Department Information

The Colorado Charter School Institute (CSI) is a statewide charter school authorizer whose mission is to foster high-quality public-school choices offered through charter schools, particularly schools that are focused on closing the achievement gap for at-risk students. Governed by a board of nine members appointed by the Governor and Commissioner of Education, CSI currently serves a diverse portfolio of 40 schools across the state of Colorado serving over 20,000 students. CSI is uniquely positioned to serve and promote charter school innovation in communities throughout Colorado and to be a leader in improvements in authorizer practices. CSI aspires to continue growing the quality and quantity of its portfolio of schools in Colorado in response to the need for high quality, innovative charter school options. Our organization is at an extraordinary point of opportunity and is poised to make additional systemic changes that will yield improvements within the portfolio’s overall student achievement.

Description of Job

• Enhance Safety and Security: Improve the overall safety and security of the entire portfolio of 43 CSI schools, benefiting over 23,000 students and 2,930 staff members across the state of Colorado.
• Standardize Practices: Establish consistent protocols and practices for providing support, guidance, and oversight to CSI’s diverse portfolio of schools in the area of school safety.
• Provide Effective Training: Provide both proactive (training, communication, relationships) and ad hoc (emergency notifications, crisis response) training to address safety concerns comprehensively.
• Build Relationships: Facilitate the development of relationships between CSI schools and local safety agencies, enhancing collaboration and crisis response effectiveness.
• Improve Resource Allocation: Allocate resources efficiently to ensure that safety initiatives are sustainable and responsive to the unique needs of CSI and its schools by following a tiered approach to supports.

• Review CSI school Emergency Operations Plans (EOPs), CSI Mental Health and School Safety data, and conduct site visit walkthroughs, listening sessions and community meetings to identify gaps that exist between EOPs and full implementation.
• Develop and/or improve upon existing policies and protocols for school safety incident response.

• Use results of the comprehensive needs assessment to inform both system-wide, regional, and school-specific interventions, and to develop a structured training program and school safety resource library for CSI schools.
• Develop tiered approach to oversight and support for CSI schools in the area of school safety.
• Provide regional training opportunities in key areas of school safety. This may include (but is not limited to) threat assessment training, tabletop crisis drills, reunification drills, etc.

• Identify key local partners and develop formal relationships to respond to school safety concerns for each region of the state in which CSI schools are located.
• Create frameworks and standard operating procedures to support the implementation of regional CSI school safety collaboratives.

• Use a variety of metrics to monitor efficacy of implementation and progress towards goals aligned with areas outlined above.

• Approach work with a focus on equity, access, and continuous improvement to support schools in closing outcome gaps.
• Stay up to date on current research and topics related to assigned program areas.
• Ensure that all training, technical assistance, and compliance monitoring includes tiered processes and actions based on school performance.?
• Participate in the review of charter applications and school operational plans in support of CSI’s role as a school authorizer.
• Ensure quality and availability of data for inclusion in the?CSI Annual Review of Schools and other CSI initiatives
• Review proposed and existing legislation for possible impact related to specialty area.
• Provide operational support for the Senior Director of School Programs.
• Establish and maintain practices that advance departmental and organizational knowledge management efforts.

Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions of Employment & Appeal Rights

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in a school, district, or law enforcement setting, with a focus on safety and security.
• Bachelor's degree in education, criminal justice, public administration, or a related field.
• Knowledge of relevant state and federal laws, regulations, and best practices related to school safety.

• All final candidates must successfully pass a thorough criminal background check.

• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and leadership skills, with the ability to build and maintain collaborative relationships with diverse stakeholders.
• Familiarity with emergency management principles, crisis response strategies, and incident command systems.
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple projects and deadlines effectively.
• Understanding of and/or experience with trauma-informed safety procedures and practices

Supplemental Information