Odd jobs on campus: Coach delivers documents part time for district

Ray Burney is not a well-known name, but he has one of the most obscure yet important jobs on the campus.

He carries communications from the district office to all high schools and elementary schools in the district.

Communications include bills, mountains of paperwork, packages to the school board and paychecks.

“Everyone is happy to see me on payday,” he joked.

Burney graduated from Saratoga High in 1974 and earned a full scholarship to play football as wide receiver at Oregon State University. He has coached football at the school for 20 years and baseball at various schools.

He ferries office documents as a side-job to coaching.

“[Although] I love coaching so much, I needed a part-time job that would free up my afternoons during the baseball and football season,” he said. “I already work for the district as a coach, so it was a good fit.

It allowed me freedom in my work day and I get the chance to work with really great people.”

In stark contrast to the stacks of normal documents he encounters, Burney once carried a $1.5 million check from the district office to the bank. It made him “feel like I want to go to Hawaii.”