1.0 FTE School Counselor 2026-2027

Iowa City Community School District

School Counselor 

QUALIFICATIONS:

1. Hold, at minimum, a master’s degree in school counseling
2. Iowa certification in school counseling 
3. Previous counseling experience preferred
4. Such alternatives to the above qualifications as the District may find appropriate and acceptable.

REPORTS TO: School Principal

JOB GOAL: School counselors provide support to students, teachers/staff, and families with the overarching goal to improve student success for ALL students by implementing a comprehensive school counseling program.  School counselors work with youth individually and in small or large group settings with a focus on academic and social emotional skills and college and career readiness.  Through implementation of a comprehensive school counseling program, school counselors promote access and equity and help create a school culture of success and belonging for all students.

PERFORMANCE RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Collaborate with School Counseling team, and other building staff as needed, to identify and implement evidence based practices within an MTSS process to strengthen the overall school counseling program

• Academic/Career

1. Teach prevention education lessons 
2. Provide individual student academic planning and goal setting
3. Collaborate with families, teachers, staff, administrators and community partners geared toward student success
4. Analyze data and make data-based decisions to identify and respond to student needs and challenges
5. Regularly review data to determine effectiveness of services and make necessary adjustments

• Social-Emotional

1. Provide counseling services (individual students/student groups, parents, crisis)
2. Support teachers in the classroom delivery of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) for students
3. Connect families with district and community resources
4. Coordinate transition activities for students new to the community and between buildings
5. Serve as advocate for students and families
6. Facilitate restorative, problem-solving conversations with students, teachers, families and/or staff
7. Intervene and provide responsive support services in crisis situations
8. Provide skills-based instruction based on student needs identified through data 
9. Act as a vanguard for sexual harassment, abuse, bullying, inappropriate behavior, and other difficult situations
10. Report suspected child abuse to Department of Human Services (DHS)

• Leadership and Professional Growth

1. Communicate regularly with students, families, teachers, faculty and staff
2. Consult with teachers, families, administrators, staff and outside agency personnel and coordinate efforts to work effectively with students’ academic and/or social emotional behavioral health needs
3. Communicate accessibility of program to parents and students through mailings, phone contacts, e-mail, classroom presentations, and individual meetings
4. Meet regularly with building administrators
5. Regularly assess counseling program to determine effectiveness, inform improvements, highlight the positive impacts of a school counseling program on student outcomes
6. Participate in leadership roles within the building including, but not limited to, Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS) teams, Professional Learning Committees, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) teams with a focus on advocacy for students
7. Facilitate, co-facilitate, and/or develop staff and family learning opportunities
8. Facilitate a positive/safe school climate

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT: Work year as established by the Board of Directors.  Salary established by district adopted salary schedules.

EVALUATION: Teaching performance will be evaluated in accordance with the provisions of the Board’s policy on Evaluation of Professional Personnel.