The Ombuds Blog: Experts Recommend Little Rock Schools Restore Ombuds Program

February 13, 2008

Experts Recommend Little Rock Schools Restore Ombuds Program

A group of academic experts that evaluated the 2005 reorganization of the Little Rock School District has recommended the School Board reinstate a number of eliminated positions. Heading this list was the Ombudsman. According to LRSD documents, the budget for the Ombuds Office in 2004-05 was $106,782. (Arkansas Times; LRSD Reorg. Evaluation Report; 2006-07 Budget.)

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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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February 13, 2008

Experts Recommend Little Rock Schools Restore Ombuds Program

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