DC Council Pulls Plug on Schools Ombuds After Less Than Two Years

The District of Columbia Council has eliminated the Office of the Ombudsman for Public Education after just 20 months. Having become a political pawn in a struggle between DC Mayor Adrian Fenty and the Council, the DC Public Schools Ombuds was closed to balance a $400 million budget shortfall for 2009-10. (Washington Examiner; Washington Post.)

The DCPS Ombuds Office debuted in January 2008 with support from the Mayor and community. After a protracted job search, Tonya Vidal Kinlow, a former DC school board member and lobbyist, was appointed the first Ombuds for public education. She hired three staff members and began issuing monthly reports in August 2008. Although Kinlow was criticized from slow and irregular reporting, her office managed a growing caseload. Kinlow left unexpectedly in December 2008 and was succeeded by Interim Ombuds Jeff Ross. The DCPS Ombuds office will wrap up operations and close by the end of September 2009.

Prior posts: DC Mayor's School Plan Includes Ombuds; Despite Some Council Concerns, Mayor Continues to Back Ombuds for DC Schools; Job Posting: DC Schools Ombuds; DC Council to Consider Public Schools Ombuds; More Details Emerge Regarding DC School Ombuds; DC Schools Struggle to Hire Ombuds; DC Schools Appoint First Ombuds; DC Schools Ombuds Reports on Progress; DC Schools Ombuds Reports Growing Case Load; DC Schools Ombuds Lasts Just 14 Months; DC Schools Appoints Interim Ombuds; Local Politics Threaten DC Schools Ombuds; Washington Post Conflates Ombuds Reporting Line With Neutrality; Budget Deficit Threatens DC Schools Ombuds.

D.C. Schools Ombuds Reports on a Busy First Year

In a report released today, the Ombudsman for Public Education in Washington DC, Joyanna Smith says that she has re-started the office and handled 150 matters.  In the first six months, more than two-thirds of the 150 inquiries came from parents of DC public schools students and about a quarter from parents of charter school students.

Fellowship Opportunity: D.C. Schools Ombuds

The Ombudsman for Public Education in Washington DC is accepting applications for its third cohort of fellows. The Ombudsman Fellows will, "work directly with families, learn about the education system in DC, learn about conflict resolution, develop creative problem solving skills, and develop expertise on issues including special education, student discipline, truancy, and bullying prevention." The part-time, year-long fellowship offers academic credit or a stipend.

D.C. Schools Ombuds to Speak on Bullying

The District of Columbia Ombudsman for Public Education, Joyanna Smith, will be a panelist at a symposium tonight sponsored by the Washington Bar Association. "Parents vs Bullies: Understanding the 2012 Youth Bullying Act" will take place at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library Room A-5 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. (WBA Flyer.) 

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.

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.)

Fellowship Opportunity: D.C. Schools Ombuds

The Ombudsman for Public Education in Washington DC is accepting applications for its first cohort of fellows.  The Ombudsman Fellows will "work directly with families, learn about the education system in DC, learn about conflict resolution, develop creative problem solving skills, and develop expertise on issues including special education, student discipline, truancy, and bullying prevention."  The part-time, year-long fellowship offers academic credit or a stipend.

Fellowship Opportunity: D.C. Schools Ombuds

The Ombudsman for Public Education in Washington DC is accepting applications for its second cohort of fellows.  The Ombudsman Fellows will, "work directly with families, learn about the education system in DC, learn about conflict resolution, develop creative problem solving skills, and develop expertise on issues including special education, student discipline, truancy, and bullying prevention."  The part-time, year-long fellowship offers academic credit or a stipend.

New Model for Describing How Law Schools View ADR Courses

Michael Moffit, Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Oregon Law School, has published a new statistical analysis of the recent history of ADR within the legal academy. In addition, he suggests a compelling paradigm describing how law schools approach their ADR offerings.

Some law schools may become Islands of ADR—ones in which ADR is part of the school’s distinctiveness. Some law schools may ADR as Vitamins—requiring every student to take at least the recommended dosage. Some law schools may treat ADR as Salt—vital seasoning for many different offerings, but never consumed on its own. Finally, individual faculty members at some law schools may intentionally, but quietly, incorporate ADR as Germs into their courses.

The article will be published in the Ohio State Journal of Dispute Resolution and is available from SSRN. (Islands, Vitamins, Salt, Germs: Four Visions of the Future of Adr in Law Schools (and a Data-Driven Snapshot of the Field Today), via ADR Prof Blog.)

Job Posting: DC Public Schools

The public school system in Washington, DC is searching for an Assistant Ombudsman. The career appointment position pays $64,375-82,357 and applications are due May 9, 2014.  

Prince William County Public Schools Ombuds Posts 2024–25 Annual Report

PWCS in Virginia has issued the 2024–25 annual report from its Office of the Ombuds. Monique “Mo” Bookstein and Ombuds Specialist Rosamaria Manzines recorded 368 cases, a 15% increase from the prior year. The annual report uses IOA reporting categories and this year added a new case type, “Educational Partners,” to better classify school-related concerns.

Hong Kong Mediator Urges Ombuds for Public Schools

In a recent post to the Mediate blog, Jody Sin urges the HK Education Bureau ("EDB") to consider an Organizational Ombuds for school administrators, staff, and teachers. She illustrates the potential role for Ombuds through a discussion of a recent incident that resulted in the death of teacher. Sin argues that the current EDB complaints system raises concerns of fairness and conflict of interest. She ways that the interventions by Ombuds following IOA standards would provide an important remedy.

Job Posting: Frederick County Public Schools

The public school system in Maryland has opened a search for its first Ombuds. The position will be, "an independent, neutral entity to facilitate processes by which the Board of Education’s policies and FCPS regulations are implemented with fidelity, equity and consistency across the school system." It is expected to comply with IOA standards. 

University of South Carolina Ombuds Reviews First Five Years

In his fifth annual report, University Ombudsperson Jim Augustine, looks back on the cases he has handled since establishing the Ombuds program at USC in 2006. In that time, the office has emerged as an important resource for faculty with concerns about evaluative and peer relationships and career issues.

Job Posting: Denver Public Schools

DPS, the large urban public school district in Colorado with more than 90,000 students across nearly 200 schools, is hiring an Associate Ombudsperson. The full-time position will report to and support the District Ombudsperson, Antoinette Hudson, CO-OP, and provide services for employees, including coaching, mediation, and facilitation. The role also contributes to training, identifies systemic concerns. 

D.C. Schools Ombuds Issues Second Annual Report

The Ombudsman for Public Education, Joyanna Smith, says that the caseload to her office more than tripled last year. Smith, Associate Ombudsman Elizabeth Tossell, seven fellows, and two interns, handled 469 cases in 2014-15 compared to 150 in the prior academic year. About 88% of the cases were resolved within the same year. 

Loudoun County Public Schools Selects Inaugural Ombuds

Carey Williams has been appointed the first Ombudsman for LCPS, the public school district in northeast Virginia with 84,000 students. In this full-time role, Williams will work with families, employees and community members, practicing to IOA standards and reporting to the district's Chief of Staff.

Update: DC Mayor Blocks Transfer of Public Schools Ombuds Office

Washington DC Mayor Adrian Fenty has used his line-item veto power to prevent the District Council from transferring oversight of the Public Schools Ombuds from his office to the State Board of Education. The Council has 30 days to override the veto with nine votes. (Washington Examiner.) Meanwhile, Interim DCPS Ombudsman Jeff Ross reports that his office continues to handle nearly 50 new cases a month. (March 2009 Report.)

Prior posts: DC Schools Appoint First Ombuds; DC Schools Ombuds Lasts Just 14 Months; Local Politics Threaten DC Schools Ombuds; Washington Post Conflates Ombuds Reporting Line With Neutrality.

Budget Deficit Threatens DC Schools Ombuds

Facing a $666 million budget deficit, the District of Columbia Council looking a widespread spending cuts to avoid raising taxes and fees. The school system will likely bear some of the burden. According to the Washington Post, "Elimination of the ombudsman's office, which has come under heavy criticism by council members and community leaders for ineffectiveness, would take about $360,000 off the books." (Washington Post.)

Let's be honest about this by looking at the numbers. The budget for the DCPS Ombuds Office represents just 0.05% of the shortfall. None of the other remedies mentioned are anywhere as trivial.

Furthermore, although it has been criticized for "ineffectiveness," the DCPS Ombuds has handled and resolved about 1,400 cases involving students and staff in its first 20 months of operation. If the Ombuds was able to avoid litigation in a few of those cases (a very conservative assumption), the District has saved far, far more than it has spent on the program. (The latest audited financial statement reveals DCPS spent $1.7 million on judgments and settlements and outside counsel in 2004.) In addition, the Ombuds generated recommendations that likely will help the District avoid more problems in the future.

The inescapable conclusion is that a decision to close the DC Schools Ombuds program now would reveal political and not financial motivations.

Related posts: DC Schools Appoints Interim Ombuds; Local Politics Threaten DC Schools Ombuds; Washington Post Conflates Ombuds Reporting Line With Neutrality; DC Mayor Blocks Transfer of Public Schools Ombuds Office.

Prince William County Schools Ombuds Shares 2023 Report

In her fourth annual report as the PWCS Ombudsman, Monique Bookstein says that cases rose 54% in the 2022-23 school year. Overall, there has been an 89% increase in visitors since she established the program in 2019. Employees made up over 78% of visitors. Bookstein uses the IOA's Uniform Reporting Categories to classify her case issues. (PWCS Ombuds 2023 Report.)