Bilingual Paraprofessional, (Spanish), Dual Language Program, Bentley Academy Innovation School SY2024-2025

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:

Bilingual Paraprofessionals serving in the dual language program at Bentley Academy assist the classroom teachers and other certified personnel in providing an innovative, high-quality education program, predominantly in Spanish, designed to support the development of Spanish literacy and content knowledge. Paraprofessionals work with school staff to create an educational program that provides students with opportunities to engage in hands-on learning and social engagement with peers in a safe and age-appropriate environment. Paraprofessionals are expected to contribute to our professional and positive school culture and climate. The candidate is dependable, organized, flexible, and eager to learn through participation in professional development, hands-on experiences, reading, and workshop training.

Role Responsibilities:

The Bilingual Kindergarten Paraprofessionals will:

• Assist teachers in implementing the daily objectives through assistance in small group and individualized instruction
• Assist the teacher in promoting a classroom environment that is conducive to learning and provides for the social and emotional growth of all students
• Other duties may be assigned
• Perform any other reasonable task assigned by the building principal or immediate supervisor.

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 mistakes and challenges and uses them as opportunities for professional development. You model persistence and growth mindset and thrive in a culture of feedback.

Paraprofessional Job Requirements:

• Academic training in the area of bilingual education, preferred
• Written and oral Spanish proficiency required
• High School Diploma or GED
• Forty-eight (48) Credit Hours of College Coursework or an Associate’s Degree, or a passing score on the ParaPro Assessment (http://www.ets.org/parapro/)
• Minimum of two years’ experience working with school-aged children
• Possession of high energy and patience levels
• Bilingual candidates and candidates of color strongly encouraged to apply
• Current authorization to work in the United States

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.