ITHACA CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
400 Lake Street • Ithaca, New York • 14850
NOTICE OF VACANCY
| We envision 6000+ Thinkers. Thinking is foundational to the development of self and society. It is the cornerstone of all creative ideas and problem-solving, new scientific discoveries, new products and services, individual and organizational learning, education, business success, interpersonal and intrapersonal communications, all social change and even democracy itself. Our vision is what we see. It motivates us. Our vision is audacious. Our mission is to engage, educate, and empower. We will strive to engage all students in the importance and relevance of thinking; to educate every learner to communicate, comprehend, and collaborate for understanding; and to empower all in the ICSD to achieve academic excellence. |
Position Title: Director of Special Education
Brief Description: The job of Director of Special Education supervises the implementation and maintenance of inclusive Special Education programs and services, Kindergarten to age 21. The Director conveys our district’s commitment to inclusion by serving as a collaborator with staff, caregivers and community partners. This position reports to the Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning.
Essential Job Functions:
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Collaborates with school principals, case managers, caregivers and service providers implement and maintain services and/or programs.
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Develops proposals, new programs, budgets and grants for the purpose of meeting district inclusion goals.
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Implements assigned programs that meet district/state curriculum and/or instructional objectives.
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Manages fiscal resources from the General Fund and special education grants, prepares budgets and directs spending, and monitors maintenance of effort, for the purpose of fiscal efficiency in providing required services.
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Communicates information on programs, services and regulations to school personnel, caregivers, and the Board of Education.
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Recruits, hires, supervises, and evaluates special education staff including: teachers, speech pathologists, school psychologists and occupational therapists.
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Serves as the district liaison to the Regional CSE Chair meeting and The New York Department of Education for coordination of Special Education services; and manages special education complaints, for the purpose of providing required services.
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Coordinates with outside agencies to provide services to students, staff and families.
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Directs the Medicaid Administrative Claiming process and direct billing of Medicaid-eligible special education services provided by the district.
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Facilitates training of special education instructional staff as well as Educators of Inclusion (EI) for the purpose of assuring well-trained personnel and high quality job embedded professional development
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Maintains a high level of knowledge regarding developing special education issues, changes in the laws and case law, and inclusive education methods, for the purpose of managing an excellent special education program.
Other Job Functions:
Location(s): District Office
Anticipated Start Date: 4/1/2025
Posting Dates: 2/10/2025-2/24/2025
Number of Vacancies: 1
FTE:1.0
Application Requirements:
- Resume/CV
- Cover Letter
- Proof of Certification (or pending certification)
- Three (3) Letters of Reference (required for external candidates)
- MANDATORY Writing Sample (see prompt below)
The Ithaca City School District values diverse perspectives and life experiences. We encourage people of all backgrounds to apply, including people of color, women, LGBTQIA+, veterans, people with disabilities, and those with lived experiences.
| MANDATORY Writing Sample A writing sample is required for the application to be complete. Please upload your writing sample separately or with your cover letter. |
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How do you see yourself serving as an instructional administrative leader in the Ithaca City School District to meet the diverse needs of all students, faculty, staff, and community? Please refer to specific actions you would take. -
Describe a typical day as an instructional administrative leader to help us understand how your practices will fulfill our district’s equity goals. Include interventions, and collaborative approaches in meeting all stakeholder groups; needs. |
Required Qualifications:
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The Ithaca City School District is committed to eliminating race, class, and disability as predictors of academic performance, co-curricular participation, and discipline. Qualified candidates will demonstrate a basic awareness of these commitments and a strong willingness to support these efforts.
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Prior teaching experience with increasing levels of administrative responsibility in Universal Design and Special Education curriculum.
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New York State SDL and/or SBL License
Desired Characteristics:
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An educational leader whose competency, energy, and commitment will help ensure that students thrive;
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Proven ability to interact effectively with students and their families who represent cultures that are diverse in terms of race, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and other characteristics in order to build an effective and collaborative school community;
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Ability to implement culturally responsive curriculum; create an inclusive classroom; and differentiate instruction in order to engage the learning styles and needs of each student as an individual.
Internal Applicants: Apply online at ithacacityschools.schoolfront.com
When applying through SchoolFront you can log in with your ICSD email credentials using the following single-sign on link here. Once logged in please go to recruiting > Available Internal Postings.
If you are a substitute, a coach or in the process of onboarding and haven’t officially started, you will be considered an external applicant.
External Applicants: Apply online at ithacacityschools.recruitfront.com
In order for us to receive your application you must complete the following three steps on Recruitfront:
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Create a RecruitFront profile: If it's the first time applying to ICSD
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Create an Application: Checkmark Teacher/Admin Only!
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Apply to Job Posting: After finishing step 2, select APPLY on the job posting.
Salary Range: $123,000-$140,000
| The Ithaca City School District does not unlawfully discriminate in employment on the basis of age, race, color, religion, creed, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, military status, veteran status, sex, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, marital status, familial status, domestic violence victim status, or other federal/state protected status. |