Guidance Counselor - Austin Junior High (10 months)

SUMMARY:

• Counsels individuals and provides group educational and vocational guidance services by performing the following duties.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Collects, organizes, and analyzes information about individuals through records, tests, interviews, and professional sources to appraise their interests, aptitudes, abilities, and personality characteristics for vocational and educational planning.

• Provides appropriate individual and group counseling and guidance.

• Implements an effective personal and professional growth plan.

• Exhibits positive human relations skills.

• Develops and maintains comprehensive records and reports.

• Utilizes and coordinates community resources in addressing the needs of students.

• Organizes and conducts events.

• Exhibits professional moral and ethical values and leadership.

• Engages in research and follow-up activities to evaluate counseling techniques.

• Teaches classes.

• Directs large group presentations on a variety of subjects.

• Complies with local, state, and federal policies, regulations, and laws affecting areas of responsibility and the American School Counselor Association Code of Ethics.

• Organizes and assists in test administration and evaluation.

• Demonstrates excellent written and oral communication skills.

NON-ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Other duties as assigned.

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT:

• 10-Month Contract

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:

• Master's degree (M.A.) with an Alabama Rank I certificate with an endorsement in Guidance and Counseling. Must have three years of successful teaching experience at the middle school level.

LANGUAGE SKILLS:

• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret periodicals, professional journals, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports and other correspondence. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of students, parents, and the general public.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS:

• Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent.

REASONING ABILITY:

• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to serve as a mediator between various groups such as students, teachers, parents, administrators, staff, other schools, and the public.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, & REGISTRATIONS:

• Alabama Class A Certificate with an endorsement in Guidance and Counseling.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear. The employee is frequently required to sit, stand, and walk for extended periods of up to 6 hours and use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects. The employee is occasionally required to stoop, bend, squat, climb stairs, crouch, and kneel.

• The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. The employee is occasionally required to push, pull, lift, carry, and/or move up to 35 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet.

• The level increases to very loud when supervising large group activities.

• Ability to handle stress without loss of tact or professionalism.

SALARY:

• Salary schedules are found on the main Decatur City Schools website, available here. (Please right-click and select Open in New Tab to view our salary schedules.)

• Listed below are items that may be necessary to complete your employment process in order to compute your annual salary. It is your responsibility to provide us with this requested information in order to receive your accurate salary.

• We need verification of previous public school teaching experience. Use the following information when requesting verification of experience from your past employment at other boards of education:

  • Within the state of Alabama, experience must be verified on Supplement EXP

  • Outside the state of Alabama, we must have a letter (on school district letterhead) or public school district form showing beginning and ending dates stating your years of service and position held while employed

  • Credit is awarded for public school experience only, private, parochial, or similar experience will not be accepted

  • Experience must be full time at least 50%-100% of the academic year

  • Administrative credit will be awarded only for experience in the same position, i.e., principal for principal position as stated in the salary schedule

  • Transfer Sick Leave: If you have sick leave from another state school system or from another state of Alabama agency, you must have a Sick Leave Transfer form sent from your previous employer to our Human Resources department

• The Decatur City Board of Education awards a salary based on the highest degree earned, even if the degree is outside education. The degree must be verified on an official transcript & recognized by the Alabama State Department of Education.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by an employee(s) within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of an employee(s) for this job.

The Decatur City School System does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, disability, sex, religion, national origin, or age in its programs, activities, or employment and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The Title IX Coordinator for Decatur City Schools is responsible for handling inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies. The Title IX Coordinator can be reached by calling the Decatur City Board of Education at (256) 552-3000.