Student Services Director

Fowler Elementary School District

Job Title:                STUDENT SERVICES DIRECTOR

Classification:        Administrator

Pay Range:            Salary and contract terms to be established by the Governing Board

Description:          

The Student Services Director provides leadership, supervision, and coordination of

the entire operation of the Exceptional Education program including special

education, Section 504, alternative programs, etc. He/she plans, directs and

implements special education programs designed to meet the individual needs of

exceptional students and improve student achievement. He/she oversees the Section

504 Plans for student’s district-wide and the students placed in alternate special and

general education programs. The director also provides training and inservice to

district staff, parents, and community to further promote understanding of special and

general education students, programs and services.

Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree or above in education or a related field is required
• Valid Arizona administrative Certificate
• Special Education Certificate
• Valid Fingerprint Clearance Card
• Five years successful teaching experience at the elementary or middle school level in special education, preferred
• Three years experience developing or monitoring budgets, preferred
• Experience working with parents and the community on exceptional education issues
• Experience in planning and delivering professional development to school personnel
• Strong decision-making and problem-solving skills
• Experience in building level leadership in special education
• Experience in certified and classified staff supervision
• One (1) year of experience interpreting and implementing state and federal laws and regulations related to special education
• Skill in the areas of curriculum and planning, staff training, goal setting, and staff program evaluation
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills when dealing with students, parents, and staff
• Strong knowledge of the English language including reading, writing, and oral communication with extensive skills in spelling, punctuation and grammar
• Knowledge of Spanish including reading, writing, and oral communication desirable
• Must be energetic, decisive, highly ethical, strong leader
• Must be sensitive to interpersonal relationships
• Strong leadership, decision-making and implementation skills
• Must be capable of dealing with several assignments concurrently regarding a variety of issues
• Must be an energetic and be highly ethical
• Administrative experience is preferred

Knowledge of:

• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and its regulations
• Special education, Gifted Education, Section 504, language acquisition programs etc. is required
• Child Study Team process
• Standard special education form, such as MET, IEP, Parent Release, Student Placement, etc.
• Elementary/Middle school curriculum
• General and special education student intervention programs and procedures
• Federal and Arizona School Law governing schools and districts
• Policies, procedures, rules and regulations of the District and the schools
• National standards and Arizona Academic and Professional Standards

Ability to:

• Perform functions from written and oral instructions
• Utilize problem-solving techniques
• Prioritize work, take initiative, adhere to time restraints and attend to multiple tasks
• Maintain confidentiality of staff, student and family record
• Writing and managing grants
• Participate in staff selection, assignment, orientation and evaluation
• Provide in-service to staff
• Plan, organize and motivate staff
• Work effectively with a diverse community
• Communicate ideas and programs to individuals, staff, parents, community, etc.

Alternatives to the above qualifications as the Governing Board of the Superintendent may deem appropriate

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Oversees the entire operation of the Exceptional Education program including, students, staff, facilities, programs for speech, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, etc.
• Establish and maintain special education classes and services for all exceptional students
• Develop and promote suitable procedures for screening and diagnosing students in special programs
• Implement appropriate and uniform procedures for identification, evaluation, and placement of students
• Work with school staff to identify students who are not making adequate academic progress and designs appropriate interventions
• Provide principals with current research-based models for use in identification of exceptional educational students and for intervention to improve academic progress
• Visit and monitor special education classroom to ensure services and teachers are meeting the needs of each exceptional child and his/her IEP goals
• Monitor compliance with all applicable federal and state policies and procedures
• Monitor compliance with No Child Left Behind act (NCLB), Arizona Standards and Arizona Learns
• Monitor the implementation of Part B IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) and other appropriate federal projects
• Manage resource allocations and curriculum enhancements based on needs-assessment
• Research parent and staff concerns and work with them to solve problems and negotiate solutions
• Inform parents of their rights, obligations and responsibilities concerning the education of their children
• Represent the district as the community’s advocate for all children with disabilities
• Assist the principal in teh recruiting, interviewing and hiring “highly qualified” professional staff and paraprofessionals for Special Education Department
• Assist the building principal in the evaluation of special education personnel
• Oversee and assist personnel assignment to the alternative education programs within and outside the school district
• Facilitate and oversee initial and annual Section 504 Plans for student’s district-wide
• Review and correct department documents, forms and reports for completion and appropriateness
• Plan and administer the budget for special education services
• Prepare financial and program reports required by the State Department of Education
• Continually investigate federal and state financial aid for special education
• Write grants, budgets, amendments, and periodic reports, completion reports in coordinate with the district administration and business services
• Facilitate program development and textbook adoption
• Maintain student records as required by the state or needed for effectively meeting student needs
• Develop and provide staff development in curriculum and effective instructional strategies
• Establish effective communication with outside agencies that may provide specialized or professional assistance to special education students and their parents and serve as the referral agent to these agencies
• Meet with parents and teachers of special education students enrolled in the program
• Assist with the adaptation of school policies to include special education needs
• Conduct inservice programs as requested by school administrators and teachers regarding special education programs, placement of students and qualification guidelines
• Develop and implement training programs for special education paraprofessionals
• Maintain and distribute testing material for school psychologists
• Conduct external and internal monitoring of special education programs
• Coordinate and facilitate the implementation and evaluation of alternative education, gifted education, homebound education, and other special education programs
• Manage and supervise the Medicaid in the Public School (MIPS) program
• Develop and file a state-approved special education curriculum as mandated by the Arizona Department of Education
• Continually evaluate existing special education programs regarding academic growth and achievement of IEP goals and benchmarks
• Work with the district administration and building principals to develop ESY programs for summer sessions
• Develop and maintain open lines of communication between education staff, regular program staff, parents, and other agencies
• Work positively with members of all district staff (i.e. , educational service, technology, food services, transportation, maintenance etc.
• Assist the building principal in coordinating transportation needs for special education students
• Effectively communicate to the Superintendent and Governing Board program-related activities, events, and concerns
• Work cooperatively with relevant Community/Parent Advisory Committees
• Develop and facilitate the use of technology as a teaching tool and accurate record keeping
• Establish a list of standardized materials used in each special education class and work with the building administrator to ensure that these materials are available to special education teachers
• Prepare program reports for the administrative team and Governing Board as requested
• Participate in district sponsored professional development workshops/inservices, attend professional meetings, read professional journals and publications, etc. for continued professional development
• Maintain strict confidentiality and use appropriate discretion when working with all district personnel and student and family records and/or information
• Adhere and support all Governing School Board policies and/or regulations, Arizona Revised Statutes and federal regulations pertaining to education
• Perform all other duties as assignment by the Governing School Board, the Superintendent or his/her designee
• Submit all required state and federal level reports in a timely manner (data, census verification, etc.)

Length of Employment:

• Twelve (12) months

Reports to:             District Superintendent

Evaluation:             Performance to be evaluated in accordance with Board Policy GDO

Salary : $95,598 - $132,763