Special Education Teacher

AGENCY OVERVIEW

Since our founding in 1895 in Marin County as an orphanage – and through subsequent years as Sunny Hills Services – Side by Side has been at the forefront of best practices in child welfare, working with the most vulnerable youth in our community. Today, Side by Side operates in four counties – Marin, Alameda, Sonoma, and Napa – across the Bay Area, reaching nearly 2,000 children, young adults, and family members per year with much-needed services related to behavioral and mental health, early intervention in schools, LGBTQIA+ support, transitional housing for foster youth, and special education. 

Side By Side places high value on individuals with a passion for helping underserved youth and families in a collaborative and inclusive work culture. We strive to work together to create a trauma-informed workplace where we walk the walk of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging principles. 

JOB SUMMARY

The Special Education Teacher is part of a multidisciplinary team providing academic instruction and a positive, proactive classroom management approach ensuring compliance with CDE guidelines and national accreditations; lead and assist with education strategies and behavior management problem solving, collaboration on behavior assessments, as well as, providing leadership toward data-guided instruction and interventions. 

The Special Education Teacher actively supports and implements a strengths-based, trauma-informed, culturally competent, and youth-centered approach in working with students. This exempt position may require a work week in excess of 40 hours, as well as, evening and weekend work.  

COMPENSATION

This exempt position has an annual salary of $66,560 to $92,295 depending on experience.

BENEFITS

Benefits outlined below are for employees working 30+ hours a week. Benefits for part-time employees are calculated based on number of hours worked.

• Vacation corresponds to school district closure schedule
• 2 weeks of sick leave for F/T employees with 4 additional for school staff
• 10 paid holidays per year and 1 Self-Care Anniversary Day each year 
• 100% employer-paid Medical for F/T employees including platinum level Kaiser Permanente insurance, Sutter Health or Anthem options
• Dental and Vision Insurance
• Long Term Disability insurance up to $9,000 per month, plus $50,000 Life and AD&D insurance. Employees also have the option to purchase additional life insurance at their own cost.  
• 403b Retirement Plan
• Professional development and other learning opportunities including unlimited access to over 1,000 behavioral health courses online.  Side By Side is a Public Service Loan Forgiveness certified employer 
• FREE Employee Assistance Program including up to 10 complimentary personal counseling sessions per problem, per year for staff and dependents
• Employee recognition program with $1,000 bonus awards
• Employee referral bonus of up to $1,000
• Pet Insurance

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide leadership to develop, structure, and maintain student academic acquisition and a strong school behavioral program 
• Implements each student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) 
• Complete daily lesson plans per CDE certification standards and National Accreditation 
• Complete IEP documentation and participates professionally in student IEP meetings 
• Complete quarterly progress reports per set due dates 
• Participates in the preparation of daily data and reports that document student daily academic and social behaviors 
• Ensure accurate data collection and record keeping, as directed by behavioral staff and/or other administrative school staff 
• Facilitate supervision of classroom support staff; teaching assistant and 1:1 aides 
• Mentor, maintain, and build upon positive approaches to learning in support of significant positive behavioral changes 
• Assist in facilitating the school wide behavior intervention program demonstrating an ability to assess challenges and set clear, yet firm, limits and boundaries 
• Supervise students across all school settings, including breaks and lunch, as assigned 
• Responsible for all standardized academic and statewide assessments 
• Maintain grade-based curriculum, ensuring compliance with CDE and contractual standards 
• For middle and high school students, ensure each student is working to complete the curriculum requirements of the contracting middle or high school district 
• Other duties as assigned

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and expectations required of the position. 

AGENCY-WIDE CORE COMPETENCIES

Ethical Conduct: Understands and adheres to the Agency’s Code of Conduct, demonstrates a high level of integrity in all internal and external activities and complies with the Employee Handbook and all other Agency policies, practices and procedures. Must maintain strict confidentiality related to client, staff and other Agency information. 

Communication: Able to inform verbally and in writing, with clarity and good effect and to understand clearly and quickly when instructions or orders are received. Includes judgment about what information is important and what is not, and what should be communicated, how, to whom, and when.  

Judgment: Able to make decisions in a timely fashion that are sound, accurate, and supported by the reasoning and inclusion of appropriate people. Includes the ability to recognize, address, and propose solutions to challenges that arise.  

Safety: The employee is safety conscious about the work environment and equipment. The work area is free of debris to prevent trip and slip hazards. Standard operating procedures, safety work rules, and good general practices are followed on a daily basis. 

POSITION SPECIFIC COMPETENCIES

Work Quality

• Has knowledge of and follows through on school and agency administrative procedures and deadlines (e.g., timeline to submit incident reports, attendance, progress reports, IEP drafts, etc.) towards supporting and meeting school outcomes and agency mission 
• Prepares present levels and IEP annual and benchmark goals for students’ IEPs via SEIS; input data and manage agency electronic record system-TIER 
• Administers or oversees the administration of criterion referenced tests and standardized assessments needed to measure student progress for IEPs, report cards, and progress reports, including annual mandated state testing 

Job Knowledge

• Plans and provides appropriate learning experiences for development of the academic and social skills of students 
• Designs instruction to enable students to meet state standards at grade level, whenever possible, or to approach this level to the best of a students’ abilities 
• Participates professionally in IEP meetings to convey students’ academic and social emotional needs and present plans devised to remedy behavioral/social/emotional challenges 
• Encompasses the knowledge and possesses the academic skills to deliver appropriate instructional experiences within a student’s assigned grade level 

Cooperation

• Implements the classroom and school wide positive behavioral intervention management system in collaboration with school team members 
• Attends and participates in school staff meetings 

Continuous Learning

• Maintains professional competence through completion of required credential programs, participation of in-service education provided by the agency/school, by the County Office of Education and through participation in self-selected professional growth endeavors 

Adaptability

• Capability to work creatively and cooperatively with a team 
• Willingness to work within an interdisciplinary model (special education, applied behavior analysis, mental health) 
• Ability to work independently, and collaboratively as a team member, while being flexible in a changing and multifaceted work environment 
• Intervenes during crisis situations utilizing CPI or its equivalent; may utilize physical intervention as required to maintain safety 

Composure

• Ability to interact with children or adolescents in a consistent, empathic, flexible, and patient manner 
• Ability to set clear yet firm limits and boundaries 
• Ability to support youth with severe behavioral, developmental, learning, and emotional difficulties in a variety of settings 
• Ability to work with families of youth with severe behavioral, developmental, learning, and emotional difficulties preferred 

Team Building

• Plans, supervises, and coordinates the productive and supportive work of teaching assistant/1:1 aide(s) 
• Collaborate with the multi-disciplinary team to work creatively and cooperatively providing a consistent, structure classroom setting and/or appropriate activities for students 

Managing Diversity

• Ensure culturally sensitive and relevant treatment 

QUALIFICATIONS

• A Mild-Moderate teaching credential with Autism certification, or Moderate-Severe teaching credential, or Internship Education Specialist Instruction Credential and/or pending eligibility for said credential utilizing a CDE/CCTC Emergency Credential or Short Term Staff Permit 
• Fingerprint clearance from California DOJ, FBI, and any other required entity 
• Experience in a special education classroom and/or experience in a treatment milieu 
• A valid California driver's license, insurable by SBS insurance policy based on DMV record and personal vehicle insurance 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Basic locomotive skills to jog, run, and walk at a brisk walking pace of 100 steps per minute; running at 6-7 MPH for approximately 3 minutes.
• Able to bend and/or kneel to the floor and return to a standing position without the aid of using a student’s body to do so and within a safe and a reasonable timeframe; basically, to bend down and get back up without requiring aid of another person, either to hold onto or to help lift up.
• Sufficient balance and coordination to effectively guide dysregulated students grades K-12 or ages 5-19.
• Must be able to implement CPI techniques: This is a key point in physical requirements, it requires the ability to hold and stabilize physically aggressive students, and to aid in physical interventions and holds to keep students, staff, self, and avoid major property damage (broken windows, holes in walls, etc.)
• Sitting, walking, standing, twisting and bending for most of the time.
• Occasional reaching and/or grasping using hands and/or arms.
• May be required to lift up to 10 pounds.
• May be required to ascend/descend stairs.
• Regular use of hands requiring dexterity in using the telephone,      computer keyboard, mouse or calculator.
• Visual ability to read documents and computer monitor.
• Exposure to low to moderate noise levels characteristic of working in a school.
• Ability to drive to various sites.
• Hearing and speech to converse in person and over the telephone.
• Regularly required to talk and hear.
• Physical ability to implement CPI procedures or its equivalent, including physical restraints.
• Able to perform basic first aid and/or CPR.

AGENCY EXPECTATIONS

• Adhere to all Agency Health and Safety policies and procedures administratively as well as related to the care of our clients 
• Adhere to the Agency’s Code of Conduct and Employee Handbook, as well as any other agency policies and procedures 
• Attend and participate in all required agency supervisions, meetings, and trainings 
• Must maintain strict confidentiality related to client, staff, and other Agency information 

Side by Side provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.