Director of Special Services

POSITION TITLE: Director of Special Services DEPARTMENT: Special ServicesREPORTS TO: Superintendent of Schools GENERAL SUMMARY:The job goal is to ensure that programs and personnel within the Special Services Department are viewed as an integral part of the instructional program of the school district ensuring that all students succeed in developing the skills and abilities necessary to master the basic concepts of language communication mathematics and technology; develop problemsolving and higher level thinking skills; understand and respect others; develop skills necessary to be selfdirected learners; enhance and sustain selfesteem through emotional intellectual and physical wellbeing. Most importantly to advocate that all students can learn and all students have a right to an appropriate public education making it possible for them to benefit from their school experiences. Also an appropriate education for students with disabilities is best achieved through a team effort that includes parents students school personnel and when appropriate representatives from other agencies and organizations with interests in the students :The Director of Special Services shall hold or be eligible to hold a New Hampshire Certificate with an Endorsement as Special Education require knowledge of educational administration and special education equivalent to completion of a Masters degree and five or more years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and OF EMPLOYMENT: Annually as approved by the Berlin Board of Education. Twelvemonth RESPONSIBILITY:Supervises Special Education Department Certified and Classified Staff including Special Education Office Manager School Psychologists Occupational and Physical Therapists SpeechLanguage Pathologists and Speech Assistants Teachers of the Hearing Impaired Visually Impaired and English as a Second Language Special Education Teachers/Case Managers and Special Education RESPONSIBILITY (continued):Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with school policies and applicable laws. Responsibility includes interviewing recommending for hire training planning assigning and directing work appraising performance disciplining employees addressing complaints and resolving FUNCTIONS:Assures that the Berlin Public Schools complies with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act NH RSA 186C The NH Standards for the Education of Students with Disabilities The Americans with Disabilities Act Title IX Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and all other federal and state entitlement acts that relate to that legal and appropriate procedures are being followed in the referring evaluation and placement of students into Special Education directs and administers training in the due process procedures as related to the identification and placement of students with and facilitates procedures to refer process identify and place eligible pupils in Special Education programs for both admission and and initiates screening programs and continuous identification of children with budget recommendations maintains information on state funding and provides expenditure control on established budgets for Special the Special Education Services budget in a fiscally responsible manner while providing all necessary services for a free and appropriate public education for students with an educational disability requiring special education with or without related required programs for all students with disabilities through systematic planning policies programs and procedures essential to the needs of children with staff and administrators of legal requirements governing Special the objectives of special education services to the Board of Education the administration the staff and the public at all local state and federal reports as may be that all local state and federal reporting data is entered into the required software programs for child counts and monitoring with public and private agencies organizations and professional personnel in securing and providing services for students with disabilities and other conditions that may put students at risk of with building principals in the recruitment selection assignment and evaluation of all Special Education each Individual Education Plan (IEP) developed by Special Education Teams for each student and submitted electronically by the case managers for compliance and FUNCTIONS (CONTINUED):Coordinates the systemwide special education program; monitors student progress attendance and the responsibilities of case manager for all students placed in OutofDistrict placements including the coordination and attending of all team meetings the development of IEPs the input of IEPs into the required software programs the monitoring of the students progress and the transition back to indistrict all preschool and outofdistrict evaluations IEP and placement any potentially difficult and/or costly team meetings at the request of the special education teacher and/or building the school district at all juvenile family and drug court proceedings in which the school district has been joined; manages the appeals that all notices of compliance with Section 504 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Sexual Harassment and Title IX are posted and advertised annually in all school publications and in multidisciplinary team meetings with local agencies and to the Superintendent and Board of Education on matters relating to Special Education Title IX ESOL (English Speakers of Other Languages) Section 504 and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) the ESOL programs for the transition services with NH Vocational Rehabilitation and Community Services that reports and grants are filed in a timely fashion; writes manages and evaluates preschool grants; applies for any entitlement and discretionary special education state federal and private grants as they become available. Prepares catastrophic aid applications and oversees the submission of Medicaid Reimbursement and authorizes educational evaluations and reevaluations for all students for whom the special education teams have deemed requiring such and implements an effective Child Find with the elementary principal for the registration and screening of kindergarten such other tasks serves on appointed committees and assumes such other responsibilities as the Superintendent of Schools may assign or DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:Represents special education on the professional development committee; attends Board of Education meetings; attends applicable City Council meetings at the request of the inservice training for teachers paraprofessionals and related service providers in Special monthly special education department special transportation for students with disabilities with the Transportation DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES (continued):Remains current with all amendments and changes with federal and state rules as well as administrative rules related to Special Education ESOL ADA Section 504 Title IX and Sexual Harassment. Coordinates and supervises home and hospital tutoring and home instruction for students with TRAINING REQUIRED:Demonstrate expert knowledge of special education programming including but not limited to legal requirements policy requirements procedural components and daily operational to work with various groups and individuals including parents students staff administration agencies and the public at to recognize District Special Education and Services priorities and work cooperatively to support their to conceptualize and operationalize goals and objectives for the to analyze complex issues and to develop relevant and realistic plans programs and planning negotiation organizational and supervisory to be fair and impartial in the investigation of management to market programs and ideas to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing; to establish positive public relations for the Department; and to interact effectively with a wide variety of CONDITIONS/PHYSICAL DEMANDS:Normal office environment not subject to extreme variations of temperature odors noise of computer keyboard requiring eyehand coordination and finger traveling to meetings both in and out of state utilizing own than half of the time is spent in a normal office above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to do this job. The above is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties required.

Required Experience:

Director