Position Status: Temporary – 90-Day Assignment
Department: District Office / Student Support
Reports To: Superintendent, Principal, and/or Designee
Starting Pay: $16.20 per hour (Experience will be reflected on salary schedule)
Work Schedule: Tuesday–Friday, following the adopted school calendar, with additional workdays as required for professional development, training, or other district needs. The current school calendar is available on the district website.

Position Summary

Crowley County School District RE-1J is seeking a dependable, organized, flexible, and versatile individual to serve in a temporary position that divides responsibilities between District Office support and paraprofessional/student support duties.

The individual selected for this position will assist with a variety of central office responsibilities, including food service coordination, business office support, human resources and finance-related clerical work, general secretarial responsibilities, and communication with campus offices. The employee will also provide paraprofessional support to students as assigned by district and campus administration.

The paraprofessional portion of this position may include working directly with students with significant or high support needs. Students served may range from high-functioning and largely independent to students requiring substantial assistance with communication, academics, behavior, mobility, hygiene, or other daily activities.

Because of the combined nature of this position, the employee must be comfortable transitioning between administrative responsibilities and direct student support. Flexibility, patience, confidentiality, professionalism, and the ability to manage changing priorities are essential.

Temporary Nature of Position

This position is being established as a 90-day temporary assignment to address current operational and student-support needs within Crowley County School District RE-1J.

During the 90-day period, the District will evaluate:

• The continuing operational need for the position.
• The effectiveness of dividing the position between District Office and student-support responsibilities.
• The skills, strengths, and abilities demonstrated by the selected employee.
• Areas in which the employee may be able to provide additional value to the District.
• Whether the position should continue, be modified, expanded, restructured, or concluded.

At the conclusion of the 90-day assignment, the District will reevaluate the position and determine whether there is a continuing need. Completion of the temporary assignment does not guarantee continued or permanent employment.

 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

District Office and Clerical Support

• Serve as a secretary and general support person for the District Office.
• Assist with answering phones, receiving visitors, organizing documents, maintaining records, correspondence, filing, and other general office responsibilities.
• Assist the Superintendent and Business Office with clerical and administrative assignments.
• Work collaboratively with campus secretaries to ensure central office information is communicated accurately, effectively, and concisely.
• Assist with maintaining organized district records and documentation.
• Handle student, employee, financial, and district information with appropriate confidentiality and discretion.
• Assist with other central office responsibilities as assigned.

Food Service Support

• Assist with the development and organization of district food service menus.
• Coordinate with the District's contracted food service vendor and other partners as assigned.
• Assist with ordering and coordinating local food purchases associated with district grant activities.
• Maintain documentation related to grant-funded food purchases and activities as directed.
• Assist with oversight, organization, and operation of the district food kiosk.
• Communicate with appropriate district personnel and vendors regarding food service needs, orders, schedules, and assigned responsibilities.

Business Office, Human Resources, and Finance Support

• Provide clerical and administrative support to the Business Office.
• Assist with human resources functions, documentation, filing, employee records, and other assigned responsibilities.
• Assist with finance-related clerical responsibilities under the direction of Business Office personnel.
• Maintain accuracy and confidentiality when working with personnel and financial information.
• Learn and follow district procedures and established requirements.
• Complete assigned work with accuracy and fidelity.
• Recognize when questions, concerns, or decisions should be referred to appropriate Business Office personnel or district administration.

Fingerprinting and District Support

• Complete required training to assist with district fingerprinting processes.
• Assist employees, applicants, and other individuals with fingerprinting procedures once appropriately trained.
• Maintain required records and documentation associated with assigned fingerprinting responsibilities.
• Provide additional district-level support as needs arise.

Paraprofessional and Student Support Responsibilities

Instructional Support

• Work under the supervision and direction of certified teachers and campus administration.
• Assist teachers with classroom activities, instructional materials, and student assignments.
• Conduct instructional exercises assigned by the teacher.
• Work with individual students or small groups.
• Provide individualized instructional assistance based on student abilities and needs.
• Assist with classroom organization, materials, equipment, and records as assigned.
• Keep the supervising teacher informed of student needs, concerns, or problems.

High-Needs Student Support

• Work directly with students who may have significant physical, developmental, behavioral, communication, or cognitive needs.
• Understand that assigned students may have significantly different levels of independence and functioning.
• Provide appropriate support to students who may be highly independent as well as students who require significant or continuous assistance.
• Demonstrate patience when working with students with language deficiencies, limited verbal communication, delayed communication skills, or alternative methods of communication.
• Allow students appropriate processing time and provide support when students have difficulty expressing their wants, needs, emotions, or understanding instructions.
• Assist students with personal-care and hygiene needs when required. Responsibilities may include toileting assistance, changing diapers or protective undergarments, changing soiled clothing, handwashing, and other personal-care activities necessary to support the student's participation in school.
• Assist students with eating, transitions, positioning, mobility, or other daily living activities when required and appropriately trained.
• Follow student-specific Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), behavior plans, safety plans, and other directions provided by certified or specialized staff.
• Maintain student dignity, privacy, confidentiality, and respect when providing personal or high-needs assistance.
• Respond calmly and professionally when students experience frustration, communication difficulties, behavioral challenges, dysregulation, or other high-needs situations.

Student Supervision

• Help supervise students throughout the school day, inside and outside the classroom.
• Assist with lunchroom, bus, playground, transition, or other supervisory duties as assigned.
• Support appropriate student behavior and follow district and campus procedures.
• Immediately communicate significant student concerns to the supervising teacher or administrator.

Minimum Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required.
• Previous clerical, secretarial, administrative, or office experience.
• Experience working with children preferred.
• Experience in food service, business operations, finance, human resources, or related administrative functions preferred.
• Experience working with students with disabilities or high support needs is preferred but not required.
• Ability to use computers and common office software and learn district-specific systems.
• Willingness and ability to provide direct personal-care assistance to students when assigned.
• Willingness to complete required district training, including fingerprinting and student-support training.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

The successful candidate must demonstrate:

• Strong organizational and time-management skills.
• Effective verbal and written communication.
• Ability to work effectively with students, staff, families, vendors, and community members.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality regarding student, employee, financial, and district information.
• Patience and emotional control when working with students with significant or complex needs.
• Ability to understand and respect differences in student ability, communication, behavior, and independence.
• Ability to follow directions and student-specific plans established by teachers and specialized service providers.
• Ability to work independently while also functioning effectively as part of a team.
• Ability to move between office responsibilities and direct student-support responsibilities as district needs require.
• Ability to prioritize assignments and adjust to changing responsibilities throughout the workday.
• Dependability, professionalism, flexibility, and attention to detail.

Mental and Physical Demands

The physical demands of this position may vary depending upon the students assigned and the District Office responsibilities being performed.

The employee must be able to:

• Sit and stand for extended periods.
• Frequently move between District Office and campus work locations.
• Bend, stoop, kneel, squat, reach, push, pull, and twist as required.
• Work at floor level when assisting students when necessary.
• Physically assist students with personal care, positioning, transitions, mobility, and other daily activities as required by the assignment and within district training and safety procedures.
• Work in close physical proximity to students and provide direct hands-on assistance.
• Perform repetitive hand motions, keyboarding, filing, and other routine office tasks.
• Work in environments that may include noise, frequent interruptions, changing priorities, and unexpected student needs.
• Have potential contact with bodily fluids while assisting students with toileting, diapering, hygiene, illness, or other personal-care needs. Appropriate training and protective equipment will be provided as applicable.
• Maintain emotional control, patience, and professionalism during stressful or challenging situations.

Professional Expectations

The employee is expected to maintain a high level of professionalism and confidentiality in both areas of the position. Information obtained through Human Resources, finance, District Office operations, or direct work with students must be handled appropriately and only shared with authorized personnel.

Because this is a combined position, the employee must understand that daily responsibilities may change based upon the immediate needs of the District and its students. The amount of time assigned to District Office responsibilities and paraprofessional responsibilities may vary throughout the 90-day assignment.

Additional Duties

The duties listed in this job description describe the general nature of the work and are not intended to represent an exhaustive list of responsibilities. The employee may be assigned other duties consistent with district needs and the employee's demonstrated knowledge, skills, abilities, and training.