Middle School Professional School Counselor - Prairie Ridge Middle School

The Ankeny Community School District (CSD) is renowned for its excellence across academics, athletics, the arts, and various activities. Situated in central Iowa, just 6 miles from Des Moines, Ankeny CSD caters to over 12,800 students from preschool through 12th grade, making it the 7th largest district in the state. With a strong reputation for its commitment to student success and a competitive salary and benefits package, Ankeny CSD is a standout choice for both educators and families seeking a high-quality educational environment.

JDE: 4.12B

Middle School Professional School Counselor

Purpose Statement

The position of Middle School Professional School Counselor supports the process of serving as a professional with specific responsibilities for the social/emotional, academic, and career development of students; supervising students within the classroom and other assigned areas: collaborating with teachers, other professional staff, and administrators, parents, community members, and others in addressing student issues; and responding to a wide range of inquiries from students, their parents or guardians and colleagues regarding instructional program and student progress. 

Job Title: Middle School Professional School Counselor                                                    Salary: Negotiated Teacher Salary 2 Week Stipend

Employment Year:  Negotiated Teacher Contract plus 2 Week Extended Contract

Reports To: Building Principal   

Wage/Hour Status:  Exempt 

Minimum Qualifications:

• Five or more years counseling experience or an equivalent, preferred
• Experience working in a school setting, preferred
• Excellent written and oral communication
• Exemplary organizational skill and ability to carry through multiple tasks in meeting deadlines
• Professional School Counselor K-8 or Professional School Counselor 5-12

Education:     

• Master’s degree in school counseling, required.
• Iowa State School Counselor License, required. 

 Essential Functions 

• Delivers a comprehensive professional school counseling program for the purpose of improving student social/emotional, academic and career development.
• Collaborates with instructional staff, other school personnel, parents, and a variety of community resources for the purpose of improving the overall quality of the professional school counseling program to support the school improvement plan. 
• Collaborates with the building leadership team to research, select, implement, and evaluate professional school counseling strategies focused on improvement of student social/emotional, academic, and career needs.
• Assesses student social/emotional, academic and career needs and/or goals for the purpose of providing feedback to students, parents, and administration, and informs next steps for future readiness.
• Advises parents and/or legal guardians of student social/emotional, academic and career needs and/or goals for the purpose of communicating expectations, student's achievements, and developing methods for improvement and/or reinforcing needs and/or goals in the home environment.
• Research, identify, develop, and/or offer social/emotional, academic and career professional development opportunities for staff.
• Administers programs, assessments, and inventories for the purpose of making informed decisions and guidance to support students’ growth and success.
• Manages student behavior for the purpose of providing a safe and optimal learning environment.
• Monitors students in a variety of educational environments (e.g. classroom, school campus, school assemblies and events, etc) for the purpose of providing a safe and positive learning environment. 
• Responds to inquiries from a variety of sources (e.g. other teachers, parents, administrators, etc.) for the purpose of resolving issues, providing information and/or direction. 
• Supports classroom teachers for the purpose of assisting them in the implementation of supporting the  social/emotional, academic and career needs and/or goals of students. 
• Participates in a variety of meetings, including parent teacher conferences, PLCs, lEPs, 504 meetings, etc  for the purpose of conveying and/or gathering information required to social/emotional, academic and career needs and/or goals of students.
• Prepares a variety of written materials for the purpose of documenting student progress and meeting mandated requirements.
• Reports incidents (e.g.,  behavior infractions,  suspected child abuse, suspected substance abuse, etc.) for the purpose of maintaining personal safety of students, providing a positive learning environment and adhering to state and federal laws and school board policies.
• Assist with all aspects of the school improvement process related to the middle school professional school counselor program. 
• Maintains accurate records.

Other Functions 

• Collaborate and build a strong working relationship.
• Participate in staff development training programs, faculty meetings, and special events, as assigned.
• Facilitate and oversee committee meetings, as assigned.
• Demonstrate initiative and the ability to work without close supervision.           
• Demonstrate integrity and maintain confidentiality.
• Respectfully and appropriately interact with staff, community members and visitors.
• Uphold and adhere to safety rules and policies for Ankeny Community School District. 
• Support the goals and objectives of the school district and follow all district policies.
• Demonstrate the ability to attend work on a regular and routine basis to avoid disruption to   District operations.
• Perform all duties in a safe manner to avoid injury to oneself and/or others. 
• Respond to emergency situations for the purpose of resolving immediate safety concerns and/or directing appropriate personnel for resolution. 
• Perform other related duties, as assigned, for the purpose of ensuring the efficient and effective functioning of the work unit.

Working Environment 

Mental Demands/Physical Demands/Environmental Factors

The usual and customary methods of performing the position functions require the following physical demands: lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, climbing, reaching, driving, standing and walking. Working conditions may include extreme temperatures and humidity.  Hazards may include exposure to communicable diseases. This position requires one to maintain emotional control under stress.

Terms of Employment

Work year established by the District; Salary according to schedule adopted annually.

Clearances

Criminal Justice Fingerprint/Background Clearance

Evaluation 

Job performance will be evaluated annually, as per district policies and procedures

The foregoing statements describe the general purpose and responsibilities assigned to this job and are not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties that may be assigned or skills that may be required.

Approved by:  Justin Mohr                                            Date: January 3rd, 2024

The Ankeny Community School District is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer.