Education Specialist (CYFD #10111585)

$26.33 - $42.12 Hourly

$54,760 - $87,616 Annually

This position is a Pay Band 70

Posting Details

CYFD created the Office of Advocacy to protect the rights of and to advocate and ensure access for New Mexico's most vulnerable children, and youth; support CYFD in meeting the specialized and holistic needs of these individuals; and to produce positive change to benefit the child and families we serve and the child welfare system as a whole.

THIS POSTING WILL BE USED FOR ONGOING RECRUITMENT AND MAY CLOSE AT ANY TIME. APPLICANT LISTS MAY BE SCREENED MORE THAN ONCE.

Why does the job exist?

The Education Specialist will play a critical role in providing needed educational advocacy to ensure that children and youth in care have equal access to education and will serve as a CYFD point of contact for school districts under the Every Student Succeeds Act.

The Education Specialist will work with local education agencies (LEAs) and CYFD staff to ensure that children and youth are enrolled in school and to make efforts to maintain children and youth in state custody in their school of origin, hold BID (Best Interest Determination) meetings, and provide ongoing training to CYFD staff and local schools relating to ESSA and education law and policy.

How does it get done?

• Serve as a CYFD point of contact for education matters and collaborate with CYFD staff, the families we serve, and the points of contact for local education agencies, the Public Education Department, and other stakeholders to support educational equity and stability for children and youth in foster care (35%);

• Support CYFD program staff and resource families to ensure that children are enrolled in school, that BIDs are submitted, and that children and youth in care have school transportation (35%);

• Maintain current knowledge on educational policies and issues that impact child and youth in custody and train CYFD program staff and schools on ESSA, special education, and other educational laws and policies (10%);

• Collect data regarding educational issues, such as BIDs, school transportation, ESSA compliance, and special education (IEPs/504 plans) (10%);

• Make referrals for children, youth, and resource and biological parents to external legal services for educational issues (5%);

• Cross-train with the Disability Rights Specialist to understand the intersection between disability and educational rights issues and provide support and consultation as needed (5%).

Ideal Candidate

Skilled in the following areas:
• Background in social work or education;

• Knowledge of the child and family welfare system and experience working directly with children, youth, and their families;

• Knowledge of Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and other education laws, policies, and rights children and youth in foster care and the ability to conduct independent research on emerging issues;

• Experience in facilitation of multidisciplinary group meetings and consensus building;

• Experience with spreadsheet development and use, with ability to collect and analyze data;

• Excellent verbal and written communication and conflict-management skills;;

• Strong ability to organize, prioritize, and handle multiple competing tasks and projects in a timely manner.

Minimum Qualification

Bachelor's Degree in Social Work, Psychology, Guidance and Counseling, Education, Sociology, Criminal Justice, Criminology and/or Family Studies/Services and four (4) years of any combination of experience including working with communities, working on health or social service related matters, social work/case management experience, behavioral health and/or health care. Substitutions apply. See Substitution Table below.

Substitution Table

These combinations of education and experience qualify you for the position:
Education Experience Education Experience 1 High School Diploma or Equivalent AND 8 years of experience OR High School Diploma or Equivalent AND 8 years of experience 2 Associate's degree in the field(s) specified in the minimum qualification AND 6 years of experience Associate's degree or higher in any field AND 8 years of experience 3 Bachelor's degree in the field(s) specified in the minimum qualification AND 4 years of experience 4 Master's degree in the field(s) specified in the minimum qualification AND 2 years of experience 5 PhD degree in the field(s) specified in the minimum qualification AND 0 years of experience
• Education and years of experience must be related to the purpose of the position.

• If Minimum Qualification requires a specific number of "semester hours" in a field (e.g. 6 semester hours in Accounting), applicants MUST have those semester hours in order to meet the minimum qualifications. No substitutions apply for semester hours.

Employment Requirements

Background investigation is required and is conditional pending results.

Working Conditions

Work is performed in an office setting: late hours and weekends work may be required. Will be exposed to regular periods of video display terminal and keyboard usage and stressful situations. Travel may be required. Incumbent will work under stress and frequent time constraints. Must have own mode of transportation. Incumbent may be required to furnish a personal vehicle for carrying out assignments.

Supplemental Information

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Agency Contact Information: Dawn Walters, (505) 526-5925. Email

For information on Statutory Requirements for this position, click the Classification Description link on the job advertisement.

Bargaining Unit Position

This position is covered by a collective bargaining agreement and all terms/conditions of that agreement apply and must be adhered to.