Director of Student Services

Job Goal:

Provide experienced systems leadership that builds district-wide structures ensuring support for special education and student services, enabling students with disabilities and at-risk students to achieve at high levels.

Qualifications:

Required:

• Wisconsin License #80 - Director of Special Education and Student Services.
• Master''s degree in Educational Leadership, Special Education, or related field.
• Minimum 5 years of successful teaching experience
• Minimum 3 years of administrative/leadership experience in special education or student services, including direct supervision of professional staff.
• Demonstrated experience building and sustaining district-level systems (MTSS, compliance, onboarding, professional learning, behavior continuum).

Preferred:

• Prior service as a Director of Special Education / Student Services.
• Experience leading a district through transition to coherent district-wide systems.
• Grounded in implementation science and principal development.

Supervises:

Supervises OT, PT, SLPs, school psychologists, social workers, and assigned student services staff. Partners with principals in supervision of special education teachers, counselors, deans, and paraprofessionals.

Essential Duties:

• Build the training and implementation infrastructure for student services: onboarding, recurring refreshers, and role-specific professional learning.
• Ensure compliance with IDEA, Section 504, Title IX, and Wisconsin DPI requirements, with embedded procedures and dashboard-based monitoring.
• Supervise, evaluate, recruit, and retain professional and support staff in assigned areas.
• Lead integration of academic and behavioral MTSS and develop an in-district continuum of services that supports least restrictive environment.
• Develop principals as special education and behavior-support leaders.
• Maintain monitoring systems: timelines, fidelity checks, caseload reviews, and building implementation checklists.
• Manage the student services and special education budget; maximize state, federal, and Medicaid funding.
• Engage parents, guardians, and community agencies as partners in student support.
• Serve on the Teaching & Learning Team to advance one coherent district system.
• Other duties as assigned.

Leadership Capabilities:

The successful candidate is a systems builder who develops principals and teams, strengthens compliance infrastructure, coordinates cross-functional work, translates strategy into implementation, and creates calm, predictable operations. Technical expertise in special education is essential and paired with systems-leadership capability.

Legal Ref.:

Sections 118.24 Wisconsin Statutes 121.02(1)(a), (q) PI3, Wisconsin Administrative Code