Burlington High School
Intensive Special Needs/Life Skills Special Education Teacher

2022-2023

The Mission of the Burlington School District is to graduate students who:

• Value different cultures;
• Engage with the community;
• Communicate effectively;
• Think creatively;
• Skillfully solve problems; and
• Achieve at their highest academic, intellectual, and personal potential

Burlington High School is seeking a passionate and energetic Intensive Special Needs/Lifeskills Special Education Teacher to join a school committed to high levels of achievement of all students. We are seeking a passionate and energetic Intensive Special Needs/Lifeskills Special Education Teacher with demonstrated leadership and instructional skills in the area of program development for students with low-incidence disabilities. This position requires teaming with our special educators (general special education, intensive special needs, and alternative special educators) to plan a continuum of life-skills based offerings and to support students from diverse backgrounds finding success in high school. The Lifeskills Special Educator would need to be able to plan and provide direct and indirect instruction to students with intensive needs both in the classroom and out in the community. The ideal candidate will be skillful in facilitating collaborative teams as well as in program development, training, and mentoring of other team members. Knowledge of the concepts of universal design for learning, curriculum overlap, and multi-level instruction is essential. The position will likely include teaching functional skills, literacy, math, health and PE, and social communication.

About Burlington School District and the city of Burlington

The Burlington School District believes a diverse and culturally proficient faculty and staff are pivotal to the creation of a strong learning and working environment that supports student achievement and success. Burlington is a vibrant, picturesque community on Lake Champlain and the most culturally diverse city in Vermont. Burlington has an international airport, and is in close proximity to a number of large cities, including Montreal (90 minutes away by car), Boston (45 minutes by air), and New York City (one hour by air). With our excellent school system, parks, Lake Champlain, and local ski mountains within an hour's drive, it is not surprising that Burlington routinely finds itself on the "best places in the country to raise children" lists.

Job Requirements

• Licensed or eligible for Vermont Educators' License;
• Endorsement in special education or eligible for Vermont Provisional License (Code 82);
• Endorsement in Intensive Special Education preferred (Code 81);
• Documented or eligible for NCLB Highly Qualified Teacher status;
• Eligible to work in the United States without sponsorship.

Essential Functions

• Working with students with multiple diagnoses including (but not limited to) intellectual impairments and autism;
• Working with students with significant physical and medical needs;
• Working with students who utilize Augmentative and Alternative Communication;
• Working with students to transfer in and out of adaptive equipment;
• Working with staff to increase the practices of inclusivity;
• Working as part of an interdisciplinary school team to ensure needs of students are met;
• Working with nurse, SLP, OT, PT, Gen Ed, and BCBA to develop and implement IEPs;
• Participating in staff meetings and inservice training as requested;
• Maintaining an organized, safe, and productive classroom in order for students to make adequate progress;
• Utilizing a variety of assessment tools/curriculum guides to assist in the development of appropriate goals and individualized programming for their students including: the Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program, the Assessment of Functional Life Skills, Essentials for Living and the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills.
• Establishing clear objectives for all lessons, units and projects and communicating those objectives to all teachers, paraprofessionals and related service providers for essential maintenance and generalization of students' skills.
• Creating and maintaining accurate and complete student data systems and records and preparing reports on student progress.
• Developing IEP goals and progress reports that are reflective of a student's needs;
• Case management (writing individualized education plans, behavior intervention plans, communications with families, collaboration with related service providers, etc.) of a limited number of students;
• Teaching in small group instructional settings (classes with a student-staff ratio of up to 4:2).
• Teaching socially acceptable behavior, as determined by the students' IEPs, by employing techniques in an overall positive behavioral support system;
• Supervising and providing ongoing training and support for paraprofessionals;
• Consistent and positive communication with families; meeting with parents to discuss their child's progress and to determine priorities for their child and their individualized education needs;
• Selecting and maintaining required inventory of materials, tools, instructional aids, and equipment;
• All other duties as assigned.

Preferred Attributes

• Strong written and verbal communication skills;
• Demonstrated ability to approach individuals in a creative and thoughtful manner;
• Flexibility to meet identified student needs;
• A strong commitment to the goals, mission, and philosophy of the Burlington High School and Burlington School District;
• Modeling respect, honesty, consideration, responsibility, and positive attitude with families, colleagues, and students;
• The confidence to collaborate with a knowledgeable staff;
• Instructional knowledge focused within proficiency-based learning and effective multi-tiered systems of support;
• A commitment to equity, inclusivity, and diversity - eliminating the predictability of achievement based on identity status;
• Experience in professional/teaching learning community groups including working collaboratively with colleagues to plan units of study, review student data and progress, and adjust instruction;
• A commitment to student-centered learning approaches including personalizing instruction and supporting students meeting core proficiencies;
• Training and/or experience with English Language Learners;
• Experience in implementing inclusive practices for students with disabilities;
• Proven relationship-building with students that not only encourages but also enables student voice;
• Effective, proactive communication skills with students, parents, and School/District leadership;
• An ability to cultivate a positive climate and healthy collaborative culture;
• A connection to our community's values.

SALARY: As per the Master Agreement between the Burlington Board of School Commissioners and the Burlington Education Association.

Primary Location:
Burlington High School
Salary Range:
per CBA - per CBA / Per Year
Shift Type:
Full-Time