A member of the Iowa City School Board is among 20 Iowans tapped by the Iowa Legislature to serve on a state commission to aid in the implementation of new education-reform law.

Patti Fields, who was first elected to the School Board in 2005, will serve on the commission that will aim to implement the new statewide Teacher Leadership and Compensation System.

The announcement was made official by Iowa Department of Education Interim Director D.T. Magee in a Wednesday news release.

Members were appointed by the Iowa State Education Association, School Administrators of Iowa, the Iowa Association of School Boards, the Area Education Agencies, and the Iowa Department of Education.

According to the release, the goal of the system is to help schools raise student achievement by strengthening classroom instruction and allows effective teachers to pursue leadership opportunities for additional pay, while attracting promising new teachers with competitive starting salaries.

School districts that pursue state funding for a local teacher leadership system will submit plans to the Commission on Educator Leadership and Compensation. Commission members will evaluate plans before recommending approval to the Iowa Department of Education.

The commission’s first meeting will be held Aug. 14 at the Grimes State Office Building in Des Moines.

— by Quentin Misiag