” she said. “I have friends that are involved in music and the arts so I like to go to their shows.” 

Along with seeing the arts, Rodriquez enjoys traveling especially to Puerto Rico to see her family. “I don’t have to worry about where I have to stay,” she said. She enjoys reading her favorite book “Random Family” by Adrian LeBlanc and watching true crime T.V. 

Rodriquez’s family mostly consists of amazing women. The distance between Pelham and Puerto Rico doesn’t stop their Facetime sessions. She has a strong circle of friends that she is thankful for, as well. 

“Family is very important to me,” she said. “But family to me is not necessarily who you’re blood-related to, it’s who is an important part of your life.” 

Rodriquez has a partner who also works in the school system, so they understand the importance of being involved in school activities and supporting the students. Rodriquez also has a 14-year-old son who will be attending ARHS next year. “He’s a good kid,” she said. 

Rodriquez reflects on being a student at ARHS and not feeling completely accepted, so her goal is to have students feel comfortable and to be themselves. “No one is perfect,” she said. “I just want them to feel comfortable and want them to know that I am understanding.” 

Rodriquez strives to do the most she can for the students at ARHS. “[The office staff] is here for you more there than you think we are,” she said. “As much as I can do, I’m always going to do for the students.”