Director of Special Education

The Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES is in search of our next Director of Special Education. The chosen candidate will be the leader of our Special Education Department, and liaison between the component districts, the community, and the BOCES, as we continue to develop cutting-edge programs to meet the needs of students with disabilities. Candidates must possess New York State certification as a School District Leader (SDL). Candidates should have at least five years of experience teaching special education students and a minimum of 2 years of experience in an administrative capacity.

Anticipated Start Date: December 1, 2024.

Reports To: Deputy Superintendent

Work Year: Twelve (12) month position

Salary: Starting salary is $120,000, commensurate with experience.

Qualifications:

• NYS Certification as a School District Leader
• Five (5) or more years of experience teaching students with disabilities
• Two (2)or more years of experience in Administration
• Thorough knowledge of CSE guidelines and regulations as related to Special Education Services
• Knowledge of Part 200 Regulations, Implementation of IDEA, ADA and Section 504, and ESSA requirements.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills (oral, written, and digital)

DUTIES and RESPONSIBILITIES:
Leadership:

• Serve as Director of the Special Education Department, providing outstanding leadership and vision to staff, students, and the community at large.
• Champion programmatic development and maximize meaningful experiences and opportunities for special education students.
• Provide leadership in the development, direction, coordination, and evaluation of special education programs including services for Instructional leadership, Speech and Hearing, Physical and Occupational Therapy, and Psychiatric, social-emotional, and Mental Health Services.

Purpose and Values:

• Articulate, advocate, and cultivate the Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES purpose and values.
• Develop a shared understanding of and commitment to, the purpose and values within the Special Education Department and the community.

Ethics and Professional Norms:

• Act ethically and professionally in personal conduct, relationships with others, decision-making, stewardship of the BOCES resources, and all aspects of school leadership.
• Ensure that each student is treated fairly, respectfully, and with an understanding of each student's culture and context.
• Address student misconduct in a positive, fair, and unbiased manner, according to policy, and students' IEPs.
• Act with cultural competence and responsiveness in interactions, decision-making, and practice.

Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment:

• Continually assess and evaluate the design of programs to ensure that student's needs are met.
• Lead ongoing discussions with component districts, community, and agency partners to coordinate and align special education programs to enhance learning experiences and opportunities for students.
• Implement coherent systems of curriculum, instruction, and assessment that promote the purpose and values of the BOCES, embody high expectations for student learning, and align with academic standards.
• Build and maintain a safe, caring, and healthy school environment that meets the academic, social, emotional, and physical needs of each student.
• Provide coherent systems of academic and social support, services, and accommodations to meet the range of needs of each student.
• Establish and maintain a student referral process, and communicate effectively with districts, staff, and agencies in making recommendations.
• Work cooperatively with all staff to ensure that IEPs are accurately prepared and implemented in compliance with all regulations.

Professional Capacity of School Personnel:

• Recruit, hire, support, develop, and retain effective and caring principals, teachers, and other professional staff.
• Deliver actionable feedback about instruction and other professional practices through valid, research-anchored systems of supervision and evaluation to support the development of administrator, teacher, and staff members' knowledge, skills, and practice.
• Promote and support collaboration to ensure alignment between program design and student needs.
• Develop workplace conditions for teachers and other professional staff that promote effective professional development, practice, and student learning.
• Develop and support open, productive, caring, and trusting working relationships among leaders, faculty, and staff to promote professional capacity and the improvement of practice.
• Design and implement job-embedded and other opportunities for professional learning collaboratively with faculty and staff.
• Encourage faculty-initiated improvement of programs and practices.
• Create and sustain positive, collaborative, and productive relationships with families and the community for the benefit of students
• Maintain a presence in the community to understand its strengths and needs, develop productive relationships with partners, and engage its resources for the BOCES.
• Build and sustain productive partnerships with component school district staff to promote student success.

Operations and Management:

• Keep well informed of all NYS laws and regulations pertaining to special education compliance, laws, and services.
• Supervise all instructional programming, including summer programming, transition services, and assistive technology for students with disabilities.

School Improvement:

• Develop appropriate systems of data collection, management, analysis, and use, connecting as needed to component districts and community partners for support in planning, implementation, monitoring, feedback, and evaluation of programs.
• Develop and promote leadership among principals, teachers, and staff for inquiry, experimentation, and innovation, and initiating and implementing improvement.
• Serve as consultant to component districts' CSEs and organize and facilitate monthly CSE Advisory Council meetings.

Other Duties:

• Perform other duties as assigned by the Deputy Superintendent and/or District Superintendent.

Benefits of working with us:

• Competitive salary, starting at $120,000, commensurate with experience
• Full benefits, including health, vision, and dental insurance
• Insurance in retirement after 10 years of service
• Generous paid sick, personal, family illness, and vacation time
• Life Insurance
• Possibility of Public Service Loan Forgiveness
• 403(b)/457(b) Plans
• Flex spending
• Employee Assistance Program
• NYS Teacher Retirement System Pension
• Great Work/Life Balance

In this position, you'll be a part of a great team that believes in our BOCES purpose to UNLEASH POTENTIAL IN OUR COMMUNITY.

We are...

• COLLABORATIVE LEARNERS
• ADVENTUROUS IN OUR WORK
• SOLUTION-DRIVEN
• JOYFUL IN OUR WORK

To apply, please submit your resume, job-specific cover letter, and references to OLASjobs.org or send all application materials directly to Jessica Docteur, Deputy Superintendent: jdocteur@cayboces.org