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Department repurposes staff to create Office of Education Advocacy; position classified as project coordinator
Summary
The Department of Education said it reorganized existing staff to create an Office of Education Advocacy to centralize public inquiries; the office will be staffed by a project coordinator (restructured, not funded as a new position) and will centralize calls on certification and special education questions.
The Department of Education and Early Development told the House Finance Education Subcommittee on Feb. 7 that it is creating an Office of Education Advocacy to centralize help for families, educators and other stakeholders seeking information about certification, special education and other education services.
Deputy Commissioner Karen Morrison said the office will be a central hub to reduce response time and streamline inquiries. She said the department reorganized positions within the commissioner's office rather than adding new budget authority.
Deputy Director Deb Riddle and other staff said many incoming calls have concerned teacher certification and special education questions; centralizing the intake should reduce the number of calls routed to separate staff and speed responses.
Representative Andy Story and others asked whether the office represents a new FTE and at what salary range. Morrison and staff said the role is a project coordinator post and the reorganization did not increase the department's budget request. The department said the project coordinator position was being advertised and would be included in the commissioner's personnel budget lines.
Committee members asked to see the position duties and a rationale comparing the role to other unmet staffing needs; the department agreed to provide the committee the position description and to include the item in budget personnel detail.
