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Director of Culture SY'25-26

285 Dorset Street, Springfield, MA

Our Mission

“Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Charter School of Excellence prepares kindergarten-through-5th grade students of Springfield for academic success and engaged citizenship through insistence on rigorous, challenging work. The school incorporates Dr. King’s commitment to the highest standards in scholarship, civic participation and the ideal of the beloved community.

Background on MLKCSE


Martin Luther King, Jr. Charter School of Excellence (MLKCSE) is a stand-alone free and public charter school serving 360 students in grades K through 5 in Springfield, Massachusetts. MLKCSE was founded in 2006 and is dedicated to fighting the opportunity gap in Western MA. We are committed to providing each and every one of our students with the quality education they deserve. 

MLKCSE is a Title I school. Our MLKCSE students are 28% African American and 64% LatinX. 100% of our students qualify for free or reduced-price breakfast and lunch. 25% of our students are Emerging Bilingual students and 14% of our students have special needs.

Our school is meeting or exceeding targets for most (93%) accountability measures. Overall, our school performs better than 60% of elementary and middle schools statewide at the 61st percentile. MLKCSE is ranked one of the six charter schools in Massachusetts to be meeting more than 75% of the criterion-reference targets. MLKCSE ranked as the 4th highest charter school in the State for our math performance.

The Role

The scope of the responsibilities for Director of Culture includes the following: 

Serve as an Organizational and Community Leader

  • Serve as a member of the Executive Cabinet team, Crisis Response team, and the Student Interventions Committee (SIC).
  • Collaborate with the SIC team to ensure intervention plans are created for students who need additional behavioral support.
  • Work closely with the Executive Director and Academic Director to establish a positive, structured, and achievement-oriented school culture.
  • Coordinate with the Director of Infrastructure and Technology to ensure the data management system for student behavior and family communication is properly configured.
  • Collaborate with the Director of Specialized Education to assist teachers, students, and caregivers in the creation and implementation of support plans for individual students.

Develop School Culture 

  • Assume primary responsibility for the culture of the school, facilitating the development of student character and ensuring a positive and structured environment.
  • Establish and maintain a culture that encourages staff innovation to eliminate equity gaps and ensure college and career readiness for all students.
  • Plan and facilitate educator training and support around relationship building, establishing expectations, consistency, behavior management cycles, and discipline.
  • Plan and lead strategic student incentives and events for students achieving and making positive choices.
  • Plan and lead Town Halls, recognition assemblies, workshops, community events, and other culture-building activities.

Lead Behavioral Management and Discipline

  • Serve as the point person for student behavior/discipline/culture-related issues.
  • Coordinate and implement a school-wide accountability system with meaningful incentives and consequences.
  • Communicate clearly and promptly with teachers, families, and students when discipline issues occur.
  • Ensure the physical environment of the school reinforces school culture and facilitates student achievement.
  • Analyze and proactively respond to culture data.
  • Lead weekly behavior analysis meetings with the Culture Team and each grade level.

 

Oversee and Provide Staff and Student Support

 

  • Provide ongoing coaching and development to teachers and staff.
  • Plan and lead ongoing student culture professional development throughout the year.
  • Coaches and supervises the Student Support Coordinator, Family Engagement and Resource Coordinator, and Behavior Interventionists.
  • Help supervise school entry, breakfast, lunch, transitions, and dismissal to ensure they are orderly and positive.
  • Ensure effective field lessons, school events, and extracurricular activities are conducted smoothly.

Lead Documentation and Compliance

  • Follows protocols and regulations relating to discipline and suspensions.
  • Schedules and facilitates (or designates to an approved suspension facilitator) all suspension hearings before issuing suspensions.
  • Issues suspension hearing notice and hearing determination letters for every incident requiring a hearing.
  • Documents all suspensions in the suspension tracker fully and accurately.
  • Maintains accurate student discipline records; documents all conferences, suspensions, and phone calls for behavior in the data management platform (DeansList and PowerSchool).
  • Manages requests for Bullying Forms and documents all incidents of alleged bullying in the Bullying tracker.
  • Prepares accurate required reports and maintains all appropriate records.
  • Responds to all disciplinary issues in full compliance with school protocols and State and Federal regulations and laws.

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's Degree in a related field of study OR
  • 5 years of equivalent experience in lieu of education/degree considered 
  • At least 2  years experience in leading documentation and compliance for hearings, suspensions, data management and tracking systems
  • 2 or more years of experience in a direct lead/supervisory/senior leadership/management role

Salary

$70,000 - $88,500 annually

*salary commensurate with education and experience

Our community and students are diverse, and we are committed to reflecting that diversity in our staff. We strive to have the most diverse applicant pool possible and encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply for any position at MLKCSE. By fostering a diverse and inclusive environment, we provide the best educational experience to prepare our students for a future reflective of the world we live in.

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