Special Education Family Coordinator

Special Education Family Coordinator

Benefits of the position:

Start date for this position will be July 1 or after.

• $42,500 annually

• 15 paid holidays per year

• 20 Vacation Days, 13 Sick Days, 5 Personal Days per year

• Full Medical-PPO, Dental, Prescription, and Vision Coverage for Employee and Dependents from Day 1! ($77.00/ month premium+ deductible)

• Required minimum 8.5% contribution to Pennsylvania School Employees Retirement System (PSERS).

Position Summary:

The Special Education Family Coordinator will serve as the liaison for the IU for parents and family members to communicate their concerns, questions and comments while providing families another link for accessing information related to the Special Education system in Pennsylvania.  The Special Education Family Coordinator will focus on improving communication and building relationships between the school district, IU, and other educational staff and families of the students eligible or thought to be eligible for special education services in Erie, Crawford, and Warren counties. This position will also support the coordination of special education services for school age and Early Intervention programming by supporting projects with other personnel.

Required Qualifications:

• High school diploma or GED with prior experience as a consultant

• Valid driver's license within individual's state of residence

• 1-3 years of experience in an administrative support position

• Proficiency in software packages including MS Office Suite

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience working with children with disabilities

• Knowledge of special educations process and procedures

• Knowledge of local and state disability related resources and services

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Maintain the Family Support Center which serves as a contact point for parents who wish to visit or call

• Work with the Local Right-to-Education Task Force to provide support with communication and direction to the Chairperson/s. This includes distribution of flyers, folders, and general information to various parent groups and related organizations

• Work with parents of children with disabilities in special education programs in districts or early intervention programming, upon request

• Meet with special education supervisors with the IU to offer support to schools in implementing parent groups or trainings and/or present at workshops when requested

• Accompany parents by request to IEP meetings and act as a support person and resource for them

• Maintain the Family Support e-mail list for use with distribution of material and workshop information

• Maintain communication by distributing regular newsletters, updating the website and social media sites for distribution to families and school districts

• Develop a survey of needs/concerns to families within the IU area and provide this data to the local school districts and early intervention programs

• Work with IU Pre-school Early Intervention program to offer support and assistance with transitioning of parents to IU services

• Maintain a list of surrogate parents for the local school districts use and work to provide surrogate parent training to all new and present surrogate parents

• Support as a backup with the coordination of coverage for classroom teachers and aides in conjunction with absence system and Coordinator for Special Education and Early Intervention.

• Support Special Education Supervisors by coordinating various programmatic projects (ex. Ongoing staff realignment processes, special education compliance monitoring processes, etc.)

• Support Special Education Director and Assistant Director by monitoring and coordinating various department activities.

• Perform other duties as assigned

Performance Factors/Job Competencies:

• Conflict resolution

• Working with parents in regards to complaints

• Organizing, planning, and prioritizing work for the program

• Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems for the organization and parents

• Maintain proficiency with updated technology

• Effectively able to prioritize tasks

• Detail oriented

• Ability to work on a variety of computer based applications

• Able to communicate effectively with internal staff along with those outside of the organization

Work Environment:

This Special Education Family Coordinator travels extensively throughout the three counties the IU5 services consulting with parents. This role routinely uses standard office equipment with a vast majority of the time utilizing computers to complete daily tasks. Due to travel outside of the home office, candidates are required to have a vehicle and valid driver's license to attend job related duties, meetings, seminars, and trainings.

Physical Demands: (% of time)

Sitting: Often (30-60%)

Standing: Often (30-60%)

Lifting: 0-50lbs. Occasionally (<20%); Over 50 lbs. Occasionally (<20%);

Travel: Frequently (>80%)

Pushing/Pulling: Up to 200lbs. Occasionally (<20%)

Manual Keying/Data Entry: Occasionally (<20%)