PERSONNEL SERVICES/INTERNAL OPERATIONS
Meetings with district personnel staff, hosted by IU 5 Personnel Services, continue to be very well received and have proven to be a wonderful opportunity to network and disseminate information on PDE initiatives such as PIMS and FBI fingerprinting. The Western PASPA Fall Academy was hosted by IU 5 again this year for local and surrounding districts with Susan Stewart, PASPA Consultant and former Division Chief of Certification at PDE, presenting information on certification, PIMS, Act 48, and other PDE initiatives.
FBI Fingerprinting Site
IU 5 is one of five sites in the tri-county area, having processed approximately 1,500 transactions during the 08-09 school year. This service is offered to all prospective employees of a school entity who have direct contact with students, and has been expanded for student teachers, foster parents, DPW employees, bus contractors, banking institutions.
Emergency Substitute Teacher Consortium
Through IU 5’s coordination, 258 emergency substitute teachers were available to be utilized by consortium members (consisting of IU 5, 14 school districts, and 1 charter school) for the 08-09 school year:
¨ 72 new emergency substitute teachers were recruited
¨ 186 previously recruited emergency substitute teachers applied for reissuance of their emergency permits
Pre-K Counts
Several Pre-K Counts providers in our area have requested participation in IU 5’s PDE-approved Induction Program. Personnel Services has submitted an Appendix to our current Induction Plan to the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) for approval. Once approved, any Early Childhood Education certified teachers in these Pre-K Counts programs will be enrolled in our Induction Program and mentored by our staff, beginning the 09-10 school year.
The
Annie Sullivan Award was presented in remembrance of Beth Reichel. Beth had been employed by the Northwest Tri-County Intermediate Unit as a Multiple Disabilities Support and a Life Skill Support Special Education Teacher for almost 7 years who suddenly passed away this year. The following is an excerpt from Beth’s Annie Sullivan Award nomination letter: “For the past 6 years, Beth Reichel worked as a Life Skills teacher with the I.U. Beth was a motivated educator who loved teaching and was devoted to her students. Beth was also a joy to work with, she was a compassionate colleague, always willing to lend a hand and offer encouragement. Her dedication and enthusiasm extended beyond the classroom. Beth worked with the AKTION Club of Crawford County during her tenure at Saegertown Elementary school. The AKTION Club assists adults with developmental disabilities in the community…For the past five years, Beth was the Volunteer Coordinator for Crawford County Special Olympics...Beth will be remembered for her optimistic outlook, her witty sense of humor, and her gentle and kind spirit...”
To continue efforts toward improving the health and safety of employees through the WELLNESS and SAFETY Committees:
• Internal Operations coordinated several wellness “goodwill” and fundraising activities for the benefit of IU staff and the communities in which we live and work
• Platinum Safety Award was presented for safety achievement from PA Insurance Consortium for Schools (PICS) Workers’Compensation trust
• Employees were administered preventative health screenings at the annual IU August Inservice and participated in a Heakth Risk Assessment through Highmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield
• Employees were provided with the opportunity to participate in numerous wellness activities during the year