Grade Level: 6-8

Start Date: August 2024 (exact tbd)

• Are you looking to be part of a school where teachers and administrators are energized by their work?
• Are you looking for a Principal who is hugely invested in the development, diversification and fulfillment of his teachers and staff? 
• Do you want to be part of a joyful school with a growth mindset about all students’ unlimited potential?
• Do you want to join a team where 80% or more of the staff reflect the identities of the students?
• Do you want to be in a school that teaches students the full truth about our American history, that explicitly teaches about systemic injustices in ways that empower students and staff to take action and make change?

At our school, we explicitly address and counteract systemic racism through our hiring practices, our culturally responsive teaching, and our professional development focused on championing students who have historically been underserved and under-resourced. We believe that equity lives in teaching rigorous grade-level content and holding students to high expectations. In our school, equity is not a slogan or a buzz word. It is an ongoing commitment to examining how we can best serve all our students (and our staff). As educators we believe that relationships with our students are the foundation on which all social and academic success is built. And, we strengthen our practice through five hours of professional learning per week, built within our 7:20-3:30 school day. Collaboration and peer to-peer learning are central to our growth as educators.

Make no mistake, this work is challenging. But done right, it is incredibly rewarding. If you are up for the challenge, join our team! 

Required qualifications: 

• High School Diploma or GED, and 
• Associate of Arts or Science Degree or higher, or
• 60 undergraduate college credits, or
• Meeting or exceeding the State mandated score on the Paraprofessional Assessment or Work Keys Assessment 

Preferred Qualifications:

• BA Degree with Educator Licensure
• Experience working with special education students in education settings

**A passing score on the Work Keys Exams in the following areas:

• Workplace Documents: 5
• Applied Math: 4
• Business Writing: 3 

If you meet some of the qualifications above, we encourage you to apply or to reach out for more information. We know that historically marginalized groups – including people of color, women, people from working class backgrounds, and people who identify as LGBTQ – are less likely to apply unless and until they meet every requirement for a job. Therefore, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities or who are members of other marginalized communities.

We encourage you to reach out to info@sezp.org if you have questions about the role or your qualifications. We are happy to help you feel ready to apply!

About the Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership

While Massachusetts is consistently ranked as one of the top states for education results in the country, we have one of the highest and most persistent opportunity gaps. The Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership (SEZP) - established in 2015 as a collaboration between Springfield Public Schools (SPS), the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), and the Springfield Education Association (SEA) – seeks to improve the longitudinal life outcomes of the more than 5,000 students in our eleven middle and high schools.

As a “zone” of schools within the city of Springfield, SEZP’s approach draws on a deep and embedded partnership with the school district and local teachers’ union, while harnessing the flexibility and innovation found in autonomous school models. As a result, each school within SEZP is accorded significant school-based autonomies - in curriculum, talent, calendar, schedule, and budget – while being held accountable for realizing achievement gains for historically marginalized students. In all of our work, SEZP is in pursuit of equity and anti-racism – acknowledging the systemic oppression our students and families encounter daily and working to disrupt these provision gaps urgently and courageously.

Nondiscrimination Statement

The Springfield Public Schools does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, ancestry, age, disability or military service or marital status. The Springfield Public Schools does not discriminate in admission to, access or treatment in its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national origin, or sexual orientation, disability or homelessness.

Title IX Notice of Nondiscrimination

Springfield Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of sex in admission, administration of its educational programs or activities or employment. Springfield Public Schools is required by Title IX and its implementing regulations at 34 C.F.R. Part 106 not to discrimination on the basis of sex in admission, administration of its educational programs or activities or employment. The Senior Administrator of Human Resources, Kathleen O’Sullivan, Springfield Public Schools, 1550 Main St. Springfield MA, 011103, 413-787-7100, ext. 55428, has been designated as the employee responsible for coordinating Springfield Public Schools efforts to comply with and carry out its responsibilities under Title IX. Inquiries concerning the application of Title IX and its implementing regulations at 34 C.F.R. Part 106 to Springfield Public Schools may be referred to Kathleen O’Sullivan or to U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, 400 Maryland Ave., SW Washington, DC 20202-1100, telephone 800-421-3481.