SY21-22 Chestnut TAG Middle School Band Teacher

Grade Level: 6-8

Start Date: August 2021

This is not your ordinary middle school band! We have a thriving band program with 150 students with the support and financial backing that a band program needs to perform at high levels. Four years of investment in the infrastructure (organizational, instructional, leadership and financial support, etc.) has been the cornerstone of our success. This infrastructure includes:

instruments provided for all students

adequate storage for instruments and materials

an annual budget for replacement, repair costs, mouth pieces, reeds, music, music composing software, etc.

designated band room/space designed for band with risers, etc.

an auditorium with a 600-person capacity, lighting and sound

a school schedule that ensures that all students who want band, get it

band students have an hour of band class every day

band teacher has an hour prep and an hour professional development time every day

We have well organized and executed systems for maintaining optimal materials and space for our band program. Our talented and gifted students will knock your socks off with their capacity to learn and grow their performance in a fraction of the time you would expect. The awesome band instruction has brought our band to a place that would outperform many high school bands. Our students play concert band and march in local parades.

The candidate hired for this position will have experience leading a band, high expectations for students and a total commitment to growth and excellence. She/he will be the driver of the band's vision and she/he will have nearly unlimited resources and support from the Principal because this Principal knows the power of how music (and the arts) can tap unlimited and unexplored potential in students.

We're looking for a stellar Band Director to take our band to the next level. And we are actively seeking candidates of color.

What else you need to know about Chestnut TAG?

If you are looking to be part of a school community where teachers learn and are energized by their work…If you are looking for a Principal who is hugely invested in the development and fulfillment of his teachers…and if you want to be part of a school with a growth mindset about its students' unlimited potential, look no further.

Chestnut Middle School, Talented & Gifted is a unique little school; unlike any school in the region. Our school is a blended community of high achieving regular education students working side by side with their gifted Special Education peers; all who thrive within a supportive culture of academic excellence.

At T.A.G. we ask a lot of our students and staff, and yet we believe that school should be a joyful place where students and staff look forward to coming to school every day. As educators we believe that relationships with our students are the foundation on which all social and academic success is built. Additionally, we strengthen our practice through five hours of professional learning per week, that is built within our 7:20-3:20 school day. Collaboration and peer to peer learning are central to our growth as educators. (Check us out at www.chestnuttag.com http://www.chestnuttag.com and don't miss our videos where you can hear first-hand from our staff and students.)

As a small school (of only 320 students) we are able to meet the individual needs of every student (and teacher!). Without a doubt, we know our students well and we are invested in their individual and collective success. Our students outperform and outgrow their peers statewide on the state assessments and yet their unique personalities, hard work and perseverance are what make them truly Talented and Gifted.

If you are up for the challenge, join our team!

Teaching in SEZP

SEZP is seeking educators who are excited and ready to make an impact in a collaborative, engaging, diverse, and high energy environment. We are seeking educators who believe teachers are activists - promising instructional access, rigor, advocacy, and a tenacious commitment to anti-racism for all students. SEZP teachers are expected to:

Create a safe, purposeful classroom environment that prioritizes learning for all students

Collaborate with other teachers, instructional leaders, and partners to ensure instruction is meeting the needs of all students

Assess students regularly, analyze data, and determine appropriate next steps for instruction

Ensure that instruction meets the needs of all students, including students with special needs, English Language Learners, and students performing below grade level

Build relationships and communicate regularly with students and their families to solicit input and share academic progress

Engage in learning about issues of racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion in education to examine your own biases; reflect on how those biases affect you, your students, and their families; and plan and deliver instruction in a culturally responsive way

Participate in and learn from regular professional development opportunities before and during the school year

Band Director Requirements:

High levels of cultural competence in teaching, communicating with and affirming the identities of a diverse student population

Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university (with ppropriate subject area content (Music)

Exceptional organizational skills and the ability to manage interrelated tasks

Credential that meet the middle school level licensure from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

A track record of success working with students and proven expertise

High expectations for self and others, and a willingness to hold self and others accountable to these expectations

Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, and strong interpersonal skills

Effectiveness at building strong relationships with students and families

Commitment to professional growth and regularly seeking out opportunities to improve instructional practice

Belief and alignment with SEZP's core beliefs and philosophy, including the belief that each and every child can excel

Highly Desired Experience:

Experience teaching in an urban setting

Bilingual speaking, reading, and writing abilities (Spanish)

Experience working with middle school students

If you meet some of the qualifications above, we encourage you to apply or to reach out for more information. We know that historically marginalized groups - including people of color, women, people from working class backgrounds, and people who identify as LGBTQ - are less likely to apply unless and until they meet every requirement for a job. Therefore, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities or who are members of other marginalized communities.

We encourage you to reach out to SEZP@springfieldempowerment.org mailto:SEZP@springfieldempowerment.org if you have questions about the role or your qualifications. We are happy to help you feel ready to apply!

Benefits

SEZP offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience; salaries for new teachers start at $50,500. Teachers in SEZP qualify for benefits (personal/sick days, retirement, health insurance, etc.) offered to other teachers in the Springfield Public Schools.

In addition, there are several opportunities unique to SEZP schools to increase earnings above base salary. While not guaranteed, those opportunities currently include, but are not limited to:

Advanced and Master Teacher positions: These are awarded following an application process that typically takes place each winter, and come with salaries of up to $87,000

Expanded Learning Time stipends at some schools, based on the yearly schedule

Annual stipends for Capstone Projects associated with national-level professional development opportunities, following an application and selection process

Empowerment Academies: Intervention and instruction opportunities we implement during February, April, and summer breaks, following an application and selection process

Positions will be filled on a rolling basis; applicants are encouraged to apply immediately. Please contact sezp@springfieldempowerment.org with any questions.

About the Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership

While Massachusetts is consistently ranked as one of the top states for education results in the country, we have one of the highest and most persistent opportunity gaps. The Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership (SEZP) - established in 2015 as a collaboration between Springfield Public Schools (SPS), the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), and the Springfield Education Association (SEA) - seeks to improve the longitudinal life outcomes of the more than 5,000 students in our eleven middle and high schools.

As a "zone" of schools within the city of Springfield, SEZP's approach draws on a deep and embedded partnership with the school district and local teachers' union, while harnessing the flexibility and innovation found in autonomous school models. As a result, each school within SEZP is accorded significant school-based autonomies - in curriculum, talent, calendar, schedule, and budget - while being held accountable for realizing achievement gains for historically marginalized students. In all of our work, SEZP is in pursuit of equity and anti-racism - acknowledging the systemic oppression our students and families encounter daily and working to disrupt these provision gaps urgently and courageously.

Nondiscrimination Statement

The Springfield Public Schools does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, ancestry, age, disability or military service or marital status. The Springfield Public Schools does not discriminate in admission to, access or treatment in its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national origin, or sexual orientation, disability or homelessness.

Title IX Notice of Nondiscrimination

Springfield Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of sex in admission, administration of its educational programs or activities or employment. Springfield Public Schools is required by Title IX and its implementing regulations at 34 C.F.R. Part 106 not to discrimination on the basis of sex in admission, administration of its educational programs or activities or employment. The Senior Administrator of Human Resources, Kathleen O'Sullivan, Springfield Public Schools, 1550 Main St. Springfield MA, 011103, 413-787-7100, ext. 55428, has been designated as the employee responsible for coordinating Springfield Public Schools efforts to comply with and carry out its responsibilities under Title IX. Inquiries concerning the application of Title IX and its implementing regulations at 34 C.F.R. Part 106 to Springfield Public Schools may be referred to Kathleen O'Sullivan or to U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, 400 Maryland Ave., SW Washington, DC 20202-1100, telephone 800-421-3481.

Primary Location: Chestnut Talented and Gifted Middle School
Salary Range: $50,500 / Based on collective bargaining unit salary schedule
Shift Type: FT - School Year

Job Contact Information:

Name: Declan O'Connor
Title: Executive Principal
Phone:
Email: oconnord@springfieldpublicschools.com