Attendance Specialist

Job Description

Title: Attendance Specialist

Division: School-wide

Reports to: Chief Operating Officer (temporarily)

Status: Full-time, Exempt (Year-Round)

Salary: $70,000-$80,000 plus $12,000 Temporary Cost of Living Allowance & MWA Benefits

Position Summary

The role of the Attendance Specialist, under the supervision of the Chief Operating Officer, supports the educational process by ensuring students develop and maintain good attendance practices through intervention and monitoring. The Attendance Specialist supports students and families with attendance challenges, interprets and enforces attendance policies, works as a team with school administrators to develop prevention/intervention strategies, monitors student progress, and makes referrals to appropriate community agencies when necessary.

Primary Responsibilities

Attendance Administration

• Support the submission of all attendance documentation, including absence verifications, tardy slips, suspensions, student services (counseling, Social worker, RSP, IEP), and any school activity updates (sports, field trips, etc.)
• Maintain Faculty rosters and dismissal logs, and communicate with faculty, parents, and staff to ensure process accuracy and efficiency.
• Manage School Messenger on a daily basis to troubleshoot automated outgoing calls to families.

Attendance Intervention & Education

• Utilize school attendance data to identify students who are chronically absent.
• Monitor occurrences of extreme absenteeism, unexcused absences, and excessive tardiness and provide reports to school leaders and staff.
• Implement MWA’s Student Attendance Review Board process including but not limited to:
  • Identifying key staff members who will serve on the Student Attendance Review Board
  • Communicating with parents to discuss attendance issues
  • Generating and sending out truancy letters
  • Scheduling meetings with parents to discuss attendance issues
  • Generating referral packets for students to the Contra Costa County Office of Education Student Attendance Review Board
• Act as a liaison between the school and community agencies, such as public and private welfare, psychiatric, and law enforcement agencies.
• Create and implement attendance education campaigns regarding the importance of attendance.

Internal and State Reporting

• Compile and present monthly attendance data using the school database to create visual graphs.
• Create efficient systems to log files regarding attendance and enrollment, including Faculty rosters and dismissal logs.
• Maintain weekly SARB Log for both the Middle and Upper School, updating student attendance and identifying students with truancy issues.
• Follow-up with faculty regarding attendance reports.

Communication & Family Support

• Create and implement attendance education campaigns regarding the importance of attendance.
• Provide families with information related to the needs of their child and acts as a resource to parents/guardians by providing family support activities and communicating the importance of school attendance.

Additional Responsibilities and Expectations

Mission Alignment

• Demonstrate knowledge of, and support, Making Waves Academy’s mission, core values, standards, competencies, and code of conduct outlined in the Employee Handbook.
• Participate in the school community – attending school competitions, performances, assemblies, and extracurricular activities.

Other

• Perform additional duties as assigned.

Work Environment

This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as laptop computers, photocopiers, portable two-way radio transceivers, and smartphones

Physical Demands

While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be required to adhere to the following:

• Frequently walk across the middle and upper school campus, or climb stairs.
• Participate in campus supervision duty each week – Monday through Friday frequency may vary based on each semester’s supervision assignment.
• Lift files, open filing cabinets, bend or stand on a stool as necessary, and sit for long periods.

Travel

Some travel is required for MWA-related events, such as workshops or conferences

Qualifications

Experience

• Minimum two (2) years of relevant work experience required

Skills

• Ability to maintain records, prioritize tasks, and consistently demonstrate strong decision-making and judgment skills
• Ability to maintain large databases of information, synthesize data, and effectively communicate information with various stakeholders in the school community
• Customer service mindset and attention to detail leading to timely and accurate dissemination of information
• Ability to learn and use technology platforms such as PowerSchool, SchoolMint, Schoolzilla, SchoolMessenger
• Ability to adapt and align on school-related initiatives
• Ability to communicate with and build relationships with students and their families in the culturally and linguistically diverse MWA community
• Ability to uphold and reinforce school policies and procedures when addressing students and families
• Ability to work effectively in fast-paced environments with limited supervision
• Demonstrate an understanding of technology and literacy learning platforms (Microsoft Office Suite, Google Drive and Calendar, if applicable)
• Professional orientation – appearance, communication, organization, and attitude

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree required

Licenses or Certificates Needed

• Employment eligibility will include fingerprints, tuberculosis, COVID-19 vaccination, and/or other employment clearance

Preferred but not required

• Spanish language proficiency