Biography - John O'Brien

John O'Brien
John Gregory O'Brien
Assistant Superintendent of Instruction
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District
E-mail: jobrien@kpbsd.k12.ak.us
(907) 714-8884

Education
  • B.S.--Secondary Education.  University of Maine at Farmington     (1993). Cum Laude

  • M. Ed.--Educational Administration.  University of Southern Maine (2001). 

  • Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study Coursework: Coursework at the University of Southern Maine, Muskie Institute for Public Policy. 
Knowledge/Skills: 
  • Budget Dev./Oversight
  • New Teacher Induction
  • Evaluation Development
  • School Law
  • Facility Management
  • Curriculum Review
  • Policy Review/Oversight
  • Staff Super./Eval.
  • Staff Development
  • Mediation
  • Staff Recruitment/Retention
  • Grant Writing
  • Public/Media Relations
  • Lead Contract Negotiator

 

Activities/Honors: 

 

  • Alaska Region III-Principal of the Year 2009-2010 Recognized by colleagues in Region III (Anchorage, Mat-Su Valley, Cordova, Valdez, and the Kenai Peninsula).
  • KPBSD Committee's: Served on the Reclassification and Policy Committees as the Administrator liaison. Offering building administrator input on revising/creating key board policy. Served with a team of support staff and the Director of Human Resources as the review body for job reclassification requests.
  • Kenai Administrator's Association Executive Board Member (May 2006 – 2010): Completed a four-year appointment to the Executive Board. Served as President of the KPAA in 2008-09 and lead negotiator for a new negotiated agreement.
  • 2004-05 Maine Distinguished Educator for Teacher Quality: Selected by the Commissioner of Education to serve the Department of Education as a Distinguished Educator.
  • Appointment consisted of serving as Maine's point person for all Teacher Quality issues. Responsible for Title IIA administration, state-wide. Appointment required a one-year leave of absence from the Principal's home district.
  • Maine Principals' Association Board of Director (2001 – 2005): Served a three-year appointment to the Professional Management Committee/Board of Directors of the Maine Principals' Association.
  • South Portland School Department, No Child Left Behind, "Highly Qualified Teacher" Point Person (Spring 2004): Served as the Superintendent's district-wide point person in developing the South Portland School Department's process for complying with "HQT" data collection.
  • NCLB-Teacher Quality Stakeholders Group (2003-04): Appointed by the Commissioner to serve on this stakeholders group comprised of Maine teachers, administrators, MEA representation, State Board of Education Members and Dept. of Education Policy staff. Work included formalizing Maine's policy on the HOUSSE Plan.
  • District Representative to the Kennebec Consortium for School Administrators (2001-2003): Served on the KCSA Board of Directors and represented all MSAD #16 Administrators in the area of administrative re-certification, professional development, and administrative standards. Served in an oversight capacity with other members in the consortium on approval of administrative re-certification plans.
  • AARBC Site Director (2001-2003): Directed/administered district grant funds for advancing the Agenda for Results Based Educator Certification (AARBC). Supervised new teachers and veteran mentors as part of this pilot teacher induction grant through the U.S. Dept. and Maine Dept. of Education.
  • AARBC Oversight Council (2001-2003): Appointed to serve on this oversight board to guide the Department of Education on policy issues related to mentoring and new teacher induction.
  • MSAD #16 Administrative Liaison to the District Governance Board (Teacher Certification-2001-2003): Served as the Administrative Team liaison while working with six teachers on this professional development /re-certification board.
  • Negotiations Liaison (2000-2003): Served as the administrative liaison for support staff negotiations. Served as administrative team representative for administrative contract negotiations in MSAD #11 and MSAD #16.
  • New School Construction/Building Committee Work: MSAD #54 and MSAD #16 new school construction committee.
  • MSAD #16 K – 12 Curriculum Committee Chairperson/Director: Served as MSAD #16's administrative coordinator of curriculum activities and all content area committees.
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Professional Experience
  • Assistant Superintendent of Instruction: 7/15-Present Kenai Peninsula Borough School District. Soldotna, Alaska.  Responsibilities: Provide instructional leadership that emphasizes education's best instructional or non-instructional practices, provides clarity, focus and prioritized sequence in working towards the realization of the District's vision.  Supervises and evaluates Directors and various building administration as assigned by the Superintendent.
  • Director of Secondary Education: 7/11-6/15 Kenai Peninsula Borough School District. Soldotna, Alaska. Responsibilities: Supervise and evaluate secondary education, distance education, work force development, and student activities. Provide leadership, direction and support to district secondary school administrators and teachers. Oversee district guidance counselors and post-secondary preparation programs.
  • Principal: 8/05 – 6/11 Nikiski Middle/High School Nikiski, Alaska. Responsibilities: Serve as educational/instructional leader of a 375 student middle/high school. Oversee curriculum delivery, budget, policy review/implementation, professional development, staff evaluations, student discipline/attendance, building safety, proactive discipline approaches, special education/504 issues, facility use/community activities and workers compensation.
  • Distinguished Educator for Teacher Quality: 7/04 – 7/05 Maine Department of Education Augusta, Maine. Responsibilities: Served as the point person for all teacher quality issues. Provided district superintendents with technical assistance and consultation on The No Child Left Behind Act, "Highly Qualified Teacher" provisions. Responsible for administration and oversight of Federal Title IIA program monies and regulation interpretation. Served as the Department liaison to the Regional Teacher Development Centers, coordinated Maine's mentoring and induction training programs, and assisted with policy development in higher education (teacher preparation) and certification.
  • Principal: 7/00 – 6/05 Memorial Middle School South Portland, Maine (2003-2005) *On loan to Dept. of Education for 2004-2005
  • Hall-Dale Middle School Farmingdale, Maine (2000-2003) Responsibilities: Served as educational leader of these middle schools. Curriculum oversight, budget, policy review/implementation, professional development, staff evaluations, student discipline/attendance, building safety, proactive discipline approaches, special education/504 issues, facility use/community activities and workers compensation.
  • Assistant Principal: 7/99 – 6/00 Gardiner Area High School, Gardiner, Maine. Responsibilities: Chair of the Student Assistance Team, discipline, staff evaluations, attendance, building safety, IEP administration and curriculum oversight/development work.
  • Assistant Principal/Athletic Administrator: 7/97 – 6/99 Skowhegan Area Middle School, Skowhegan, Maine. Responsibilities: Discipline, staff evaluation, attendance, building safety, IEP/504 administration, athletics and student activities.
  • Special Education Teacher: 8/93 – 6/97 Composite Life Skills Program Skowhegan Area Middle School. Instructed 15 developmentally delayed, autistic, and L.D. seventh and eighth graders in the resource room and in regular classroom team teaching situations. Supervised four full time Educational Technicians.
  • Self-Contained Behavior Program MSAD #40, Waldoboro, ME. Instructed seventh through ninth grade students with severe emotional and behavioral disorders in a self-contained behavior program based on a day treatment model. Supervised two full time Educational Technicians.