POSITION SUMMARY:
Under
the direction of the General Counsel, the individual will be responsible for
developing the school district’s legislative program and monitoring bills
introduced to the Maryland General Assembly.
An employee in this class submits testimony before the Prince George’s
County Delegations and committees of the General Assembly; monitors regulatory
and policy issues before Maryland State Department of Education; monitors
education related legislation pending before the U.S. Congress; and provides legal research, analysis and
drafting of policies and procedures.
Responsibilities may also include providing legal opinions and advice of
counsel to the Superintendent of Schools and executive level staff on federal
and state issues impacting public education.
DUTIES and RESPONSIBILITIES: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.
Works with the General Counsel and the Superintendent
of Schools to develop the school district’s Legislative Program, to be
submitted annually to the Board of Education for its adoption and subsequent
distribution to legislators, education advocates and key stakeholders;
Drafts and reviews administrative
procedures;
Provides advice of counsel to the Superintendent
and executive level staff on federal and state issues impacting public
education;
Works with the Superintendent, monitors
all bills introduced into the General Assembly; ascertains the impact upon
Prince George’s County Public Schools of pertinent bills, as appropriate;
develops position to be recommended to the Board of Education in public session
on select pieces of legislation;
Drafts and submits written testimony
before committees of the General Assembly on bills that the Board has taken a
position or as reflected in its Legislative Program; orally testifies or
prepares oral testimony to be delivered by the Superintendent or Board Chair,
as appropriate;
Assists the Superintendent in
representing the interests of the school system before the County Council;
Works in tandem with the Green Street
Coalition, the Legislative Committees of the Maryland Association of Boards of
Education (MABE) and the Public School Superintendents Association of Maryland
(PSSAM), and similar like-minded public education advocates on issues before
the General Assembly, the Maryland State Department of Education and the United
States Congress;
Monitors regulatory and policy issues
before the Maryland State Board of Education at its monthly meetings as to
their impact upon PGCPS, and brings them to the attention of appropriate
officials within the school district, as need be, for appropriate action;
Monitors significant legislative actions
pending before the United States House of Representatives and Senate and their
committees as to their potential impact upon PGCPS, and brings them to the
attention of appropriate officials within the school district as need be for
appropriate action;
Works with the Superintendent, the Office
of General Counsel, and executive team members to review, analyze, and draft
policies and regulations to reflect the updated needs of PGCPS that will also
be responsive to actions of outside bodies such as the General Assembly and
Maryland State Department of Education;
Establishes a regular, timely cycle of
policies to be brought before the Board of Education for its review and
adoption;
Ensures PGCPS policies and procedures
are consistent with federal and state laws and regulations;
Responds to inquiries from school system
staff, the public at large and public officials regarding interpretation of
policies;
Responds to Public Information
Act requests;
Serves as an advisor to the Superintendent
of Schools on policy and intergovernmental relations issues; and
Performs other duties as required.
QUALIFICATIONS:The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.
Knowledge of the Maryland General
Assembly, its structure and governance;
Knowledge of the framework and
governance of public education in Maryland;
Demonstrated ability to analyze
legislation and related documents to assess their impact upon the school
district so as to formulate, recommend and advocate a position;
Demonstrated ability to research,
analyze and draft policies/regulations against the backdrop of the needs of the
school district;
Excellent oral and written
communication and presentation skills that demonstrate a professional demeanor;
The ability to interact with diverse
populations which include school system personnel, the public and elected
officials on behalf of the Superintendent and the Board of Education;
and
Demonstrated proficiency with software
applications (e.g. Microsoft Office Suite-Word, Excel, Outlook and/or Power Point
preferred).
EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:
Doctorate of Jurisprudence from an accredited Law School
required; admitted to the Maryland Bar. Five
(5) years of progressive, professional responsibility in governmental relations
and/or policy legal/analysis for K-12 school districts.
CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:
Admitted to the Maryland Bar.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:
No direct supervisory responsibilities.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
The physical demands are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand, talk, hear, walk, sit, and use fingers, tools or controls. The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision such as to read handwritten or typed material, the ability to adjust focus, and depth perception. While performing the duties of this job, the employee may occasionally push or lift up to 25 lbs.
WORKING ENVIRONMENT:
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
None.