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Director of Special Education

Acton-Boxborough Regional School District | Acton, MA, United States

Posted Date 12/12/2024
Description
Director of Special Education
Application Deadline: January 10, 2025
Start Date: July 1, 2025
Learn More About Working at AB (click here)
Please apply by going to our District’s online application portal here
About the Opportunity
Providing a rich and meaningful educational experience for all students is dependent on every member of our district. Responsibility for this work is embedded within the roles of each district and school leader in the district. As our Director of Special Education, you will partner with those school and district leaders to advance Acton-Boxborough’s commitment to its core values and mission.
The Director provides district leadership for its commitment to ensuring equitable access to high-quality education for students with disabilities while fostering an inclusive environment where every learner can thrive. This role involves shaping and overseeing the implementation of special education programs, ensuring compliance with state and federal regulations. In addition, the Director manages the district’s Mental Health Leadership team, the K-12 school counseling department, and the Section 504 Coordinator. The Director collaborates with educators, administrators, and families to develop individualized education plans (IEPs) tailored to students' unique needs. Responsibilities include managing budgets, supervising staff, providing professional development, and driving systemic improvements to enhance student outcomes. Ultimately, the director aspires to promote an inclusive culture, advocate for students' rights, and equip all learners with the tools they need for success in school and beyond.
Your presence will be felt in many areas of our K-12 academic program, though your role will naturally differ depending on the specifics of the work. In certain areas you will be expected to lead, coordinate and direct the work. In others, you will consult and contribute guidance to the efforts.
The Director of Special Education is a member of the Superintendent’s leadership team, and reports directly to the Superintendent of Schools. You will often find yourself partnering and co-leading efforts with colleagues such as the Deputy Superintendent, the Assistant Superintendent for Teaching & Learning, and all of the building principals. There are also building-based teams and teacher leaders who will be part of a network of staff who facilitate special education services and programming throughout the District.
Who You Are
You support and celebrate the work of educators. You see educators as central to the experiences of students, and committed to ensuring that educators are equipped with the resources and support they need every day.
You are a passionate advocate for students and families. You center the needs of our most vulnerable students and families in your work. You advocate for their needs and challenge us to better serve them.
You have passion and expertise in improving outcomes for students with disabilities. You have deep knowledge of and experience with a variety of service delivery models and the development and support of specialized programs. You have experience implementing best practices consistent with special education laws and a track record of success improving outcomes for students.
You demonstrate exceptional emotional intelligence. You can listen for emotions and use a deep understanding of people’s feelings to center them in your work. You know how to connect with people and make them feel valued, heard and seen. You recognize special sensitivity and empathy required for challenging and emotionally-charged conversations.
You demonstrate exceptional ability in managing resource allocation to support diverse student needs. By leveraging data-driven strategies, this individual ensures equitable distribution of funding, personnel, and materials to maximize educational outcomes. Their collaborative approach engages stakeholders, balancing priorities to align resources with federal and state regulations while maintaining a student-centered focus.
You are a strong, intentional relationship builder and collaborative teammate. ?You bring different stakeholders together around a common goal. You seek to understand different contributors’ motivations and find creative ways of meeting multiple objectives. You have strong interpersonal skills and ability to build collaborative working relationships, especially around difficult, complicated and emotional topics.
You are a skilled project manager and communicator. You embrace the challenge of synthesizing and executing big picture ideas and have strong strategic thinking and project execution abilities. Your attention to detail and ability to thoughtfully prioritize allows you to share just the right level of relevant information to keep the team’s key priorities on track. You model productive sharing and receiving of feedback.
You are an effective communicator. You have a proven track record of coaching teachers, school leaders, and teams to success. You communicate clearly to help groups move from ideas to action when necessary. Exceptional verbal and written communication skills with experience in multiple communication modes, and an ability to articulate the importance of inclusion and diversity to the broader community.
You are comfortable with ambiguity, including being flexible and adaptable. You are excited by a role where no two days are exactly the same. You are comfortable creating structure where there is none, and you are adaptable when priorities change and shift your work. You model perseverance with a sense of optimism, strong problem solving skills, and desire to learn and grow.
You know how to manage change in institutions. You bring and can draw from a strong track record in managing change with an understanding of the history and politics within institutions that might impact the implementation of effective diversity change efforts. You can deftly and elegantly manage the personal, political, and institutional dynamics related to diversity, equity and inclusion issues in schools.
You have a strong knowledge base that prepares you for tackling and leading complicated work: You are comfortably versed and practiced in knowledge of special education and Section 504 laws and regulations as well as guidelines related to nondiscrimination in schools, including the intersection of these areas with civil rights. You remain involved in current work and research for best practices in implementation of special education and Section 504 accommodations and services.
What You’ll Do
Your responsibilities may be supplemented by the Superintendent and include:
Special Education and Counseling Services and Administration
  • Oversee all special education and counseling programs PreK-12.
  • Ensures compliance with all state and federal laws related to special education
  • Participates with Principals, Coordinators and Department Leaders in the screening and selection of candidates for Special Education and counseling staff vacancies.
  • Collaborates in planning related to physical facilities for special education programs in all buildings.
  • Ensures implementation of procedures related to the maintenance and security of student records.
  • Supports inclusive practices district-wide and co-teaching practices.
  • Collaborates with the Out of District Coordinator and provides oversight to facilitate and monitor special education students in out of district DESE approved private schools and collaborative programs.
  • Approves the enrollment of non-resident tuition-based students in special education programs.
  • Oversees state and federal legal mandates as well as issues related to the Bureau of Special Education Appeals (BSEA) process and Program Resolution System (PRS)
  • Collaborates with the Special Education Parent Advisory Committee regarding program development, evaluation, budget, and other Special Education topics.
  • Communicates special education updates to the public.
  • Develops professional learning opportunities related to special education and mental health for staff and parents.
  • Prioritize equity in meeting the needs of all students regardless of race, ethnicity, income status, gender, disabilities, or any other background or identity.
Special Education and Counseling Program Design, Development, and Administration
  • Direct the supervision of Special Education and counseling programs in all Acton-Boxborough Regional Schools.
  • Provides on-going special education program review to ensure the development and presentation of evidence-based proposals for new Special Education programs or for modifications of existing programs based on individual student and/or school district needs.
  • Reviews and coordinates vertical alignment of programs district-wide.
  • Monitor implementation of interventions and services.
  • Participates in the district budget development process to make recommendations for any changes to program design and staffing requirements.
  • Monitors all areas of the budget related to special education and counseling services.
  • Review caseloads and special education student enrollment trends to forecast programmatic needs.
  • Review out-of-district placements and students at risk of going out of district for potential in-district programming, services and supports to provide educational opportunities in the least restrictive environment.
  • Maintain enrollment and budget trends for special education services and counseling supports.
Supervision and Evaluation of Staff
  • Supervises and evaluates the Assistant Director of Special Education, Early Childhood Coordinator, Speech/Language and OT/PT Chairpersons, Coordinator of SEL, Out of District Coordinator, and co-supervises Elementary, JH, and HS Special Education Coordinators and mental health leadership.
  • Supports coordinators and department leaders in partnering with principals to supervise and evaluate special education staff.
  • Participates in CASE special education leadership meetings.
  • Provide consultation for special education and mental health leaders related to program, staff, or student concerns.
  • Supervises and supports administrative assistant staff within the Special Education Department.
  • Oversees and responds to DESE audits and reviews.
  • Carries out any other appropriate responsibilities assigned by the Superintendent.
Qualifications
  • Experience working with young people and adults with disabilities, ideally in a school setting
  • Experience with legal mandates related to special education
  • Licensed as a Special Education Administrator
  • Experience as chairperson, education team leader or special education administrator preferred.
  • Training, experience, and familiarity with Anti-Bias/Equity scholarship and practices
  • Teaching and/or supervisory experience highly desirable
  • Master’s Degree or higher
  • Strong competency with Google Workspace, Microsoft Office, Zoom and other software applications
  • Flexibility with work schedule as events and initiatives may require
Compensation
This is a 12-month, benefits-eligible position. Salary range is $155,000 to $165,000 Application Procedure: Apply online
We believe that our students deserve to learn from educators who reflect their backgrounds and life experiences, and we want our staff to reflect the wide range of student identities we seek to serve. To this end, our District is committed to increasing the diversity of our certified educators and leaders. We believe that by building a more representative workforce, our students will have better outcomes and be more prepared for an increasingly diverse world. We encourage the following to apply: candidates of color, individuals with diverse life experiences and non-traditional backgrounds, and allies in our diversity, equity, and inclusion work.
Salary155,000.00 - 165,000.00 Annual
Category
Administration | Education
Education
Special Education

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