Glass names Iowa education reform task force members

Jason Glass, director of the state Department of Education, on Wednesday announced the 18 Iowans who will serve on the Taskforce on Teacher Leadership and Compensation that will make recommendations on education reform measures that Gov. Terry Branstad likely will forward to the Legislature during the 2013 session.

The taskforce will help the state move forward strategically in the areas of teacher leadership roles and compensation issues, Glass said. The group is a component of the recommendations introduced by Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds in January to restore Iowa's standing as a leader in education and to prepare all students to compete for jobs in a global economy, he said.

“I look forward to working with such a talented, thoughtful group of individuals to design an approach to teacher leadership and compensation that leads the nation,” Glass said in a statement. “This taskforce will draw from some of the best minds in Iowa schools, Area Education Agencies, educator stakeholder groups, higher education and the business community.”

A blueprint for education released by the Branstad-Reynolds administration in October included plans to redesign educator career pathways, to create teacher leadership roles and to revise the compensation structure to support this new educator career structure, according to the governor's office. Because changes that involve compensation in education generate large cost implications and many questions, the administration's final recommendations for world-class schools called for a taskforce to study the career structure and compensation plan in 2012.

The group's work will begin before the end of the legislative session because of the importance of moving forward on these issues, said Glass who will lead the task force. Plans call for the group to meet once a month from March through September and make recommendations for the 2013 legislative session.

Members of the Taskforce on Teacher Leadership and Compensation are: Teresa Bellinghausen, teaching and learning consultant, Heartland Area Education Agency; Molly Boyle, third-grade teacher/2011 Iowa Teacher of the Year, Brookview Elementary School, Waukee Community School District; Mary Jane Cobb, executive director, Iowa State Education Association; Tom Downs, executive director, Iowa Association of School Boards; Jessica Gogerty, school improvement leader, North High School, Des Moines Public Schools; Jodie Graham, principal, Humboldt Middle School, Humboldt Community School District; Justin Gross, principal, Nevada High School, Nevada Community School District; Julie Heller, crisis interventionist for behavioral disorders program, Central High School, Davenport Community Schools; Kent Henning, president, Grand View University; Angie Jandrey, kindergarten teacher, Lincoln Elementary School, Mount Pleasant Community School District; Ann Lebo, English instructor, Grundy Center High School and Hawkeye Community College; Duane Magee, assistant superintendent of Human Resources, Waukee Community School District; Kent Mick, history teacher and curriculum coordinator, Corwith-Wesley-LuVerne Community School District; Diane Pratt, talented and gifted specialist, Fort Dodge Community School District; Dan Smith, executive director, School Administrators of Iowa; David Stoakes, superintendent, Cedar Falls Community School District; Denny Wulf, superintendent, Norwalk Community School District; and Don Zuck, executive director, Ankeny Economic Development Corp.