Job Application for Dean of Special Services at Democracy Prep Public Schools

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General Overview:

The primary role of the Dean of Special Services (DSS) is to oversee and coordinate all academic supports to improve outcomes for students who receive specialized services as mandated on IEPs and 504 plans, ELP plans, and pre-referral academic interventions. This person will oversee one to two campuses, each of which may offer a range of specialized services such as ICT, SETSS, or special class settings. They may also take on leadership responsibilities for specific specialized class settings as assigned by their supervisor. They partner with the network Directors of Special Education to build a vision for strong special education instructional programming and compliance systems at Democracy Prep, and work to make that vision come to life. The DSS will build the capacity of special education and co-teaching staff by providing professional development focused on differentiation and specially designed instruction, serve as an avid communicator with families, and maintain strong data-based compliance systems to drive scholar outcomes. This school-based position will sit as a member of the leadership team and report directly to the network Directors of Special Services.

Who You Are:

A leader and educator with an unwavering commitment to the Democracy Prep mission of college success and authentic civic engagement for all scholars, especially those with significant challenges; you have an innate or highly-developed ability to set a vision across an entire school and motivate others towards achieving the vision
A data-informed leader, adept at data analysis, with a strong sense of personal agency and accountability for scholars’ academic achievement and a belief that all scholars, including those with disabilities and MLLs, can and will achieve at high levels; a constant learner who is willing to reevaluate one’s understanding based on new information and data
An organized manager with strong time management and follow-up skills and a demonstrated ability to take initiative and handle multiple projects concurrently
An excellent communicator, with a demonstrated ability to speak and write clearly and persuasively to a variety of stakeholders
A knowledgeable educator who has expertise in reading intervention methods, curriculum, and programs designed for students with learning, developmental, and/or emotional disabilities, as well as case management experience
Strongly Preferred: At least 1 year of managing and leading adults
Required: At least 3 years of experience in a K-12 setting with a proven track record of driving success for students with learning differences

What You’ll Do

The DSS will serve as an instructional leader responsible for shaping and driving a cohesive culture of inclusion and instructional vision for all students with disabilities and learning differences across one to two campuses. This includes oversight of a variety of special education settings and services—such as 15:1, 12:1, ICT, SETSS, and related supports—in alignment with guidance from the network Directors of Special Education.
Strengthen instructional practices by partnering with school leadership teams and supporting teachers through capacity-building efforts, including collaboration, modeling, and professional development.
Function as an on-the-ground expert at your campus(es), working to adapt the network vision for excellence in special services based on individual campus needs, in conjunction with school leadership teams.
Manage the implementation of specialized services programming as mandated on IEPs and 504 plans, as well as pre-referral academic interventions, with support from the network Directors of Special Services.
Build staff capacity across the school by providing guidance on special education best practices, including implementing intervention curricula, differentiating Democracy Prep’s core curricula, and effectively scheduling mandated educational placements and services.
Conduct comprehensive reviews of student transcripts to ensure compliance with New York State (NYS) graduation requirements, including credit accrual, Regents exams, and diploma options for students with disabilities.
Review data to ensure that students who are receiving special education and/or pre-referral services are closely monitored over time to determine if these students need additional support and interventions.
Ensure the implementation of all testing accommodations as mandated on IEPs.
Support the work of the network MLL Senior Specialist and campus-based MLL Coordinators at your campuses as needed, including implementation of testing accommodations.
Update and maintain all special education data tracking compliance systems to align with Democracy Prep’s data management processes.
Manage relationship(s) with CSE teams to adhere to IEP compliance protocols and coordinate IEP meetings.
Manage all external related services (Speech, OT, PT, paras, etc.), specialized transportation, and support coordination of social work mandates.
Plan and execute regular staff professional development on compliance and instructional topics that leads to improved teacher practice and achievement for scholars with learning differences.
Oversee case management systems at your campus(es) to ensure strong data-based creation of teacher reports and IEPs, including SMART IEP goals.
Complete the special education per pupil billing process five times per year to maximize reimbursement claims at your campuses.
The DSS will support the development and codification of scope and sequences, curricula, and Regents preparation materials for all special education settings— including 12:1, 15:1, ICT, and SETSS— in collaboration with the Directors of Special Services and the principal, ensuring materials are aligned to the diverse needs of students with disabilities.
Serve as a champion for scholars with IEPs across all settings, ensuring that their IEPs and goals are central to their educational experience—including academic and social-emotional supports. Leverage deep knowledge of students’ IEPs to guide strong, inclusive instruction and SEL practices, supporting the development of the whole child.

Compensation

Our salary schedule is commensurate with years of Dean experience. Our salaries for this position start at $98,700 for a first-year Dean and cap at $145,028 for a Dean with 29+ years of Dean experience. Democracy Prep employees are provided with a benefits package that includes medical, vision, and dental insurance, 403B matching, and parental leave.

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Democracy Prep is an Equal Opportunity Employer and will not discriminate against an applicant or employee on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, or ancestry, sex, age, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, veteran or military status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, familial status, domestic violence victim status, or any other legally recognized protected basis under federal, state or local laws, regulations or ordinances. Our mission is to educate responsible citizen-scholars who will change the world. We strongly believe that by building a DREAM team that represents numerous perspectives, backgrounds, and expertises, we can achieve this goal together. This is a value we highly support and strongly encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply.

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Dean of Special Services

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