The Ombuds Blog: Job Posting: Howard County Schools

August 28, 2007

Job Posting: Howard County Schools

The Howard County (MD) Public School System is looking for a new ombudsman, following the resignation of Robin Shell, the district's first ombuds. (Shell founded the ombuds office in January 2005 and resigned in June 2007. ) The ombuds reports directly to the Board of Education and serves as a neutral party for parents, staff and community members seeking equitable, reasonable and timely resolution of concerns. The ombuds also provides professional support to the Board of Education. This is a part-time (3 days/week), year-round position, with a salary range of $30,240-$54,084. Applications are due September 14. (HCPSS Job Posting; HCPSS Policy Statement re Ombuds; HCPSS Ombuds Report, July 2006; HCPSS Org Chart; Howard County Times.)

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Organizational Ombuds

Organizational Ombuds serve as a confidential, independent, neutral and informal dispute resolution resource for a specific entity. They are accessible to a defined population and can advocate for fairness. These unique characteristics distinguish Organizational Ombuds from Classical Ombuds, mediators, arbitrators, and other alternative dispute resolution professionals. The term "Ombuds" is shorthand for "Ombudsman," "Ombudsperson" and "Ombuds Officer," which also are used widely.

Some other variants include:

Austria -- Ombudsstelle

Brazil -- Ouvidor

Croatia -- pravobranitelji

France -- médiateur/defénseur

Germany -- Ombudspersonen

Italy -- difensore

Netherlands -- ombudspersoon

Norway -- ombudet

Poland -- Rzecznik

Portugal -- provedor

Russia -- омбудсмен

Spain -- ombudsman organizacional

Sweden -- studentombud

Switzerland -- ombudsmann

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