Junior-High Academic Support Team Full-Time Paraprofessional

Seeking a special-education paraprofessional beginning August 2025 at Liberty Common Junior High School in Fort Collins, Colorado – a Poudre School District charter school dedicated to using the Core Knowledge curriculum in grades K-8.  The new, standalone junior-high school will open to students in August of 2025 and will enroll over 250 junior-high students in its opening year.

LCJHS provides excellence and fairness in education by teaching a contextual body of organized knowledge, the skills of learning, and the values of a democratic society. This is done through parental choice, partnership with teachers, and student acceptance of responsibility for his/her academic effort.

The special education paraprofessional is part of the special education and academic support collaborative team.  Successful applicants report to the Academic Support Team (AST) Coordinator.  Applicants should be dedicated to the mastery of an academic discipline and knowledge-based curriculum.

FLSA CLASSIFICATION: Hourly Non-Exempt

EMPLOYMENT STATUS: Regular, Full-time

WORK HOURS: 35-40 hours per week

PAY RANGE: $16.50-$20.00/hour

REPORTS TO: AST Coordinator

REVISION DATE: May 2025

Academic Support Team Duties:

• Proctoring and managing the Testing Center and maintaining fidelity with testing materials

• Providing support to all Liberty students who are serviced on Read Act, ELD, 504, and IEP plans as well as students at risk and in need of academic or behavioral supports
• Maintaining confidentiality of information as required by school policy
• Providing academic and behavioral support to students under the direct supervision of the AST Coordinator
• Assisting small groups and individuals with class lessons and reinforcing study skills and organization
• Assisting students with specialized reading or math curriculum to meet goals of Individualized Education Plans under the direction of the Academic Support Team Coordinator
• Working collaboratively with general education teachers and parents to meet identified student goals
• Other responsibilities as directed by the Academic Support Team Coordinator

Administrative Duties:

• Preparing classroom materials, administering tests, and maintaining student files
• Collecting progress-monitoring data and documenting student achievement
• Creating calendars of daily work, long-term assignments, and assessments for general education classes

Physical Requirements:

• Must be able to maneuver uneven surfaces.
• Must be able to carry or transfer up to 20lbs of supplies frequently.
• Must be able to work in occasionally loud environments.
• Must be able to frequently use office technology including computers, copiers, and printers.
• Must be able to use commercial office tools including paper cutters and staplers.

Minimum Requirements: 

• Desire and willingness to learn about Liberty’s history and philosophy and to uphold and promote the mission and values of the school.
• Minimum of a two-year degree or equivalent combination of relevant education and experience demonstrating tutoring, writing, math, and organizational skills to support students in 7th-8th grade.
• Adept interpersonal skills conducive to achieving these objectives.
• Proven ability to work in a collaborative team environment.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks, use time efficiently, follow instructions, attend to details, and have flexibility.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Outlook, internet utilization, and general aptitude for learning new software applications.

Preferred Characteristics: 

• Experience and proficiency in teaching Junior High math (Pre-Alg., Algebra), English (Grammar, Writing), science, history, or Latin.
• Demonstrated proficiency in Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 Suite including Excel.
• Strong organizational skills.

Benefits:

• Enrollment in Colorado’s Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA) and employer contributions to your PERA retirement account.
• Health, dental, vision, long-term disability, short-term disability insurance.
• Earned sick leave in accordance with Colorado’s Healthy Families and Workplaces (HFWA) Act.

EEO STATEMENT

Liberty Common School is an EEO employer.  Applicants are considered for positions for which they have applied without regard to gender (regardless of gender identity or gender expression), race, color, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, pregnancy, or other characteristics protected by law.

Studies indicate women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they can perform all job descriptions identified in the job-vacancy announcement.  Liberty Common School prioritizes identifying the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may come from a less-traditional background.  Liberty Common School may consider an equivalent combination of knowledge, skills, education, and lived experiences to meet minimum qualifications.

Liberty Common School is located in the City of Fort Collins in Northern Colorado.  Northern Colorado is an integral part of the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Ute Nations. European American trappers and traders arrived by the early 1800s but rarely established permanent settlements.  Gold and silver discoveries in the Colorado mountains in the mid-1800s and the prospect of land for farming and ranching attracted people from across the globe to the Colorado Territory, including what would become the town of Fort Collins; an agricultural colony that emerged from its founding days as a military fort.  The expansion included the sugar-beet industry's growth, which brought new residents whose descendants still live here today, including Mexican American families from southern Colorado, New Mexico, and northern Mexico, as well as Germans from Russia.  Since 1879, Fort Collins has been the home of the state’s land-grant institution, Colorado State University, which currently enrolls 34,000 students.  Along with the university, the city’s major high-tech and manufacturing companies and high performing charter-public schools attract new residents from all over the country and world.  The community’s overall social diversity continues to grow.

Liberty Common School is an EEO employer.

AT-WILL EMPLOYMENT

All employment with Liberty Common School is voluntary and is subject to termination by you or Liberty Common School at-will, with or without cause, and with or without notice, at any time. There is no guarantee, in any manner, Liberty Common School will continue employment for any set period of time. This applies to all aspects of employment at Liberty Common School including but not limited to recruiting, hiring, promotion, placement, discipline, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and access to benefits and training.

ADDITIONAL DUTIES

Please note this job description is not a comprehensive list of activities, duties, and responsibilities required of this position.  Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice from Liberty Common School.

For more information about Liberty Common School, see http://www.libertycommon.org.

A complete application includes nothing less than the following items:

• Letter of application
• Resume
• Statement of educational philosophy
• Transcript photocopy
• Three references with phone numbers

This job posting will remain open until positions are filled.

Mail to: Mrs. Janice Garland, AST Coordinator

Liberty Common High School

2745 Minnesota Dr.

Fort Collins, CO 80525.   

Or e-mail to: jgarland@libertycommon.org