$10,000 Bonus - Cross Categorical Special Education Teacher - Northside/Coulee Montessori Elementary School - Vacancy ID: 174948

The School District of La Crosse is accepting applications for a 1.0 FTE Cross Categorical Special Education Teacher at Northside/Coulee Montessori Elementary School beginning in the 2023-2024 school year. This position offers a $10,000 bonus. This position follows the 45/15 school year calendar (approximately 45 days in session, followed by 15 weekdays off throughout the year). Projected start date: July 11, 2023. Wisconsin certification 1801 and/or 1810, 1811, or 1830 is required. Multiple certifications are preferred. Districts across the region and state are experiencing significant challenges recruiting and retaining staff in special education positions. In our district, we have been fortunate this spring to have been able to fill many of our open special education positions; however, we continue to be unable to recruit candidates to several open special education teacher positions at Northside Elementary. We currently have 3 open special education teacher positions and have had no applicants over an extended period of time. The federal government annually sends out data to school districts evaluating the data for each school. One of the reports is called the “Inequitable Distribution of Teachers Report.” The report compares the experience of teachers compared to the percentage of students that qualify for free and reduced lunch. In La Crosse, Northside Elementary was identified as being in need due to the 3-year average of the experience of educators. In 2021-22, 35.7% of instructional staff had 3 or less years of experience. The expectation is that we address this concern locally, but continued future identifications will result in more direct actions monitored by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Over the last years, numerous strategies have been used to recruit and retain staff in the building, including but not limited to adding additional positions to help relieve the demands on the team, targeted coaching, and embedding special education program support within the building. We have a commitment to ensure Northside is able to build and retain a strong special education team and are making additional efforts to support teacher recruitment. These efforts are specific to Northside as a result of the federal identification outlined above and are part of a larger strategy to support student needs within the building. The first effort is to provide a bonus for special education teaching staff who are hired to work at Northside. This bonus will be in the amount of $10,000 and will be paid upon successful completion of a full year of employment. This bonus will be in effect for 3 years. We believe that incentivizing these positions will draw an extended and more experienced applicant pool. Prefer applicants possessing the following qualifications: ▪ Experience with autism and EBD programming is preferred. ▪ Special concentration in Learning Disabilities and/or Emotional Behavioral Disabilities. ▪ Experience and demonstrated skills in assessing, instructing, and programming for LD and EBD students. ▪ Experience working with a team of regular and special educators to meet student needs. ▪ Experience with developing behavior intervention plans. ▪ Demonstrated skills in the use of assistive and adaptive technology to support student independence. ▪ Certification in Non-Violent Crisis Intervention, CPR and First Aid. ▪ Ability to work as part of the IEP team to appropriately place students and monitor their progress. Position responsibilities: ▪ Instruction of students with learning disabilities and emotional behavioral disabilities including team teaching. ▪ Management of all aspects of student program including functional behavior assessment, behavior plans, academic assessments, writing and implementing integrated IEP's, effectively consulting with staff and parents. ▪ Successful completion of a mandatory Job Specific Screen is required before employment. The School District of La Crosse is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against applicants on the basis of actual or perceived: age, sex, race, religion, national origin, ancestry, creed, socio-economic status, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, gender nonconformity, physical, mental, emotional or learning disability, citizenship, military service, membership in the National Guard, state defense force, or any other reserve component of the military forces of Wisconsin or the United States, political affiliation, or any other factor prohibited by state and federal law. The School District of La Crosse values equity and diversity in our student population as well as staff members. Applications from diverse segments of the population are encouraged and welcomed.