Dean of Management & Operations

DISTRICT OVERVIEW

Holyoke Public Schools is a PreK-12 public school district serving nearly 4800 students of whom 80 percent are Latino/Latina in 11 schools. We employ nearly 1300 people who together educate and support a richly diverse community of learners. We are committed to recruiting and retaining top-quality educators who believe all children can and will learn and who strive daily to make school a joyful place of discovery support and belonging.

Holyoke Public Schools strategic plan Moving Forward Together builds on the strengths of our past while serving as a call to action to accelerate student learning by thinking differently about how we teach how we work together and how we support students well-being.

Many successes contributed to Holyokes return to local governance after 10 years in state receivership. These include:

• The highest graduation rate on record of 77.1 percent an increase of more than 15-points over 10 years
• Meaningful applied learning opportunities for high school students including theme-based academies career vocational technical education programming work-based learning and advanced coursework
• A comprehensive approach to early literacy that includes strong core instruction and one-on-one tutoring contributing to more students reading at grade level
• A thriving dual language English/Spanish program where nearly 900 students are on their path to becoming bilingual biliterate and bicultural

• More than one-third of Holyoke teachers identify as people of color a 19-point increase over 10 years. Many partnership programs support staff to earn licensure or additional certification.

Please visit the Holyoke Public Schools website to learn more about us our recent accomplishments and our commitment to equity.

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PERSPECTIVA GENERAL DEL DISTRITO

Las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke son un distrito escolar público que cuenta con 11 escuelas de prekínder a 12. grado y acoge a casi 4 800 estudiantes de los cuales el 80 % se identifica como latino o latina. Empleamos a casi 1 300 personas que en conjunto educan y apoyan a una comunidad de estudiantes altamente diversa. Estamos comprometidos a contratar y retener educadores de alta calidad que creen firmemente que todos los niños pueden aprender y aprenderán y que se esfuerzan diariamente por hacer de la escuela un lugar alegre de descubrimiento apoyo y pertenencia.

El plan estratégico de las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke Avanzando Juntos se basa en nuestras fortalezas previas y al mismo tiempo sirve como un llamado a la acción para acelerar el aprendizaje estudiantil a través de una nueva perspectiva sobre cómo enseñamos cómo trabajamos en colaboración y cómo apoyamos el bienestar de los estudiantes.

Existen numerosos logros que permitieron a Holyoke recuperar el control local después de 10 años de administración judicial. Entre estos logros se encuentran:

• La tasa de graduación más alta registrada del 77.1 % lo que representa un aumento de más de 15 puntos porcentuales en 10 años
• Oportunidades significativas de aprendizaje práctico para estudiantes de secundaria que incluyen academias temáticas programas de educación técnica y vocacional aprendizaje basado en el trabajo y cursos avanzados
• Un enfoque integral de la alfabetización temprana que combina una sólida instrucción básica con tutorías individuales lo cual ha contribuido a que más estudiantes lean a nivel de grado
• Un próspero programa bilingüe de inglés/español en el que casi 900 estudiantes avanzan hacia el bilingüismo la biliteracidad y la biculturalidad.

• Más de un tercio de los maestros de Holyoke se identifican como personas de etnicidad diversa lo que representa un aumento de 19 puntos porcentuales en 10 años. Diversas colaboraciones con programas que han contribuido a que miembros del personal obtengan sus certificaciones o credenciales adicionales.

Visite el sitio web de las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke para obtener más información sobre nuestra comunidad nuestros logros recientes y nuestro compromiso con la equidad.

The Holyoke Public Schools are committed to ensuring a high-quality education for all. We have invested in recruiting and retaining diverse top-quality educators who inspire bold thinking recognize student potential and encourage all students to work towards their Holyoke we are committed to becoming an anti-racist district by focusing on:

• Anti-Racism Training for All Staff Members

• Policy Review and Revision

• Facilitating School Visits Through an Equity lens

• Establishing the Holyoke Race and Equity Team

• Establishing Equity Indicators for Accountability of HPS Employees Students and Partners

We know that students do their best when they pursue their passions so we have designed multiple pathways where all students graduate prepared to excel in college career and community leadership. Holyoke Public Schools (HPS) serves 5400 students (of which over 80% are Latinx) in 13 schools and employs nearly 1500 people. The District was placed into receivership by the State of Massachusetts in Spring 2015 because of struggling performance and has since implemented aTurnaround Planthat has led to expanded choice programs (such as dual language STEM and early college) and new opportunities for students to explore the arts sports sciences and local and world cultures. Since 2015 the District has experienced numerousaccomplishmentsfor instance:

• doubling access to PreK programming
• 10-point graduation rate increase
• 85 percent increase in access to early college programming
• 13-point increase (to 26%) teachers of color

The Dean of Management and Operations will help lead the schools efforts to create a positive structured consistent and caring school culture grounded in school systems that support students acquiring the academic and social-emotional skills they need to be successful in school. This position will ensure the physical environment and day to day operations of the school are driven by this goal and reflect this focus.

Responsibilities for this role include but are not limited to:

Operations Leadership

• Design and manage all school operational systems including but not limited to arrival and dismissal procedures; transitions between classes; school-wide food systems; uniform checks and dispersal; student enrollment; coverage for absent staff members and more.
• Assist in presenting professional development and other training for staff around key operational routines and procedures such as arrival dismissal lunch and school activities.
• Work closely with the front office clerk to ensure fidelity of all data systems including attendance enrollment and report cards systems.
• Oversee the food service team and serve as the point person for transportation.
• Maintain and regularly update the schools handbooks (family staff student crisis management).
• Represent the school on the District Crisis Team and maintain the safety protocols for the school.
• Manage the hiring process (screening candidates for specific school roles such as clerks paras etc.) and schedule all interviews.
• Work closely with the Head Custodian to ensure a clean safe and culturally responsive school environment.
• Develop and implement all testing procedures and schedules including MCAS.
• Work closely with the district IT department to ensure access to 1:1 technology for students and staff members.
• Use data to drive improvements in systems and operations.

School Climate & Culture

• Build and implement operational systems and procedures and day to day data systems which protect the sanctity of instructional time and reinforce a positive school culture.
• Ensure the physical space reflects the schools values and mission regularly performing audits and providing feedback to the leadership team.
• Be highly present and visible during school hours.
• Model the schools core values and standards for professional behavior.
• Work closely with school counselors and student support staff to implement PBIS respond to challenging student behavior and/or provide resources to students and families.

Family & Community Engagement

• Create and maintain a school-wide calendar for staff and families.
• Coordinate all external partnerships which participate in providing clubs and extracurricular activities for students.
• Build and foster relationships with community leaders and organizations including maintaining a robust database of community organizations.
• Work closely with the Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Coordinator to respond to student and family concerns and/or provide necessary family supports or referrals for services.
• Oversee the full implementation of thePrinciples and Procedures for Providing Interpretation and Translation Services to Parents and Guardians who have limited English proficiency (LEP).

CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS:

Experience skills traits and beliefs:

• Bachelors Degree preferred or 5-7 years of management experience in an urban organization
• Experience in school based operations or in operations at a high performing organization preferred
• Strong technical skills experience in MS Excel/Google Sheets MS Word/Google Docs and MS Powerpoint/Google Slides
• Proactive strategic problem-solver who is able to work successfully in a fast-paced environment often while balancing competing priorities
• A proven track record of working collaboratively and productively with all stakeholders students teachers school staff and parents particularly in an urban environment
• A strong understanding of school and district level systems
• Highly organized and able to think strategically and innovatively in order to continuously improve school operations
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Belief in a structured school environment that promotes a positive culture of achievement
• Ability to be flexible have a growth mindset and be a team player!
• A commitment to high performance standards and unwavering belief that all students can excel
• Alignment with the HPS core values and equity commitments

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:Salary and benefits will be competitive and commensurate with experience. Refer to theHPS/HEA agreementon the Human Resources webpage for ranges.