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Director of Student Support Services - School Counselors

Director of Student Support Services - School Counselors

Student Support Services

Other - Position - Valid PA Certificate

Job Number
4600242484

Start Date

Open Date
01/06/2022

Closing Date
04/06/2022

The Director of Student Support Services - School Counselors is responsible for joining a team of professionals with diverse job responsibilities, all of which serve to assist youth to graduate 'college and career ready, personally prepared, and civically engaged.' This individual will pursue this goal, all while addressing barriers to learning and school success that may hinder a student's growth academically, physically, socially, emotionally, or behaviorally. The expectation for this work is to augment, integrate into and support district-wide efforts to build and maintain positive school culture, climate, and peer interactions. Specifically, the Director will be responsible to provide support to school counselors and monitor K-12 college and career readiness efforts in all schools, as well as Early College High School (ECHS) programming. This includes training and support regarding the district's implementation of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), District 504 Coordinator, and the comprehensive guidance plan. The Director will also serve as an advocate to and for school counselors and school social workers working hand in hand with school leaders and relevant central office staff to assure that School Counselors are equipped with the necessary resources to address the academic, social/personal, and career development needs of students.

Reports To
Assistant Superintendent of Student Services

Salary

Support Administrator Salary Schedule, Level 4 (Starting at $97, 044)

Qualifications

Education:
PDE-issued Counselor certification required.
Master?s degree in school counseling (K-12) or comparable field is required.

Desired Experience:
Verifiable experience in a school district is required. Extensive experience in a school counseling role; 10+ years' experience is preferred. Strong ability to work with all levels of professionals in the school and community setting. Must possess excellent oral and written communication skills. Must possess the ability to work independently as well as as a member of a diverse team.

Additional Requirements:
We are seeking an individual who passionately believes in the mission of PPS. We are looking for a team member who has a passion for the quality of urban education, who thrives in an active and challenging environment, who will be a team player, and who demonstrates a record of achievement. Successful candidates will assume a high sense of accountability and ownership over their work, help inspire buy-in into a shared vision for exceptional counseling services for all PPS students, and will also demonstrate:

- The ability to form strong professional relationships with school leaders, social workers, counselors, community partners, and other professionals.
- A track record of developing or working effectively within a successful school counselor program.
- The ability to work independently as well as through the supervision and guidance of the Assistant Superintendent for Student Support Services.
- Excellent data analysis skills and experience synthesizing data to drive action steps that align with departmental and district-wide efforts.
- The ability to learn quickly in a fast-paced environment.
- Effective problem-solving skills; the ability to identify challenges and proactively work to find solutions.
- Strong computer skills, including knowledge of Microsoft Office 365.
- Outstanding organization and planning skills.
- The ability to manage multiple responsibilities simultaneously.
- Exceptional attention to detail and follow-through without losing sight of the 'big picture?
- Flexible, 'can do' work ethic with a focus on what can be delivered despite unforeseen challenges.
- The ability to broker situations and systems that assure resources for school counselors to fulfill their responsibilities.
- A passionate belief in the mission of the District and a commitment to increasing the success of our students, families, and schools.
- Experience with an urban school district (strongly preferred).

Residency Requirements
No Residency Requirement

Essential Job Functions

The Director of Student Supports ? School Counselors?has several key job functions. Although there are specific areas of work for which the Director is responsible, all of the job responsibilities serve to enhance the work of school-based teams as well as the Student Support Services team and other departments.

The key job functions for this position are:

- Serve as an advocate to and for school counselors and school social workers working hand-in-hand with school administrators and relevant central office staff to assure that Counselors are equipped with the necessary resources to address the academic, social/personal, and career development needs of students.
- Carry out responsibilities and assure that services delivered in schools are aligned with the American School Counseling Association (ASCA) standards.
- Responsible for oversight and implementation of the district's Comprehensive Guidance Plan (e.g. monitoring monthly action plans for career lessons; development of individual student success plans and career plans; career awareness, exploration, and education experiences; etc.).
- Facilitate the implementation of school-based prevention with a focus on opportunities for social emotional learning.
- Leverage support to counselors that helps them to provide prevention supports, which build positive school-wide cultures as well as promote learning and college and career readiness at all levels.
- Work closely with the Director of Student Support Services-Social Work and Learning Environment Specialists (LES) across a range of responsibilities including but not limited to oversight and monitoring of the Student Assistance Program (SAP), school culture and climate, and multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) as well as the development of professional development training/professional learning provided for Counselors and Social Workers; Provide orientation, technical assistance and job-embedded coaching for newly hired Counselors as well as Counselors requiring additional support; and jointly monitor K-12 PBIS implementation.
- Review and monitor District level MTSS academic and behavioral referral data entry; Provide corresponding feedback to schools and leverage necessary supports according to the data.
- Provide all MTSS/SAP Teams with the technical assistance to function at high levels.
- Visit schools for progress monitoring of MTSS/SAP teams to ensure that all phases of the MTSS/SAP process are being followed to promote prevention education and address student barriers to learning and school success.
- Serve in a consultative and technical advisory role with Counselors specific to program implementation, roles/responsibilities, service coordination and complex student scenarios.
- Help build a professional learning community among the Counselors and Social Workers by enhancing their knowledge, skill and capacity to deliver high-caliber services.
- Oversee collection and maintenance of 504 Plans for social, emotional, and behavioral challenges.
- Work with Human Resources to identify and assign School Counselors and Social Workers.
- Prepare and submit annual board tabs for approval of all counseling partner services.
- Assist Information Technology Office with PDE reporting requirements.
- Participate in bi-monthly cross-functional data sharing meetings with Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) and other youth system stakeholders.
- Work closely with Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment (CIA) and Program for Students with Exceptionalities (PSE) departments regarding coordination of academic supports to students in schools (i.e. monitoring of PSE referrals through MTSS process) as well as college and career readiness activities/strategies delivered in schools.
- Assist with the resolution of Parent Hotline calls.
- Support and attend departmental meetings with community service providers.
- Assist with implementation of district-supported de-escalation strategies.
- Other relevant duties as assigned.

Additional Job Information

ADA: The employer will make reasonable accommodation in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

The Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, creed, religion, gender (including gender identity or expression), sexual orientation, ancestry, national origin, marital status, pregnancy or disability in its programs, activities, career and technical education programs or employment and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. It is the policy of the Pittsburgh School District to make all services, programs and activities available and to provide reasonable accommodations to persons with disabilities. Please make requests for accommodations at least 72 hours before the scheduled event. For more information regarding accommodations, civil rights grievance procedures, please contact Employee Relations, Office of Human Resources, 341 S. Bellefield Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 or 412-529-HELP (4357).

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