Want to be on the Central Mass Educational Collaborative Board?

The Commissioner is looking for people to appoint. Details after the jump.

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is seeking qualified and dedicated people to serve on the boards of directors of educational collaboratives throughout the Commonwealth.

All those interested are encouraged to review the following information

and complete the attached application of interest form!

Why Serve on an Educational Collaborative Board of Directors?

Educational Collaboratives have, for over forty years, been at the cutting edge of education reform by developing shared programs and services that complement the educational programs of member school committees and charter schools, in a cost-effective manner both in Massachusetts and nationally. Serving on a collaborative board of directors is a unique opportunity to learn more about these educational service agencies and to contribute to this very important initiative.  Your expertise will support these educational collaboratives to continue to provide capacity, increase effectiveness and efficiency, and achieve cost savings to the member school districts and to the public at large. As a result, public education in Massachusetts will continue to provide an increasingly diverse population of students with a broad range of high-quality educational opportunities.

Why Now?

A comprehensive amendment to the statute authorizing educational collaboratives (M.G.L. c. 40, § 4E) was recently enacted as Chapter 43 of the Acts of 2012www.malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Acts/2012/Chapter43/. This new legislation, called An Act Relative to Improving Accountability and Oversight of Education Collaboratives, provides for sweeping changes in the operation and accountability of education collaboratives throughout the Commonwealth. The new law strengthens state oversight, financial accountability, and governance for education collaboratives. It addresses serious problems and gaps that were identified by the Office of the State Auditor and the Inspector General. The new law also requires that the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education (Commissioner) appoint an individual to serve as a voting member of each education collaborative board of directors. 

Who Are We Looking For?

We are looking to a wide range of constituents with diverse expertise who have a demonstrated interest in and commitment to excellence in public education, including current and retired educators, representatives of business and labor including professionals with legal, finance and/or management expertise. These individuals must have expertise in one or more of the following areas: educational programming and services, finance, budgeting and management oversight. If you think your experience and professional expertise might be valuable as part of a collaborative board of directors, please submit a brief letter of interest along with a resume and the attached brief Application of Interest Form to Commissioner Mitchell D. Chester, Ed.D. at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148-4906, (attention: Collaborative Boards). Email submissions can be sent to rhersh@doe.mass.edu ormgriffin@doe.mass,edu or faxed to: 781-338-6530.

Applications of Interest are due by November 12, 2012. Department staff will follow-up with interested candidates before any appointment is recommended. It is our intent that appointments will be made during this school year. Applications received after November 12, 2012 will be considered for later appointments if vacancies remain.

What Are the Expectations? The Commissioner’s Appointee:

• Will be appointed for one year terms;   
• Will have an interest in public education and educational collaboratives;
• Will participate in trainings in the areas of open meeting laws, public records law, conflict of interest law, special education law, the budgetary process and the fiduciary and management oversight responsibilities of board members;
• Will have several years of relevant experience in one of the identified areas (educational programming and services, finance, budgeting and management oversight); and
• Will have the ability to travel to and attend at least six board meetings a year, in addition to reporting to the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education, on an as needed basis throughout the year.

We look forward to hearing from you and working with you. Thank you for your consideration and support of the Educational Collaboratives throughout the Commonwealth and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Please contact either Michelle Griffin at: mgriffin@doe.mass.edu or 781-338-6503 or Ruth Hersh at: rhersh@doe.mass.edu or 781-338-6508 if you have any questions regarding the Commissioner Appointee application process or your participation.