SY 25-26 High School Student Support Services Coordinator

High School Student Support Services Coordinator

Who We Are:

School in the Square (S2) is an independent, community-based charter school currently serving elementary and middle school students, with plans to one day serve families from Pre-K - 12th grade. Drawing its name from the concept of the public square or “la placita”, our mantra is “Relationships First”. S2 is where communities come together to solve problems and celebrate successes. S2 provides a progressive and rigorous learning community in which students thrive physically, emotionally, and academically through differentiated and personalized education and adults grow through rich and robust professional development. Our community is grounded in principles of justice, equity, diversity and inclusivity (JEDI), enacting a culturally responsive and sustaining lens to our pedagogical practice and consistently examining the ways we can continue to walk firmly in the pursuit of social justice and against injustice of any kind. 

S2 engages, educates, and empowers its students to respond mindfully and creatively to life’s opportunities and challenges. We take seriously our obligation as an anchor institution in our community. We understand that our students’ ability to learn is directly impacted by their access to basic needs, which is why we established our Family Support Program. Through this program we support over 200 families every month at our bimonthly food pantries, in addition to providing other essential services, including internet hotspots and rent relief.

Our High School Community

In Fall 2024, School in the Square will open the doors of its new high school and welcome a founding class of more than 100 9th graders.

• We believe in a “relationships first” approach to schooling—that social and emotional learning go hand-in-hand with academic learning, each supporting the other.
• We hire smart people whose vision aligns with ours and empower them with the autonomy and resources to get the job done in the most creative, effective, and fulfilling way possible.
• We measure learning with a holistic set of metrics - not limited to test scores— and design our learning environment around that principle.
• We invest in our educators and educational leaders through ongoing feedback, professional development, planning time, and celebration.
• We model what we seek and practice what we preach for our students, their families, and our teachers.

Our Student Support Services Coordinator

Our Student Support Services Coordinator reports directly to the Principal to help implement a quality academic, social, and physical development intervention program. The Student Support Services Coordinator will use multiple sources of data to ensure students are receiving research-based support, intervention programs are being implemented with fidelity, students are making meaningful achievement, and families are partners in the work. The Student Support Services Coordinator will create and implement programs for students who need additional support, and support teachers to create access for all learners in their classroom with a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Responsibilities:

• Ensures the academic, social, and physical development progress of all SWD’s and MLL’s to ensure they achieve their individual goals.
• Ensures that the school is able to achieve its overall goals for its students with special needs, including the metrics for student persistence and student growth established by federal law, NYSED and their individual IEPs.
• Advocates for special education students, their families, and the staff who serve them.
• Partners with network-based Director of Student Support Services to engage with the local Committee on Special Education to ensure that students with disabilities are appropriately identified, have effectively written IEPs, and receive the programs and services in those IEPS in a high-quality way to ensure student success.
• Ensures that all aspects of the school’s special education model are implemented effectively, including integrated collaborative teaching, direct and indirect SETSS, and the school’s resource room. Ensures the ongoing effective delivery of related services (such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, and counseling). 
• Ensures that the school develop measurable and achievable goals for each child based on their unique strengths, challenges, and learning objectives, in alignment with state standards and educational best practices
• Partners with the central and school-based operations team to ensure that the record keeping for SWD’s and MLL’s is in line with the best practices.
• Oversees compliance of all special education files. Ensures that the regular school-based processes for review of the IEPs of all new and continuing students is in place.  Ensures that IEPs are based on quantitative present levels of performance, curriculum standards, and content and is relevant for each student.
• Implements the school’s intervention and referral process
• Ensure that effective RTI Committees are in place at the school and that data-based practices are in place which support both effective RTI practices and faculty learning.
• Partners with the school leadership team to ensure effective practices are integrated into all classrooms and curricula as part of tier I interventions.
• Ensures that ongoing testing processes in the school integrate best practices on accommodations as well as aligning to all IEPs, laws and regulation.
• Performs other tasks and assumes other responsibilities as the Director of Student Support Services may assign or delegate
• Provides professional development and coaching for leadership and instructional staff to target instruction based on specific areas of need, including through the use of accommodations and modifications, compliance and co-teaching, tiered interventions as well as more subject specific support (aligned to their expertise).
• Promotes strong relationships with students who have special needs and their families, monitors ongoing communication to parents, and provides guidance in complex cases
• Maintains knowledge of federal, state and local special education regulations and engages in ongoing professional learning to understand any shifts in these expectations
• Lead small group instruction as appropriate as part of weekly schedule as well as on needed basis.

Qualifications

• Passionate commitment to the mission of School in the Square and investment in our vision and values;
• Passionate dedication to improve the minds, characters, and lives of students both in and out of school;
• A Masters Degree and New York state certification as a Teacher of Students with Disabilities or service provider. At least 3 prior years of experience
• Evidence of deep knowledge of special education compliance and effective practice.
• An adept problem-solver with a demonstrated ability to think critically, plan strategically, as well as research and perform detailed data analysis;
• Skilled in written and oral communication to diverse audiences and facilitating decision-making among multiple parties;
• Proactive and fast learner who thrives in a fast-paced environment;
• Ability to provide high-leverage feedback via classroom observations and school walk-throughs
• Knowledge of the principles and methods for curriculum and instruction, co-curricular and extracurricular design, and the measurement of training and development
• Demonstrate ability to interpret policy, procedures, and data
• Demonstrate experience using technology as both a management and instructional tool
• A high appreciation for and ability to work in and lead a diverse community
• Team-player capable of working both collaboratively and independently with a proven ability to:
• Engage, enlist, and energize others in ongoing improvement of learning and teaching;
• self-initiate, determine a course of action, and make necessary proposals for change when necessary

Compensation & Benefits

At S2 we take as much care of our teachers and staff as we do of our students. S2 is committed to supporting our staff by helping them build sustainable, rewarding careers that center on each educator’s passions and multi-disciplinary interests.  All of our faculty and staff are valued professionals, and we are proud to provide extended planning time, team-building and collaboration, comfortable and friendly working conditions, and more to ensure our team members all have the tools they need to succeed.

The salary range for this role is $45,000 - $65,000; individual salaries are set based on years of experience, education level, and certifications obtained. S2 also has opportunities for supplemental compensation, an excellent benefits package with a 401(k) with a 6% organizational match, longevity bonus, generous paid time off, access to a federal student loan debt reduction program, and a friendly work environment. 

School in the Square provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. School in the Square complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.