Recruitment posting
_Generic Recruitment Posting (EDU)
Competition #: 338
Ministry : Education
Opening Date : 2017/01/09
closing Date : 2017/01/20
Role : Teacher and Public Members
It is recognized in Alberta as a fundamental principle and as a matter of public policy that all persons are equal. Diversity and inclusion are valued and supported on the boards of Alberta's public agencies.
The Minister of Education is seeking applications from individuals interested in serving on the Practice Review of Teachers Regulation Discipline Committees (Practice Review Committees) for the positions of teacher and public members. The successful candidates will be chosen to serve on one of the three Practice Review Committees:
• Practice Review General Panel
• Practice Review Complainant Appeal Committee
• Practice Review Appeal Committee
These discipline committees hear matters related to the alleged unprofessional conduct or professional incompetence of Alberta certificated teachers, who are not subject to the Teaching Profession Act and do not hold active membership in the Alberta Teachers’ Association (teachers not employed in public, separate, or Francophone school authorities). This typically includes superintendents, deputy superintendents, most associate/assistant superintendents, retired teachers, and teachers actively employed in:
• Private Schools;
• Charter Schools;
• First Nations Band-Operated Schools;
• ECS Operators; and
• Alberta accredited international schools.
The Practice Review Committees consist of three discipline committees established under the Practice Review of Teachers Regulation (Regulation).
These committees have responsibilities under, and are subject to, a number of statutes and regulations including the:
• School Act;
• Practice Review of Teachers Regulation;
• Alberta Public Agencies Governance Act;
• Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act;
• Public Service Act; and
The role of teacher and public members on these committees is to hear a matter to determine if a teacher has engaged in unprofessional conduct or is considered to be professionally incompetent, or to refer the matter to another committee in some cases.
These committees may be required to issue penalties where appropriate. The penalty may include making recommendations to the Minister regarding a teacher’s suitability to hold a teaching certificate. The committees’ decisions are shared in writing.
Appointments are made by Ministerial Order for terms of up to 3 years with an opportunity for renewal. Appointments for periods of less than 3 years may be made to provide for proper rotation and to assist with committee renewal. In accordance with the Alberta Public Agencies Governance Act, the maximum time allowed on this committee is 12 years.
The following criteria must be met:
• Applicants must be a resident of Alberta for at least one year;
• Teacher applicants must hold a valid Alberta Permanent Professional Certificate and be in good professional standing;
• Public member applicants must not hold or ever have held a teaching certificate;
• Applicants must provide a Criminal Record Check upon request.
• Candidates should demonstrate the following skills or experience:
• Knowledge of, and experience with, Alberta’s education system;
• Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills with the ability to recognize and value the contributions of board members, staff, and stakeholders;
• Ability to apply critical thinking and problem solving skills to determine whether a teacher has been unprofessional or is professionally incompetent;
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; and
• Knowledge of or experience participating in administrative proceedings such as disciplinary hearings or tribunals, using the principles of natural justice (the responsibility to demonstrate fairness without bias).
The following skills and experiences are an asset for all committee members (including Chairs):
• Experience with interpreting legislation;
• Knowledge of or experience with government or locally developed school authority policy affecting Alberta’s education system;
• Experience in conducting a conflict resolution or mediation process and making recommendations;
• Recent experience on a private, public and/or volunteer/nonprofit board or committee (e.g., a professional, school or community organization) with knowledge of how a board or committee functions;
• Knowledge of a superintendent’s role and/or school board operations;
• Ability to apply critical thinking and problem solving skills to creatively assess situations and to generate novel or innovative solutions to challenges facing teacher discipline committees.
Remuneration is provided by honorarium for public members appointed to these committees;
• $115 for up to and including four hours in any day, or
• $191 for over four hours and up to and including eight hours in any day, or
• $306 for over eight hours in any day.
This is in accordance with Schedule 1, Part B of the Committee Remuneration Order (466/2007). Please refer to the schedule for the honorarium schedule for the chair.
Additionally, travel expenses are reimbursed for appointed public members as outlined in the Travel, Meal and Hospitality Expenses Policy.
Appointed members are required to comply with the Public Transparency Act, by disclosing financial honorarium income gained from being a committee member on the Practice Review Committees.
The frequency of hearings is determined by the number of complaints or appeals referred to the Practice Review Committees by the Registrar at Alberta Education.
These committees conduct hearings approximately 6 to 8 times a year.
These committees meet at minimum once a year.
Practice Review Committee hearings and meetings are typically held within Edmonton.
If you require further information regarding this recruitment posting, please contact Katherine Lachacz, Governance Specialist Manager at 780-644-0679 (dial toll-free 310-0000 first within Alberta) or by email at katherine.lachacz@gov.ab.ca
Carefully read the Recruitment Posting and the Position Profile to ensure this is an appropriate opportunity for you. Applicants are advised to provide information that clearly and concisely demonstrates how their qualifications meet the advertised requirements.
Online applications are preferred. To apply, click on the 'apply' button, create or sign into your account in the ePAAS system; upload your resume, view the listing under Current Opportunities and click on 'submit application'. The uploaded resume will be automatically attached.
Provide a short (maximum 200 words) biography using the Biography template found under additional documents section. Your biography should contain general information about your education, experience, community involvement, skills, etc. Please note that biographies may be edited for length and clarity.
Once your biography and other required form(s) are completed, save it to your PC. When you hit 'submit application', you will be prompted to upload additional documents. Drag and drop (or upload) your completed cover letter, biography and other form(s) into the 'Drop files below or click to upload' section before clicking the 'apply' button.
If you are unable to apply online, please submit a cover letter and resume, quoting the recruitment posting competition number, to the contact provided on the posting. We thank all applicants for their interest. All applications will be reviewed to assess which candidates' qualifications most closely match the agency's requirements. Only those selected for interviews will be contacted to advance to the next step in the appointment process. You can check the status of each competition on-line at https://www.alberta.ca/public-agencies.cfm.
All potential candidates will be screened for potential conflicts of interest. Please Note: Successful applicants will have the following information about them made publicly available on the Public Agency Secretariat Website: name,biography, public agency, position appointed to.