Sy24-25 High School Of Commerce College And Career Counselor

Location: High School of Commerce, Springfield, MA

Grade Level: 9-12

Full Time Start Date: Immediate

Salary: Starting at $57,396, commensurate with experience based on SEZP's Career Ladder

SEEKING REVOLUTIONARY COUNSELORS/EDUCATORS

The High School of Commerce seeks Counselors/Educators who believe teachers are activists - promising instructional access, rigor, advocacy, and a tenacious commitment to anti-racism for all students.

SEZP offers a competitive salary commensurate with qualifications and experience; salaries for new educators start at $57,396. Educators in SEZP qualify for benefits (personal/sick days, health insurance, etc.) offered to other teachers in the Springfield Public Schools.

WHO YOU ARE

Commerce is seeking Educators who view themselves as change agents beyond mere content instruction and who are committed to equitable instruction for all learners. The essential responsibilities for these roles will be guided by the following two values:

• AGENCY: We believe educators at Commerce will empower each and every student to pursue their fullest academic and personal potential. We believe a student's agency to become their best academic and non-academic selves should be organized around rigorous personalized career and college pathways during which the student will own the setting and the attaining of their academic, college, career, and life goals.
• RELATIONSHIP: We believe that each and every Commerce student thrives in a positive, welcoming learning environment that emphasizes intentional and proactive relationship building. Supported through an explicit and universal culture of restorative justice - prioritizing growth and atonement over punishment and separation - a student will recognize the value of and play a leading role in developing interdependent relationships, with all members of the Commerce community working collaboratively in pursuit of this vision.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Educators at Commerce are practitioners who believe in the values of agency and relationship and are willing to advocate for equity both in and out of their classrooms. Commerce is prepared - considering the centrality of this work to the life-long success our students - to invest substantially in the training, coaching, leadership development, and networking necessary for revolutionary practitioners to thrive in the following job responsibilities:

• Create a safe, purposeful school environment that prioritizes learning for all students

• Collaborate with other leaders, teachers, and partners to ensure instruction is meeting the needs of all students

• Ensure that instruction meets the needs of all students, including students with special needs, English Language Learners, and students performing below grade level

• Build relationships and communicate regularly with students and their families to solicit input and share academic progress

• Engage in learning about issues of racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion in education to examine your own biases; reflect on how those biases affect you, your students, and their families; and plan and deliver instruction in a culturally responsive way

• Participate in and learn from regular professional development opportunities before and during the school year

In addition, the Early College and Career Coordinator will provide leadership and support as noted under the following categories:

• Articulates the vision and mission of the school that centers early college and workforce development as the path to financial independence

• Builds and maintains relationships with college and industry partners

• Provides coaching and professional development to help the school community ensure the success of students in the college and career arena

• Coordinates technical aspects of early college programming

• Ensures programming centers the support needed for early college success

• Continually monitors and responds to data that informs program management, modification, and refinement

WHO WE ARE

We are a school immersed in a bold and substantive multi-year redesign process to personalize the high school experience around college and career success. We have innovated school partnerships, schedules, and programming to allow Commerce students to choose from three different college experiences, including a multi-year, 20-credit, early college or applied career pathway at Springfield Technical Community College (STCC), up to 12 credits in a dual enrollment program on the Commerce campus through Worcester State University or Westfield State University, and/or direct work-force entry via Propel America internship pathways in IT, healthcare, or advanced manufacturing.

We are a team of activist-educators who are afforded generous time to further our learning together in department and grade level teams, regular substantive coaching and feedback from partners, peers, and leaders to improve our practice, and deeply embedded teacher leadership opportunities to unite our voices in service of dismantling institutionalized racism in and around our school community.

Qualifications

• Experience in counseling at the middle and/or high school level preferred

• Appropriate content/program area and grade level educator license (School Social Worker / Adjustment Counselor) from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education required (Educators who are not yet licensed by MA DESE in the appropriate content/program area and grade level may be eligible for a licensure waiver and are still encouraged to apply.)

• Experience as an active anti-racist or advocate for equity preferred

• Bilingual in English and Spanish preferred

• Bachelor's degree required

If you meet some of the qualifications above, we encourage you to apply or reach out for more information. We know that historically marginalized groups - including people of color, women, people from working class backgrounds, and people who identify as LGBTQ - are less likely to apply unless and until they meet every requirement for a job. Therefore, we strongly encourage applications from educators with these identities or who are members of other marginalized communities.

We encourage you to reach out to SEZP@springfieldempowerment.org if you have questions about the role or your qualifications. We are happy to help you feel ready to apply!

Questions?

Positions will be filled on a rolling basis; applicants are encouraged to apply immediately. Please contact Kelley (kgangi@springfieldempowerment.org) or SEZP@springfieldempowerment.org with any questions.

Nondiscrimination Statement

The Springfield Public Schools does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, ancestry, age, disability or military service or marital status. The Springfield Public Schools does not discriminate in admission to, access or treatment in its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national origin, or sexual orientation, disability or homelessness.

Title IX Notice of Nondiscrimination

Springfield Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of sex in admission, administration of its educational programs or activities or employment. Springfield Public Schools is required by Title IX and its implementing regulations at 34 C.F.R. Part 106 not to discrimination on the basis of sex in admission, administration of its educational programs or activities or employment. The Senior Administrator of Human Resources, Kathleen O'Sullivan, Springfield Public Schools, 1550 Main St. Springfield MA, 011103, 413-787-7100, ext. 55428, has been designated as the employee responsible for coordinating Springfield Public Schools efforts to comply with and carry out its responsibilities under Title IX. Inquiries concerning the application of Title IX and its implementing regulations at 34 C.F.R. Part 106 to Springfield Public Schools may be referred to Kathleen O'Sullivan or to U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, 400 Maryland Ave., SW Washington, DC 20202-1100, telephone 800-421-3481.