Just a few weeks ago now, the Panorama School District learned it would be one of only 39 districts across Iowa to receive first-year state funding for a new Teacher Leadership and & Compensation Program beginning in 2014-15.

Superintendent Kathy Elliot explains what district officials’ first steps have been in this new process, one that she describes as being a “quick turnaround.”

“We’re trying to get selection committees for each building set up and hopefully by the end of this week we’ll have that done.  And then from there, those people will look at the teachers who have applied and start the (hiring) process.  Our intention is by the April (School) Board meeting, recommendations will be made on who to hire for the (teacher leader) positions.”

Panorama teachers interested in applying for the teacher leader positions must have applications submitted by Monday.  Per the terms of the state’s grant, Elliot says 14 teachers–or 25% of the district’s staff–will be selected.  But, she also hopes to receive more than just that base number of 14 applications.

“We want it to be something that a lot of people are interested in and obviously that is the hard part of this, is (selecting) who will get them, but we want this to be something that really supporting everyone.  We have had quite a bit of interest.”

The next Panorama School Board meeting will be held on April 14th.  If the 14 teacher leadership appointments are approved by the Board, those newly elevated instructors will meet with Iowa’s Department of Education for an initial organizational and support meeting on April 16.