Director of Special Services

Description:
The Director of Special Services reports directly to the superintendent and oversees a staff of special education supervisors, special education teachers, child study team members, a counseling supervisor, school counselors, and school nurses. The director sits on a senior administrative cabinet that includes a director of curriculum and instruction and a principal, who work with a staff of academic supervisors, vice principals, supervisor of athletics, as well as a business administrator. The school has a full Counseling Services Department that, through partnerships with several organizations, offers on-site intensive mental health support for students. The school welcomes all students and strives to meet all needs, with several specialized and alternative learning and extracurricular programs, including Unified Athletics.
 
The Director of Special Services has the responsibility of creating a climate in which all department personnel work cooperatively to implement the instructional program.  The director supervises, coordinates, and monitors the planning, assembly and execution of all required programs and activities relative to classified students.  The director provides vision, guidance and planning for the effective implementation of programs and objectives, and plans for and oversees the corresponding budgets.  The individual should be skilled in human relations, group dynamics, and should act as a catalyst for desirable change through cooperative action.  The director is responsible for ensuring the observation and evaluation of the performance and planning of selected teachers, certified school nurses, and instructional aides and should confer with the supervisors of special education and staff to help them reach their maximum potential.  The Director of Special Services is also responsible for coordinating the district’s child study team, including observation and evaluation of their performance.  The director shall ensure that appropriate services for students with disabilities are being offered and implemented according to N.J.A.C.6A:14 and IDEA.
 
Essential Job Functions:

1. Establish and promote high standards and expectations for students and staff for academic performance, student services, and responsibility for mature behavior.
2. Ensure compliance in the administration, scheduling, and evaluation of special education services delivery process for the development of individual education plans (IEPs), annual review, and third year re-evaluation of IEPs as required by federal and state mandates and guidelines. Ensure participation in the procedures and access to records, following notification of timeliness and the process requirements as stated in NJ Administrative Code Title 6A Chapter 14-Special Education.
3. Supervise the IEP process for all students placed in-district.
4. Follow procedures for safe storing and integrity of all public and confidential school records, ensuring that personnel and student record keeping procedures comply with state and federal law and district policy.
5. Protect the confidentiality of records and information gained as part of exercising professional duties and use discretion in sharing such information within legal confines.
6. Coordinate efforts to ensure that all responsibilities are met and exceeded, consistent with research on learning, child growth and development, and strategies in special education.
7. Observe and evaluate personnel as assigned.
8. Develop with individual staff members, when and where necessary, a professional improvement plan, a professional growth plan, and/or a corrective action plan.
9. Ensure proper compliance and reporting activities with special education programs, including:
   1. Develop and submit all required applications, documentation and reports as required;
   2. Develop qualification criteria, monitoring checklists, student folders, procedures, and timelines to guide program implementation;
   3. Manage funds with established program and fiscal requirements;
   4. Monitor program implementation to ensure compliance with regulations;
   5. Collect and analyze performance data to evaluate program effectiveness;
   6. Develop reports, corrective action plans, and proposals to improve programs and services;
   7. Present regulation, program plans or proposals, and evaluative reports to the administration, school staff, and community as required.
10. Ensure that all program positions are staffed by appropriately certificated and qualified individuals.
11. Contribute to the positive environment of the department and the school.
12. Encourage staff to develop programs, services, and projects that reflect instructional diversity, alternatives, and flexibility.
13. Assume the lead role in all due process situations, including working with the appropriate legal counsel, and follow due process situations through to resolution.
14. Ensure the appropriate legal and education training for all staff in the area of special education law and compliance.
15. Perform other duties which may be assigned by the superintendent or required by law, code, regulation, and/or board policy.

 
Qualifications:

1. Valid Principal Certificate or School Administrator Certificate.
2. Minimum of ten (10) years of successful experience in teaching and school administration in special education preferred.
3. Demonstrated leadership and organizational skills and the ability to motivate people.
4. Have excellent integrity and demonstrate good moral character and initiative.  Exhibit a personality that demonstrates enthusiasm and interpersonal skills to relate well with students, staff, administration, parents, and the community.
5. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of special education programs, child study team services, health services, program evaluation, child growth and development, classroom management, learning assessment and diagnosis, and research related to learning styles in exceptional children.
6. Demonstrate an understanding of the regulations regarding the operation of special education programs, including those outlined in N.J.A.C. Title 6, Chapters 26 and 28, USPL 93-112 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
7. Demonstrate technology proficiency, including Google Apps for Education, Microsoft Office, and other school-based technology.

 
Anticipated Start Date: July 1, 2025
 
Salary Range: $165,000-$185,000
 
Application Procedure:
Interested candidates must apply online at https://www.applitrack.com/hunterdon/onlineapp/
Selection Procedure:
Only candidates of interest will be contacted for interviews

The successful candidate will need to reside in the State of NJ within 1 year of appointment.
AA/EOE

The Hunterdon Central Regional High School District is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. The district does not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), or other applicable legally protected characteristics.