Anticipated School Adjustment Counselor, Salem Public Schools, Salem, MA [SY 2025-2026]

Anticipated School Adjustment Counselor, Salem Public Schools, Salem, MA [SY 2025-2026]

About Salem Public Schools, where belonging leads to opportunity.

Salem is a small, diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history.  Salem Public Schools is an urban public school district enrolling nearly 4,000 students in 11 schools. Our vision is to ensure that all students will be locally engaged, globally connected, and fully prepared to thrive in a diverse and changing world. We hold dear our core values of belonging, equity, and opportunity in everything we do. We seek individuals who are passionate about urban education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement for all students, regardless of ability, economic status, gender/gender identity, language, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, or other backgrounds. We invite you to learn more about our strategic plan and core priorities on our website at https://salemk12.org/. 

What You’ll Do:

In accordance with the policy and procedures of Salem Public Schools, the School Adjustment Counselor (SAC) provides a spectrum of therapeutic interventions and supports to identified students and families. Counseling may be provided in individual or group settings. The SAC assists staff in delivering therapeutic social, emotional and behavioral support to all students. Support and services designated in the IEPs are a primary duty of the SAC and must be implemented with fidelity and aligned to the trauma-informed practices and embedded SEL curriculum of the district. The School Adjustment Counselor is considered an integral part of the student support team at their assigned building and collaboration with teachers, administrators, parents, and other professionals is integral to creating a safe, healthy, productive, and supportive learning environment for students.

School Adjustment Counselor Responsibilities Include:

• Facilitate individual and group counseling interventions groups according to IEP goals, objectives and service delivery grids, using data to inform decisions and counseling efficacy
• Facilitate as-needed social skills groups and/or individual counseling supports on topics such as social communication and healthy relationship skills, conflict resolution, self-esteem, substance abuse prevention/healthy choices, social media, mindfulness practices.
• Conduct mental health assessments including risk assessments, suicide ideation protocols, and mobile crisis response protocols.
• Offer consultation and support to teachers regarding students with emotional or academic concerns and support teachers in implementing accommodations and support plans in the classroom and school community
• Participate as a member of the building’s student support team, crisis management and response teams
• Collect and analyze data and use the information as the basis for informing counseling interventions and IEP goals
• Complete observations and assessments and be able to identify students with disabilities based on IDEA and knowledge of special education laws and regulations that govern the identification of children with disabilities
• Conduct Functional Behavioral Assessments in consultation with behavior support staff and work with behavior specialist/staff and teachers to create and implement Positive Behavioral Intervention Plans
• Complete required paperwork and job-related functions in a timely manner in accordance with District and DESE guidelines, including writing IEP goals, trimester/quarterly progress reports, Medicaid Billing, and service tracking compliance
• Attend IEP meetings and serve as 504 liaison, as assigned
• Routinely attend district and school-based meetings, trainings, professional development, school-wide and district-wide events, including some evening hours
• Other duties as assigned by the Principal, Executive Director of Student Support Services, and Special Education Supervisor.

The School Adjustment Counselor is considered an integral part of a multi-disciplinary team in their assigned building(s) and collaborates with supervisors, teachers, administrators, parents, and other professionals to create safe, healthy, productive, and supportive learning environments for Salem’s students. The position includes supporting specific district-wide programs for students with social/emotional disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, intellectual disabilities, and language-based learning disabilities, as assigned.

What You’ll Bring:

We are looking for candidates who have diverse backgrounds and experiences, are inspired by our mission and are highly motivated to change children’s lives through education. You’ll be right at home here if you are a reflective practitioner who values collaboration with colleagues and pushes yourself, your work and the people around you to the next level.  We expect our SPS employees to:

• Hold a deep commitment to students and families and value diversity - The SPS community is vibrant, diverse in background, ethnicity, language, and perspective. You embrace and affirm the backgrounds of all members of the SPS community and view our diversity as a powerful resource that supports us each in learning and doing our best work.
• Hold high expectations for yourself, students, and colleagues – You see potential in all, especially our SPS students, and maintain high expectations for achievement, while providing the support necessary to meet that bar. You hold yourself to high expectations, modeling SPS values and seeking opportunities to continuously improve.
• Build authentic, caring relationships with colleagues, students, and families – You build strong relationships across students, families, and colleagues that are collaborative in nature and contribute to the individual and collective success of SPS.  You partner with families and colleagues to make decisions in the best interest of students and learning.
• Embrace feedback – You are a reflective practitioner who learns from failure, using mistakes and challenges as opportunities for growth. You model persistence and growth mindset and thrive in a culture of feedback.

Skills and Qualifications:

• DESE Licensed or license eligible as a school social worker/school adjustment counselor
• Ability to communicate verbally and in written format and ability to interact effectively with families, community members, collateral contracts, students and staff
• Evidence of culturally competent counseling practices
• Excellent time management skills, ability to triage/prioritize given competing needs, ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience with the assessment and identification of students with disabilities under IDEA and knowledge of special education laws and regulations that govern the identification of children with disabilities.
• General understanding of the legal requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
• Understanding of environmental factors that affect learning and social adjustment, including experience with working with students who have experienced trauma
• Experience in conducting classroom observations and completing functional behavioral assessments
• Experience working in a school environment
• Bilingual (Spanish) skills preferred
• Current authorization to work in the United States.

Work Year: Teachers in Salem Public Schools work a 185 day school year (180 student contact days plus 5 professional development days. Please visit www.salemk12.org to view the 2023-24 district and/or school calendar.

Salary: Teacher salaries in the Salem Public Schools are determined by the Salem Teachers Union collective bargaining agreement. Salary information can be found in Appendix A. Use our new Salem Teacher Salary estimator here. Collins Middle School teachers receive an additional 4% differential on top of their base salary for a slightly longer (7 hour) school day.

Benefits: The City of Salem offers Group Insurance Commission (GIC) benefits to all full-time employees. Click here for more information about our health benefits.

This is a school-year position. Salary at Teachers Union Step and Column with differential for added days/hours, per union contract. The School Adjustment Counselor reports to the building Principal, Special Education Supervisor and the Executive Director of Student Support Services

Contact Information: Ellen Wingard, Executive Director of Student Support Services

                        Salem Public Schools

                        29 Highland Avenue

                        Salem, MA  01970

Phone: 781-732-0137

Email: ewingard@salemk12.org

Equal Opportunity Employer

Salem Public School District is committed to maintaining a work and learning environment free from discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, pregnancy, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital/civil union status, ancestry, place of birth, age, citizenship status, veteran status, political affiliation, genetic information or disability, as defined and required by state and federal laws. Additionally, we prohibit retaliation against individuals who oppose such discrimination and harassment or who participate in an equal opportunity investigation.