Lead Building Substitute Role

This position reports to the Building Principal in a midsize urban school district located in the Capital region of Upstate New York. The Lead Building Substitute Teacher will work with teachers, families, and school leaders. The Lead Building Substitute Teacher will work in one designated building where they will have opportunities to support a variety of classrooms and special projects. The Lead Building Substitute Teacher will model leadership for all other substitute teachers. This position requires a high degree of innovation, enthusiasm and a spirit of collaboration.

 Lead Building Substitute Teacher Expectations

• Work with students on all grade levels;
• Organize and support school staff and administration in supporting student engagement;
• Build relationships and collaborate with other staff;
• Support the development of school activities and other organizations that support student interests;
• Work directly with students to solve conflicts, discipline, and behavior situations with a student centered and restorative approach.

Lead Building Substitute Teacher Qualities

• Great interpersonal skills;
• Loves and understands the impact of Equity-based Culturally Responsive teaching;
• Belief in restorative approaches and works to eliminate punitive practices;
• Demonstrated effectiveness in developing relationships;
• Demonstrated ability to build alliances with a diverse group of stakeholders;
• Good problem solver;
• Growth mindset;
• Demonstrated ability to learn.

General Music Teacher Role

This position reports to the building principal. The SCSD is seeking innovative Music Teachers for an exciting teaching opportunity in our district. The Music Teacher should be familiar with using growth mindset practices in their classrooms. The Music Teacher will teach students how to perceive, understand, and reflect back in their music the realities of the human condition. This position requires a high degree of energy, creativity, and innovative thinking.

General Music Teacher Expectations

• Provide music instruction based on the NYS Standards for the Arts to students;
• Use growth mindset practices in their classrooms to cultivate student curiosity;
• Teach students how to use art to communicate thoughts, feelings and messages that initiate action;
• Robust working knowledge of how to teach art to those grade levels.

General Music Teacher Key Qualities

• Curiosity to understand the lives of students and align with lesson planning;
• Open-minded and uses music to open student minds to the world;
• Models a growth mindset;
• Acts as a facilitator and coach to support learning in the classroom;
• Inspires student to be creators and discover musical talents; 
• Uses students lived experiences to guide instructional practices in the music classroom.

Elementary Special Education Teacher Role

This position reports to Elementary Building Principal and Special Education Division. The Elementary Special Education Teacher develops and provides specialized instruction to meet the unique needs of all students with disabilities. This position requires a high degree of adaptability, attention to diversity and equitable outcomes.

Elementary Special Education Teacher Expectations

• Provides research-based specialized instruction to address the instructional goals and objectives contained within each student’s IEP;
• Assesses student progress and determines the need for additional reinforcement or adjustments to instructional techniques;
• Employs various teaching techniques, methods and principles of learning to enable students to meet their IEP goals;
• Develops and implements annual Individualized Educational Program (IEP) plans for students;
• Creates a positive learning experience with emphasis in individualized instruction using appropriate sources;
• Provides direction, supervision and evaluation of educational paraprofessionals as directed;
• Employs and implements a classroom structure and consistency to encourage student responsibility, cooperation and mutual respect consistent with district policies and procedures;
• Collaborates and consults with educational professionals and community service providers regarding the needs of students;
• Performs other comparable duties of a like or similar nature apparent or as assigned.

Elementary Special Education Teacher Key Qualities

• Relishes using multiple communication methods that are tailored to and facilitate productive conversations with different stakeholders;
• Applies the critical thinking skills needed to adapt instructional practices to support student growth;
• Builds positive and collaborative working relationships with colleagues;
• Practices patience with all students, families and colleagues;
• Always seeking new ways to teach students the way they learn.

Are you interested in working in an energetic, forward thinking district that understands the value and importance of the arts? SCSD’s belief in educating the whole child is so strong that a NEW K-5 ELA Curriculum has been adopted that utilizes visual media/art as access points for students to build strong literacy skills. We are looking for art teachers who are passionate about building relationships to inspire our young artists to be innovative, creative, expressive, and well versed in artists of various cultures, backgrounds, and mediums.

Visual Arts Teacher Role

This position reports to the building principal. The SCSD is seeking innovative Visual Arts Teacher for an exciting teaching opportunity in our district. The Visual Arts Teacher should be familiar with using growth mindset practices in their classrooms. The Visual Arts Teacher will teach students how to perceive, understand, and reflect back in their art the realities of the human condition. This position requires a high degree of energy, creativity, and innovative thinking.

Visual Arts Teachers Expectations

• Engage students using culturally responsive practices with many forms of visual arts, such as, painting, sculpture, printmaking, ceramics, drawing, design, crafts, photography, video, filmmaking, and architecture;
• Use growth mindset practices in their classrooms to cultivate student curiosity about the world;
• Teach students how to use art to communicate thoughts, feelings, and messages that initiate action;
• Robust working knowledge of how to teach art to all grade levels.

Visual Arts Teacher Key Qualities

• Curiosity to understand the lives of students and align with lesson planning;
• Open-minded and uses art to open student minds to the world;
• Models a growth mindset;
• Acts as a facilitator and coach to support learning in the classroom;
• Inspires student to be creators and discover artistic talents;
• Uses students' lived experiences to guide instructional practices in the art classroom.

Special Education Teacher Role

This position reports to the Building Principal and Special Education Division. The Special Education Teacher develops and provides specialized instruction to meet the unique needs of all students with disabilities. This position requires a high degree of adaptability, attention to diversity and equitable outcomes.

Special Education Teacher Expectations

• Provides research-based specialized instruction to address the instructional goals and objectives contained within each student’s IEP;
• Assesses student progress and determines the need for additional reinforcement or adjustments to instructional techniques;
• Employs various teaching techniques, methods and principles of learning to enable students to meet their IEP goals;
• Develops and implements annual Individualized Educational Program (IEP) plans for students;
• Creates a positive learning experience with emphasis in individualized instruction using appropriate sources;
• Provides direction, supervision and evaluation of educational paraprofessionals as directed;
• Employs and implements a classroom structure and consistency to encourage student responsibility, cooperation and mutual respect consistent with district policies and procedures;
• Collaborates and consults with educational professionals and community service providers regarding the needs of students;
• Performs other comparable duties of a like or similar nature apparent or as assigned.

Special Education Teacher Key Qualities

• Relishes using multiple communication methods that are tailored to and facilitate productive conversations with different stakeholders;
• Applies the critical thinking skills needed to adapt instructional practices to support student growth;
• Builds positive and collaborative working relationships with colleagues;
• Practices patience with all students, families and colleagues;
• Always seeking new ways to teach students the way they learn.

Speech Language Pathologist Role

This position reports to the Pupil Services Division and school principal in a midsize urban school district located in the Capital region of Upstate New York. The Speech Language Pathologist (Speech Therapist) will work with teachers, parents, and school leaders to develop plans and strategies. Speech Language Pathologist (Speech Therapist) will possess the competencies necessary for serving the linguistic and educational needs of children, adolescents and families. This position requires a high degree of culturally responsiveness, continuous reflection and creativity when it comes to addressing the needs of students.

Speech Language Pathologist Expectations

• Work across all levels to provide appropriate speech-language services in Pre-K, elementary, middle, junior high, and high schools with no school level underserved.
• Serve a range of disorders as delineated in the ASHA Scope of Practice in Speech-Language Pathology and federal regulations - work with students exhibiting the full range of communication disorders, including those involving language, articulation (speech sound disorders), fluency, voice/resonance, and swallowing. Myriad etiologies may be involved;
• Ensure educational relevance by determining whether the disorder has an impact on the education of students. Therefore, address personal, social/emotional, academic, and vocational needs that have an impact on attainment of educational goals;
• Provide unique contributions to curriculum based on focused expertise in language. Offer assistance in addressing the linguistic and metalinguistic foundations of curriculum learning for students with disabilities, as well as other learners who are at risk for school failure, or those who struggle in school settings;
• Highlight language/literacy by contributing significantly to the literacy achievement of students with communication disorders, as well as other learners who are at risk for school failure, or those who struggle in school settings;
• Provide culturally competent services by ensuring that all students receive quality, culturally competent services. Use expertise to distinguish a language disorder from “something else.” That “something else” might include cultural and linguistic differences, socioeconomic factors, lack of adequate prior instruction, and the process of acquiring the dialect of English used in the schools. Use expertise to ensure a more accurate and appropriate identification of student needs. Also be prepared to address the impact of language differences and second language acquisition on student learning and provide assistance to teachers in promoting educational growth;
• Help students meet the performance standards of a particular school district and state;
• Engage in preventing academic failure in whatever form those initiatives may take; for example, in Response to Intervention (RTI). SLPs use evidence-based practice (EBP) in prevention approaches;
• Engage in conducting assessments in collaboration with others that help to identify students with communication disorders as well as to inform instruction and intervention, consistent with EBP;
• Provide interventions that are culturally responsive and appropriate to the age and learning needs of each individual student and is selected through an evidence-based decision-making process;
• Engage in designing schoolwide programs that employ a continuum of service delivery models in the least restrictive environment for students with disabilities, and provide services to other students as appropriate;
• Engage in data-based decision making, including gathering and interpreting data with individual students, as well as overall program evaluation are essential responsibilities;
• Ensure compliance with federal and state mandates as well as local policies in performance of their duties. Activities may include Individualized Education Program (IEP) development, Medicaid billing, report writing, and treatment plan/therapy log development;
• Engage in collaboration by working in partnership with others to meet students' needs;
• Complement and augment those services provided by other professionals who also have unique perspectives and skills. Work collegially with general education teachers who are primarily responsible for curriculum and instruction. Work closely with reading specialists, literacy coaches, special education teachers, occupational therapists, physical therapists, school psychologists, audiologists, guidance counselors, and social workers, in addition to others. Work with school and district administrators in designing and implementing programs is crucial;
• Develop relationships with universities to exchange shared knowledge and perspectives;
• Develop community relationships with a variety of individuals and agencies (e.g., physicians, private therapy practitioners, social service agencies, private schools, and vocational rehabilitation) who may be involved in teaching or providing services to children and youth;
• Develop relationships with families by engaging families in planning, decision making, and program implementation;
• Develop relationships with students by engaging them in goal planning, intervention implementation, monitoring of progress, and self-advocacy appropriate to age and ability level;
• Provide direction in defining their roles and responsibilities and in ensuring delivery of appropriate services to students;
• Advocate for appropriate programs and services for children and adolescents, including reasonable workloads, professional development opportunities and other program supports. Also work to influence the development and interpretation of laws, regulations, and policies to promote best practice;
• Play a vital role in inducting new professionals;
• Design and conduct professional development;
• Provide training to parents of students of all ages with regard to communication development and disorders. Strive to create a language- and literacy-rich environment;
• Participate in research to generate and support the use of evidence-based assessment and intervention practices.

Speech Language Pathologist Key Qualities

• Able to be empathetic by caring, understanding, and cultivating an empowering environment for all students;
• Demonstrates patience with serious issues, students and families;
• Able to be dependable in ways that develop trust with students;
• Able to implement an organizational system to support both case management and student needs simultaneously;
• Being able to observe with skill and listen closely;
• Being able to make impartial informed decisions on behalf of students and families;
• Ability to be persistent and resilient when dealing with setbacks;
• Willing to be flexible and multitask as needed on demand;
• Ability to use a culturally responsive approach to develop relationships and execute interventions with fidelity; 
• Willingness to learn, in order to be relatable, flexible, personable and adaptable;
• Engages in continuous self-care.