School Psychologist, (Full or Part-Time) Salem Public Schools SY2024-2025

District

About Salem Public Schools, where belonging leads to opportunity.

Salem is a small, diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history.  Salem Public Schools is an urban public school district enrolling nearly 4,000 students across our 11 schools. Our vision is to ensure that all students will be locally engaged, globally connected, and fully prepared to thrive in a diverse and changing world. We hold dear our core values of belonging, equity, and opportunity in everything we do. Over the next three years (2023-2026), we are committed to the work outlined by the four core priorities in our strategic plan: 1) Elevate Learning; 2) Empower Educators; 3) Center Belonging; and 4) Strengthen Our Foundation. We seek individuals who are passionate about urban education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement for all students, regardless of ability, economic status, gender/gender identity, language, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, or other backgrounds. Applicants who have experience working in urban schools and settings and are bilingual are strongly encouraged to apply.

What You’ll Do:

In Salem, the School Psychologist provides psycho-educational testing as part of the evaluation process for special education eligibility. Evaluations will include assessment of learning aptitude, learning disabilities, health impairments, emotional disabilities, social/behavioral development, and mental health needs. In response to crisis situations, the School Psychologist will work with the school adjustment counselor to complete risk assessments and provide consultation to administrators and school teams regarding the results of such evaluations, as necessary. The position includes evaluation and support of district-wide programs for students with social/emotional disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, intellectual disabilities, and language-based learning disabilities. The position also includes participation in consultative meetings to support equity and access for all students. The School Psychologist is considered an integral part of the special education Team in their assigned building(s) and will collaborate with special education supervisors, teachers, administrators, parents, and other professionals to create safe, healthy, productive, and supportive learning environments for Salem’s students.

Responsibilities:

• Consistently complete psychoeducational evaluations and all needed paperwork, data entry, and job-related functions in a timely manner and in compliance with special education regulations
• Provide clinical observation and report findings to IEP teams
• Work as part of a multidisciplinary team
• Compile assessment data and write comprehensive evaluation reports
• Attend all special education initial eligibility, re-evaluation meetings and manifestation meetings
• Attend district and school-based staff meetings, parent meetings, trainings, and professional development
• Participate in building-based student support teams
• Collaborate with school adjustment counselors, BCBAs, behavior specialists, and Special Education Team Chairs
• Maintain professional licensure
• Other duties as required by the Executive Director of Special Education

What You’ll Bring:

We are looking for candidates who have diverse backgrounds and experiences, are inspired by our mission and are highly motivated to change children’s lives through education. You’ll be right at home here if you are a reflective practitioner who values collaboration with colleagues and pushes yourself, your work and the people around you to the next level.  We expect our SPS employees to:

• Hold a deep commitment to students and families and value diversity - The SPS community is vibrant, diverse in background, ethnicity, language, and perspective. You embrace and affirm the backgrounds of all members of the SPS community and view our diversity as a powerful resource that supports us each in learning and doing our best work.
• Hold high expectations for yourself, students, and colleagues – You see potential in all, especially our SPS students, and maintain high expectations for achievement, while providing the support necessary to meet that bar. You hold yourself to high expectations, modeling SPS values and seeking opportunities to continuously improve.
• Build authentic, caring relationships with colleagues, students, and families – You build strong relationships across students, families, and colleagues that are collaborative in nature and contribute to the individual and collective success of SPS.  You partner with families and colleagues to make decisions in the best interest of students and learning.
• Embrace feedback – You are a reflective practitioner who learns from failure, using mistakes and challenges as opportunities for growth. You model persistence and growth mindset and thrive in a culture of feedback.

Job Requirements:

• Experience with the assessment and identification of students with disabilities under IDEA
• Knowledge of special education laws and regulations that govern the identification of children with disabilities.
• Working knowledge of several assessment instruments
• Ability to analyze data from rating scales and make specific recommendations for student success
• Understanding of environmental factors that affect learning and social adjustment
• Experience in conducting classroom observations and completing functional behavioral assessments
• Experience with working with students who have experienced complex trauma
• Knowledge of how to create a trauma-informed learning environment
• Understanding of language differences versus language disabilities
• Experience working in a diverse urban environment
• Safety Care Trained or willing to be trained (District provides)
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Salary qualifications are in accordance with the Teachers Union Contract.
• Second language (Spanish and/or Portuguese) proficiency a plus
• Bilingual candidates and candidates of color strongly encouraged to apply
• Current authorization to work in the United States

This is a school-year position.

The School Psychologist reports to the Special Education Supervisor, District’s Director of Psychologists and the Executive Director of Special Education.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Salem Public School District is committed to maintaining a work and learning environment free from discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, pregnancy, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital/civil union status, ancestry, place of birth, age, citizenship status, veteran status, political affiliation, genetic information or disability, as defined and required by state and federal laws. Additionally, we prohibit retaliation against individuals who oppose such discrimination and harassment or who participate in an equal opportunity investigation.