We are now accepting applicants for Agriculture Teacher.

Reports to: Principal

Application Deadline: Until position is filled

Start Date: August 1, 2025

Answering the Call

Feeling trapped in the box of the traditional educational model? Ready to rethink rural, K-12 education? Wouldn’t it be cool if you could teach in an innovative rural school that cultivates students’ creativity and makes learning relevant through real-world experiences? A school in which the content standards are the floor and not the ceiling? A school in which relationships are valued more than compliance? Well, here’s your chance!

We are searching for individuals who are comfortable working in an exciting environment, who are risk-takers and are driven to imagine and explore the limitless possibilities for our students, and who are committed to providing an engaging, yet rigorous, project-based/place- based approach to teaching and learning. Successful candidates will be highly collaborative, yet independent thinkers, and will be comfortable “co-working” with their professional peers. Do you want to teach your students on a deeper level and facilitate opportunities for them to develop their passions beyond the core content? You’ll be able to do just that at University Charter School. UCS is a diverse, student- centered school that is seeking educators who are prepared to lead and are passionate about UCS's ambitious plans to reimagine rural education. If you’re tired of the box of tradition, apply to teach at University Charter School, where the box does not exist.

University Charter School

University Charter School (UCS) is an innovative PK-12 public charter school that opened in August 2018 in rural Livingston, Alabama. For the 2025-2026 school year, UCS will have ~764 students in grades PK – 12. UCS is designed to be a rural, diverse school that cultivates independent thought, promotes the building of character and civic responsibility, and is committed to preparing all students for personal and professional success through the discovery of individual learning pathways in a rigorous and integrated Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STREAM) focused, project-based and place-based curriculum. The vision of University Charter School is to become a rural model for producing adaptable learners that have a strong sense of place, mission, and rural identity, and who recognize the value of collaboration within a school, across a community, and between diverse rural regions. Our graduates will be prepared to continually meet the demands of an ever changing economy and will be perceived as community leaders and catalysts for meaningful change. We see UCS as a purposeful, place- based, and collaborative pathway to encourage growth and retention in and to restore relevance to our rural community.

UCS is strategically and intentionally located on the campus of the University of West Alabama and was created in partnership with the University of West Alabama. UCS faculty and students will leverage the assets of the University through hands-on partnerships and academic projects with participating colleges and divisions that span health care, education, and the arts, to name a few.

UCS’s approach to education is unique in a number of ways:

• Location: The school’s location on the University of West Alabama campus in rural Sumter County, Alabama, will provide students with the opportunity to build rich and ongoing relationships with each other and benefit from the programs and opportunities available on campus and in our community. Sumter County, our rural community, has been challenged by a lack of high quality educational opportunities, a decline in overall child well-being, high poverty rates, high unemployment rates, low per capita income, and depopulation. UCS was created out of a partnership between the University of West Alabama and a rural, impoverished community in an effort meet the educational needs of the children. By nurturing the diversity of a divided community, UCS presents a solution to the unique educational challenges that face rural communities by providing a blueprint for others to follow, as well as presents opportunities to demonstrate and implement PK-12 best practices in a rural setting.

• Curriculum: UCS’s curriculum is project-based and place-based, which will provide students with real-world local connections to what they are learning in school. Students will also have the autonomy to direct their course of study, allowing them to pursue academic work and projects that inspire them.

• Diverse by Design - Last but not least, UCS will ensure that a diverse group of students can take advantage of all of the opportunities this school will offer.

Roles and responsibilities

Classroom Instruction

• Serve the educational needs of UCS students K-12 by providing the latest knowledge and skills associated with the vision of the UCS agriculture education program, curriculum, competencies, goals, and outcomes in alignment with local, regional, and state needs.

• Prepare engaging lessons that demonstrate an awareness of best practices for engaging, instructing, and assessing students

• Utilize appropriate educational technologies and research to deepen and extend classroom learning

• Conduct relevant field trips for first-hand agriculture experience

Future Farmers of America (FFA)

• Serve as the advisor for the FFA chapter and provide opportunities for students to participate and be active

• Assist students in coordinating FFA activities in the local, state, and national levels

• Prepare and train FFA and agriculture contest teams and entries

• Assist students in preparing applications for proficiency awards, state and national recognitions, etc.

• Create opportunities and experiences for elementary students to learn about future FFA opportunities and become involved with the program (where appropriate)

Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAEs)

• Supervise students’ SAEs through school-based, worksite, and/or home visits

• Provide feedback and direction of the student’s SAE

• Visit students’ SAE projects once per semester

• Assist students in keeping SAE records

Other

• Remain professional at all times with students on campus and off campus as a representative of UCS

• Attend necessary professional development as assigned and identified

• Coordinate and collaborate with ag-related industry, higher education and community organizations to pursue and implement projects related to agriculture education

• Serve as point of contact and lead implementation of school garden efforts including coordination with the Child Nutrition Program Director to build a sustainable farm-to-school program

• Prepare and track the budget for the agriculture education program as advised

• Purchase supplies and equipment for the classroom and learning experiences

• Other relevant duties and responsibilities as assigned

Qualifications

The strongest candidates will have the following certifications, skills, and experiences:

• An undeniable enthusiasm for and commitment to authentically engaging youth

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

• Exceptional organizational and planning skills

• AL Educator Licensure/Endorsements or equivalent Out-of-State Licensure/Endorsements (If hired, out-of-state candidates must obtain necessary AL licensure (preferred, not required)

• Willingness to obtain CTE certification or endorsement for Agriculture

• Evidence of excellence in teaching in a student-centered and rigorous environment

• Experience in a project-based learning environment is strongly preferred, but not required

• Willingness to learn, explore, experiment, question, create, critique, and enhance as we RETHINK RURAL EDUCATION.

Salary and benefits

UCS offers a competitive salary dependent upon degree and experience and comprehensive benefits package including health insurance and retirement.