Senior Director Pre Kindergarten and Elementary Education

Bargaining Unit: Exempt
Work Year: 12 months
Work Day: 8 hours per day
FTE: Full time, 1.0 FTE
Salary: $162,699
 

Job Summary
The senior director of Pre-Kindergarten and Elementary Education collaborates with other directors to oversee the Anchorage School District's Elementary Education Department. This role also supervises all ASD Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) programs, including Early Intervention Services, and coordinates with Title I, Migrant Education, special education, and general education programs. The senior director partners with Head Start and other early learning organizations in Anchorage and works closely with school principals to support teachers, paraeducators, and the implementation of best practices in early education. Additional responsibilities include supporting planning, curriculum development, assessment systems, program evaluation, extracurricular activities, personnel and financial management, emergency procedures, and resource scheduling. The position is based at the ASD Education Center and reports to the deputy chief of schools. This position requires a valid Alaska teaching or administrative certificate and has a retirement association with the Alaska Teachers' Retirement System (TRS).

Job Requirements
The following are required:

1. A current Alaska teaching certificate.
2. A current type B administrative certificate.
3. A master's degree in educational administration or a related field with emphasis in early childhood and/or elementary education.
4. Evidence of three (3) years of successful public-school experience in early childhood (Pre-K to grade 3).
5. Knowledge of early childhood program development, curriculum, instruction, staff development, research, and evaluation.
6. Exhibits a clear understanding of best practices of instruction in early childhood, Pre-K education, and elementary education.
7. Demonstrated leadership in developing and implementing regular and alternative programs and a commitment to quality education and high standards of achievement.
8. Ability to communicate effectively in speaking and writing with all levels of management, supervision, and other personnel.

The following are preferred:

1. Three years of experience as an elementary administrator with demonstrated ability to facilitate and lead district initiatives.
2. Evidence of the ability to provide effective districtwide leadership.
3. Ability to interpret multiple forms of data and assist and mentor others in using data to guide instruction (e.g., formative, summative, observational, attendance, behavior, etc.)
4. Evidence of (3) years of successful public-school experience in special education.

Essential Job Functions

1. Collaborates with other directors of Elementary School Education on all aspects of division planning, supervision, training, service delivery, and leadership, while ensuring compliance with state and federal mandates, including corrective actions resulting from state audits.
2. Provides leadership of one of five elementary school groups: West, East, North, South, or Central.
3. Supervises principals of designated elementary schools, including evaluations, professional development, and recommendations for transfers, appointments, and assignments; coordinates program evaluation and testing; analyzes assessment data to guide instructional practices; and may provide feedback on teacher and paraeducator evaluations upon request.
4. Organizes and conducts elementary school principals' meetings to ensure consistent implementation of district goals.
5. Works with the directors of Middle, High, and Choice Schools to improve articulation of K-12 programs.
6. Assists in the design, implementation, and management of all ASD Pre-K school programs.
7. Aligns with Elementary Education on Pre-K enrollments, programming, and assessments, and coordinates with curriculum, assessment, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) leadership team, Special Education, Title I, Child in Transition, Migrant Education, and English Language Learners Departments.
8. Oversees the state-funded Title I Pre-K grant by writing and managing the grant, making applications to the state, complying with health and safety requirements, writing quarterly reports, and coordinating with state Early Childhood personnel in the submission of all reports to EED, to include end-of-year annual reports.
9. Collaborates with Special Education directors and grant managers to ensure sound fiscal management of general budget, Title I, Title I-C, and 619 Preschool grant funds.
10. Partners with the directors of Elementary Teaching and Learning to implement and assess new programs, coordinate curriculum adoptions, and implement the Reads Act.
11. Articulates the elementary school program to the Anchorage School Board and community agencies and promotes public relations/public information among elementary schools.
12. Reviews Elementary Education budgets and assists ASD staff with preparing the financial plan.
13. Allocates Elementary Education staff to the units within budgetary constraints and administers the division budget by monitoring expenditures and recommending budget adjustments.
14. Maintains working knowledge of school law and currency in teaching techniques and methods of instruction at the elementary school level.
15. Provides leadership in coordinating districtwide elementary school activities.
16. Attends school board meetings.
17. Provides information to the capital projects division to ensure compatibility between the elementary school program and ongoing construction projects.
18. Supports Early Childhood Education projects to include Countdown to Kindergarten, Teaching Strategies Gold, P-3 alignment, outreach to community partners such as Head Start, Early Childhood Mental Health, and the University of Alaska Anchorage Early Childhood Education Department, and supports district and community efforts, coordination, and funding for early childhood care and learning experiences, including options for preschool collaborative models with private agencies.
19. Collaborates with the Kids' Corps, Inc. Head Start program director to ensure compliance between program goals and continuation of partnership.
20. Facilitates the implementation of research-based social skill programs in Pre-K classrooms to support social-emotional learning and strengthen academic outcomes.
21. Assists with the supervision of the Preschool Childcheck program, Preschool Assessment program, and Preschool CARE team services.
22. Monitors and provides oversight of student IEPs to ensure appropriate accountability and compliance with state and federal laws and regulations.
23. Establishes and maintains productive working relationships.

Physical /Mental Demands
The physical demands of this job require frequent standing, walking, sitting, speaking and hearing. Specific visual abilities are also required. The employee is regularly required to reach with his/her hands and arms and occasionally lift items weighing less than 40 lbs. Additionally, the employee must be able to understand vague and implicit instructions, be able to readily recall facts and details, handle conflict and make effective decisions under pressure. The employee must have the ability to effectively manage the stress of working with students, parents, and other employees representing diverse cultures, personalities, and work styles in a dynamic work environment.

The Anchorage School District is committed to providing reasonable accommodations, according to applicable state and federal laws, to all individuals with a qualified physical or mental disability.

Work Environment
Work is performed in a professional environment with a wide variety of individuals having differing functions, personalities and abilities, including working with diverse groups of people in a variety of different settings.

While performing the duties of this job the employee may be regularly exposed to a video display. The employee may be exposed to outdoor weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. 

Additional Job Information
This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) in this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties as requested by any person authorized to give instructions or assignments.

Anchorage School District (ASD) employees must possess the ability to read and write in English. This also includes the ability to communicate in English with school staff, co-workers, and the public; as well as have the ability to comprehend and carry out oral and written directions and understand and follow English instructions and written documents.

Offers of employment are contingent upon completion of a satisfactory criminal background check. For certificated positions, this is in addition to the background check conducted through the certification process with the Alaska State Department of Education and Early Development (DEED).

This position may be required to work in ASD facilities on the military installations (JBER). Please visit the government REAL ID website for additional information.

The Anchorage School District is an equal employment opportunity employer.