Wake County Public School System Considering Ombuds

The public school district North Carolina with 160,000 students is considering an Ombuds to handle complaints from the public and school employees. Last week, administrators made a proposal to the Wake County School Board and provided materials from Ombuds offices at other school districts, including DC Public Schools, Fairfax County Public Schools, Fresno Unified School District, Lakota Local Schools, and Pasadena Unified School District. According to the Charlotte News & Observer, "School leaders said the new position could help rebuild public trust in schools that has been shaken in recent years." (Board of Education Work Session; News & Observer.)

Education Law Expert Explains Why Schools Should Have Ombuds

In an article for the American School Board Journal, Edwin C. Darden says that, "one important way school districts can help residents feel heard is to appoint an official ombudsman." He notes that most school Ombuds work in large, urban school districts, but argues that the benefits are of equal value to a suburban or rural school district.

Harrisburg School District Hiring First Ombuds

The large public school district in Pennsylvania's capital is accepting applications for an Ombudsman. It appears that district has never had an Ombuds and it is unclear what the duties are. 

The posting does not inspire confidence in the district's objectives for the position.

Job Posting: Colorado Springs School District 11 (Collateral Duty)

The public school district in Colorado Springs is hiring a Director Equal Opportunity Programs & Ombudservices. The position serves as both the Organizational Ombudsman and Nondiscrimination Compliance Coordinator. The position reports to the Deputy Superintendent for Personnel Support Services.

Job Re-Posting: Syracuse City School District

The public school district in New York has re-opened its search for its first Ombuds.  The Executive Ombuds Officer for Student Discipline will report directly to the District Superintendent. "In carrying out the functions of this position, the EOO is guided by the principles of independence, impartiality, confidentiality, and informality."  It is not clear whether or how the posting has been revised since the search opened in July.

Job Posting: Syracuse City School District

The public school district in New York is hiring its first Ombuds.  The Executive Ombuds Officer for Student Discipline will report directly to the District Superintendent. "In carrying out the functions of this position, the EOO is guided by the principles of independence, impartiality, confidentiality, and informality." 

Job Posting: Cleveland Metropolitan School District

Ohio's largest school district is hiring two Ombudsman Specialists for its Office of the Ombudsman. The primary role for these new positions is "to understand and seek to resolve concerns raised by parents and guardians of children enrolled in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District." According to its website, the CMSD Ombuds Office is "fair, impartial and confidential."

Ombuds Year in Review: 2018 (Intro)

This is the ninth annual summary of the most important news items about Organizational Ombuds. (The first year of this feature was a ten-year recap of 2000-2009.) The list comes in three installments and concludes on December 27.  In the first week of January, readers will have the chance to vote on what they thought of the year. 

Before the list of top ten stories starts next week, here are some other notable items from 2018:

Job Re-Posting: Austin Independent School District

Austin ISD, the public school district for the capital of Texas, is seeking an Associate Ombudsperson for Special Education. The position will report to the District's recently-appointed Ombudsperson, Dawn Spinozza, and will serve as a confidential, informal, impartial, and independent resource to support families with students who have or may have a disability. Local travel will be required.

Job Posting: Austin Independent School District

Austin ISD, the public school district for the capital of Texas, is seeking an Associate Ombudsperson for Special Education. The position will report to the District's newly-appointed Ombudsperson, Dawn Spinozza, and will serve as a confidential, informal, impartial, and independent resource to support families with students who have or may have a disability. Local travel will be required.

Ombuds Urged for Boulder School District

After public outcry over a recent sex and drug education program, Boulder Valley School District in Colorado is considering hiring an ombuds to improve communications and facilitate resolution of community concerns. A local watchdog group, BSVDWatch, is urging the district to follow the lead of the school district in Austin, TX, and create an organizational ombuds position. (BSVD Minutes; BSVDWatch.org; CBS4Denver.)

Job Posting: Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Schools

The Board of Cooperative Educational Services for Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus, a public school district in western New York, is seeking its first Ombuds Officer. The full-time position will serve employees, students, and others in the school community in three counties (Chautauqua County, southern Erie County, and part of Cattaraugus County, a geographical area of 1,791 square miles) and 27 component school districts. Significant travel is required.

Texas School Officials Debate Need for Ombuds

An article in the Dallas Morning News surveys the debate among local school district administrators over the value of organizational Ombuds. Counting the number of school ombudsmen in Texas is difficult. But Beverly Reeves, an Austin school ombudsman, says there are about a half-dozen, including Arlington, Austin and Fort Bend school districts. Greg Gibson, superintendent of the Crowley Independent School District, says the number of formal grievances filed with his district has "significantly declined" since an Ombuds was hired. A sidebar to the article explains what a school ombudsman does and does not. (Dallas Morning News.)

Consultants Recommend Ombuds for School District 57

A Special Advisors Report for the public school district in central British Columbia, including urban Prince George, recommends creating an Ombuds program. The review was commissioned by BC’s Minister of Education, Jennifer Whiteside, in response to concerns about funding and graduation rates for Indigenous students in the district. The report found a wide range of concerns, including "No real mechanism for resolving disputes or addressing discrimination and systemic racism" and "a need to ensure that all District employees work in an open and free manner without fear of retribution." 

Richland Two in South Carolina Appoints First District Ombuds

Kelli Johnson has been named the new Ombuds for Richland County School District Two, a fast-growing public school district in Columbia, South Carolina. Johnson will respond to inquiries and provides coordination of district services and report to the superintendent. “The ombudsman serves as a liaison between the community, schools and district administrative functions,” explained Superintendent Dr. Baron R. Davis.

Budget Cuts Lead to End of Pasadena Schools Ombuds Program

After just two years, the public school district in Southern California has shuttered its Ombuds office due to budget cuts. It was one of a relatively few IOA-compliant public school programs. Esther C. Salinas, who was the inaugural PUSD Ombuds Officer has become the HR director for the school district in Yuba City California. (LinkedIn.)

Activist Urges Ombuds for Des Moines Public Schools

At its public meeting on January 8, the Des Moines Public Schools School Board heard a recommendation to establish an ombuds office. In making the suggestion, Nan Stillians said that “a fear of making complaints and suggestions still exists” among people involved with the troubled school district. (Around Des Moines; Cityview.)

Related posts from just the last six months: Ombuds Recommended for Prince William County Schools; Ombuds Urged for Boulder School District; Superintendent of New Orleans Schools to Hire Ombuds; Pasadena Schools Considering Ombuds; DC Schools Appoint First Ombuds; Howard County Schools Hires New Ombuds.

My informal survey of school district ombuds indicates that they range from purely classical to organizational in their approach. Since funds are usually scarce in public education, IOA should implement efforts to reach out to and support these new offices.

Job Posting: Syracuse City School District

The public school system with 20,000 students in Upstate New York is hiring a Director of Ombuds. The position description is confusing and includes some conflicting language. The new position is charged with "soliciting and taking complaints about student discipline from parents, students, and community advocates, investigating and evaluating these complaints, and serving as liaison with the SCSD administrative staff" while being "guided by the principles of independence, impartiality, confidentiality, and informality." The full-time position reports to SCSD's Chief of Student Support Services and is part of a district-wide reform effort. 

Job Posting: Richland County School District

South Carolina’s fifth-largest school district, which serves more than 25,000 students around Columbia, is hiring an Ombudsman. Reporting directly to the District Superintendent, the position, "provides advice and assistance to parents, students, staff and the community in addressing their concerns and resolving school-related problems for students in Pre-K-12 and adult education [and] makes recommendations for revision/adoption of school and district policies, procedures and practices based upon the concerns, complaints and comments." 

Ombuds Ordered for Washington School District

In the wake of scandals involving male teachers and female students in the Hoquiam (Washington) School District, the School Board has directed the superintendent to create an ombuds program for citizens, district employees and others to raise concerns about teachers, staff or administrators. School Board member John Estes called the district “complacent,” noting, “We let our trust guard down. … Now, we want to get the trust of our community back.”(The Daily World.)