Dear Local Presidents:
You may recall that in the 2013 Legislative Session a statewide system of Teacher Leadership
and Compensation was passed.
We are now at the first stage of implementation of this program.
Local school districts are eligible to apply for planning grants to assist in developing local
teacher leadership plans. These grants are only available to districts in the 2013-14 school year,
regardless of when the district applies for the Teacher Leadership Supplement.
The email that was sent to all Superintendents from the Department of Education about this grant
opportunity is below. If you click the “here” link it will take you to a video from Ryan Wise
explaining the application process. There are also other resources to help you in this work.
Also included in this email is a sample letter you can modify and send to your Superintendent
asking for the Association to be involved in the planning process. This is the best place for you,
as a local leader, to begin to impact your district’s teacher leadership plans.
ISEA will provide additional information as this process moves forward.
Thank you for all that you do in your Local Association. Please let us know how we can assist
you!
UniServ Director
Sample letter to local Superintendent about Association involvement in planning process
Dear Superintendent Smith:
I understand that the application period for our district to apply for a grant from the Iowa
Department of Education to help us develop our local teacher and leadership compensation plan
is now open.
The members of the (Anywhere Education Association) are very interested in being involved in
this important planning process. We believe any teacher leadership and compensation plan in
our district will require the input of our teachers early in the planning process to be successful.
If you already have thoughts about how you would like to move forward with this planning I am
interested in hearing those. If you are still in the planning stages I am eager to help formulate a
strategy that will engage our practitioners.
The Local Association is ready to assist you in providing names of members who would like to
participate in this planning process.
The planning grant application process closes on October 31, 2013, and if our district chooses to
apply for the Teacher Leadership Supplement in the first round our application will be due
January 31, 2014. Given this tight timeframe, we are ready to assist in the planning process.
I look forward to hearing from you soon on this important matter.
Sincerely,
Sally Jones
President
Anywhere Local Association
Letter from Iowa Department of Education to Superintendents
Dear Superintendents,
I’m excited to share with you that starting today through October 31st, all public school districts can
apply for a grant to support your efforts to develop a local teacher leadership and compensation plan.
It is our hope that all public school districts in Iowa will take advantage of this great opportunity. Please
click here for all of the information you will need to access a grant and to begin the local planning
process.
The first step in planning is for school districts to determine the process you will use to design your
teacher leadership plan. As you begin this work, think broadly about the stakeholders you want to
engage, the information and learning opportunities you want to access, the time you need to develop an
effective plan, and how you will use these financial resources to support the planning process. Once you
have determined your initial planning process, your school district should designate a person to request
a planning grant from the Iowa Department of Education. The purpose of the planning grant is to
facilitate a local decision-making process that includes administrators, teachers, and parents and
guardians of students. Each district requesting a planning grant will receive $5,000 plus $3.71 per
pupil.
Accepting planning funds does NOT commit a district to adopting a teacher leadership system. The
grants simply provide districts with the resources needed to begin the planning process. Some districts
may decide that they need more time than the initial planning window allows; these districts may, in
turn, choose to wait to submit a plan.
We intend for this grant request to be an easy process and for all districts that pursue a planning grant
to receive one. Once again, the deadline to request a planning grant is October 31st. You will then have
until January 31st, 2014 to develop and submit your plan. Directions on how to submit your completed
plan will be available in October.
If you have any questions about requesting your planning grant, please contact Dr. Peter Ansingh at
peter.ansingh@iowa.gov or at 515-281-5433.
Sincerely,
Ryan
Ryan Wise, Ed.L.D.
Director of Strategic Initiatives
Iowa Department of Education
Grimes Office Building, 2nd Floor
400 E. 14th Street
Des Moines, IA 50319-0146
Office: (515) 725-2830
Cell: (515) 681-2308