The WISD's Mission is to educate, serve, and advocate with students, families, schools and the community. We disrupt racial inequities, build just educational systems, and expand access for all learners. We value human potential while striving to support current and future generations of Washtenaw County to enrich as many lives as we possibly can. The WISD's Vision is to be a leader in empowering, facilitating, and delivering high-quality, boundary-spanning, educational system that educates all children through an equitable, inclusive, and holistic approach.

SUMMARY :

The Director of Special Education provides strategic and operational leadership for WISD-operated center-based special education programs and related services. Reporting to the Executive Director of Special Education, the Director supervises six principals and exercises broad, independent judgment in translating WISD priorities into sustainable, high-performing program operations. The Director is accountable for program quality, student achievement, instructional and related-service delivery, safe and compliant operations, staffing, enrollment and capacity, facilities, transportation, budgets, and effective use of resources. The Director collaborates with WISD's outward-facing special education leadership and local educational agencies to support coordinated referrals, information exchange, and successful student transitions into and out of WISD-operated programs while maintaining clear responsibility for the operation and quality of those programs.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Equity, Achievement, and Program Quality:

Demonstrates a strong commitment to equity, social justice, accessibility, and inclusion in all practices and position responsibilities. Demonstrates the ability to examine how his/her/their position (directly or indirectly) impacts educational inequities in student achievement outcomes. Engages in reflection and ongoing learning and development on critical concepts and terms identified in the Washtenaw ISD Educational Equity Policy including concepts such as cultural proficiency, racial equity, and systemic and structural inequities. Examines how decisions, systems, and practices directly or indirectly affect inequities in student access, experience, and achievement outcomes; use evidence to lead continuous improvement. Provides vision and leadership for high-quality instruction, related services, behavior supports, transition services, and programming across High Point, High Point ASD, Progress Park, Red Oak, Young Adults Out-Centers, and other assigned WISD-operated programs. Aligns program improvement with evidence-based core instruction, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), and other District-approved frameworks. Utilizes student, program, service-delivery, and compliance data to identify needs, monitor implementation, evaluate impact, and communicate progress within WISD-operated programs. Coordinates state assessment administration and associated improvement efforts for WISD-operated programs.

Operational Leadership and Program Accountability:

Directs the day-to-day administration and continuous improvement of all WISD-operated center-based programs and specialized and related services. Ensures program practices comply with IDEA, MARSE, Section 504, the ADA, student health and safety requirements, District policy, and other applicable state and federal requirements. Oversees high-quality individualized education program team (IEPT) processes for students attending WISD-operated programs, including timely implementation, progress monitoring, service coordination, and family participation. Establishes and monitors consistent operating procedures for instruction, related services, behavior support, nursing, crisis response, student transitions, documentation, confidentiality, daily transportation, facilities, and other program needs. Aligns enrollment, placement capacity, staffing, flex staffing, schedules, budgets, facilities, resources, and operating procedures across programs; elevates significant risks and resource decisions to the Executive Director. Reviews program and student-level data, identifies root causes and service gaps, leads improvement planning, implements corrective action within operated programs, and monitors timely follow-through. Prepares and oversees accurate, timely state, federal, Board, and internal reports related to WISD-operated programs, student outcomes, service delivery, staffing, and compliance.

Student, Family, and Interdisciplinary Collaboration:

Builds trusting, responsive partnerships with students and families and ensures that family voice informs individualized planning, problem solving, transitions, and program improvement. Coordinates interdisciplinary collaboration among center-program principals, the Support Services Principal, teachers, teacher consultants, related-service providers, behavior-support staff, nurses, paraprofessionals, transportation personnel, and other assigned staff. Collaborates with WISD instructional and achievement teams to strengthen core instruction, UDL, PBIS, communication, behavior support, transition planning, and inclusive opportunities within center-based programs. Ensures center-based specialized and related services

• including speech-language, occupational therapy, physical therapy, school social work, visual-impairment and deaf/hard-of-hearing teacher consultants, MOVE, and nursing as assigned
• are coordinated with classroom instruction and student goals, with clear expectations for workload, scheduling, documentation, progress monitoring, and team communication.

Coordinates with community agencies and student-serving partners when needed to support individual students and families enrolled in WISD-operated programs; maintains effective interagency relationships. Coordinates professional learning for WISD program administrators, educators, related-service providers, and support staff based on student, program, and staff-development needs.

Supervision and Operations:

Supervises, coaches, and evaluates six principals, including center-program principals and the Support Services Principal, and holds them accountable for program quality, staff performance, service delivery, and daily operations. Establishes clear performance expectations, aligns principal and staff assignments to strategic priorities, builds leadership capacity, and ensures coordinated service delivery across programs and disciplines. Supports the recruitment, selection, onboarding, development, and retention of special education, related-service, and support-service staff. Develops budget recommendations; monitors approved program and service budgets; and ensures responsible use of District, grant, state, and federal resources. Owns the operated-program side of the center-program referral handoff: works with receiving principals to review program information and capacity while preserving the IEP team's authority for placement decisions. Participates as a member of WISD administrative teams and contributes to long-range planning for center-based programs, related services, facilities, staffing, enrollment, capacity, and student supports. Prepares or supervises the preparation of required records, reports, budgets, schedules, and other documentation, safeguards confidential information and exercises sound professional judgment. Abides by applicable laws, regulations, policies, procedures, and professional standards. Maintains regular, predictable attendance. Performs other duties as assigned.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

Directly supervises, coaches, and evaluates six principals responsible for WISD-operated center programs and support services. Through those principals, the Director ensures effective supervision and accountability for instructional staff, teacher consultants, specialized and related-service personnel, nurses, behavior-support staff, paraprofessionals, and other assigned employees. Specific assignments may change as WISD programs, student needs, and organizational priorities evolve.

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Alternative requirements that may be appropriate and acceptable to the Board of Education may be considered. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. EDUCATION and/or

EXPERIENCE

Master's degree in special education, educational leadership, or a related field, with approval in at least one area of special education

• required. Full or temporary approval as a Michigan Director of Special Education
• required. Minium of five (5) years of successful, progressively responsible administrative leadership experience in special education
• required. Previous experience in supervising, coaching, and evaluating administrators, such as principals, special education supervisors, assistant directors, or program administrators
• required. Experience providing leadership across multiple programs, buildings, service areas, or specialized disciplines within a complex educational organization
• required. Previous experience as a Director of Special Education, Assistant Director of Special Education, or comparable senior-level special education administrator with broad programmatic, personnel, budgetary, and operational responsibilities
• strongly preferred.

Previous experience leading through other administrators and translating organizational priorities into coordinated, sustainable program operations. Previous experience overseeing complex special education programs serving students with varied disabilities and significant instructional, behavioral, communication, health, transition, and related-service needs. Previous experience working with and knowledge of IDEA, MARSE, Section 504, the ADA, and other local, state, and federal requirements affecting special education. Previous experience with strategic planning, program evaluation, continuous improvement, resource allocation, budget management, staffing, organizational change, and complex problem-solving. Previous experience with leadership in consultation, professional learning, facilitation, conflict resolution, and the development of administrators and multidisciplinary teams.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS

Must meet Michigan Department of Education (MDE) School Administrator Certificate requirements (in accordance with MCL 380.1536 and

MCL 380.1246

) Must satisfy qualifications established under the MDE, Special Education Programs and Services, Admin. Rule

R 340.1771. LANGUAGE SKILLS

Exhibits exceptional well-developed analytical, organizational, written communication, presentation, interpersonal, and stakeholder-relations skills. Demonstrates ability to write clear reports, correspondence, procedures, improvement plans, and Board or public-facing materials and to respond effectively to questions from varied audiences.

TECHNICAL SKILLS

Demonstrates ability to integrate technology into the everyday workflow as necessary. Demonstrates ability to use a personal computer (PC) or MAC in a networked environment to utilize the Internet and other electronic communication mechanisms. Demonstrates ability to use current productivity, collaboration, data, presentation, and electronic communication tools in a networked environment.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS

: Demonstrates ability to develop and monitor program and grant budgets and interpret rates, ratios, percentages, trends, and data visualizations.

REASONING ABILITY

Demonstrates professional maturity and high levels of discretion, integrity, cultural proficiency, independent judgment, and accountability. Demonstrates ability to read, analyze, interpret, and communicate statutes, regulations, guidance, professional literature, data, and organizational information. Ability to solve complex practical problems, manage competing priorities, make sound decisions with incomplete information, and interpret instructions presented in written, oral, diagram, data, or schedule form.

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

: : Demonstrates ability to establish effective working relationships with students, families, WISD administrators and program teams, related-service disciplines, local educational agencies, and community partners.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, walk and stand. The employee is occasionally required to bend and or twist at the trunk more than the average person. The employee is continuously repeating the same hand, arm or finger motion many times. The employee is frequently required to talk or hear. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds such as books and teaching material. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distant vision and the ability to adjust focus. The ability to travel to other buildings is required. The position requires the individual to sometimes work irregular or extended work hours and meet multiple demands from several people.

ENVIRONMENTAL ADAPTABILITY

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is quiet to loud depending upon the activity in the particular part of the day. Occasionally the employee may be required to be outdoors for a short period of time, and therefore subject to varying weather conditions, for purposes of accomplishing the essential functions of this job.

FUNCTIONS OF POSITION DESCRIPTION

This position description has been prepared to define the general duties of the position, provide examples of work and to detail the required knowledge, skills and ability as well as the acceptable experience and training for the position. The description is not intended to limit or modify the right of any supervisor to assign, direct and control the duties of employees under supervision. The WISD retains and reserves any and all rights to change, modify, amend, add to or delete from any portion of this description in its sole judgment. This position description is not a contract for employment. The WISD is an equal opportunity employer, in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The District will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.

TERMS:

Salary and other employment conditions to be established by the Board of Education as reflected in the Non-Affiliated Staff Manual . Starting salary ranging (dependent upon experience) from $127,776

• $157,037.

Washtenaw Intermediate School District is a drug-free workplace. It is the policy and commitment of the Washtenaw Intermediate School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, age, height, weight, familial status, marital status, genetic information, sexual orientation or any legally protected characteristic, in its educational programs, activities, admissions, or employment policies in accordance with Title IX of the 1972 Educational Amendments, executive order 11246 as amended, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and all other pertinent state and Federal regulations. Apply Now