Academic Counselor

Position Type:
Student Support Services/Guidance Counselor

Date Posted:
6/23/2026

Location:
J.F. Kennedy Elementary

Date Available:
06/23/2026


REPORTS TO:

Campus Principal

APPLICATION DEADLINE:

Open Until Filled

LENGTH OF WORK YEAR:

190 days

DATE REVISED

AUG 03, 2021

WAGE/HOUR STATUS:

Exempt

SALARY RANGE:

$56,812 Minimum
$81,751 Maximum

PAY GRADE:

SO3

PRIMARY PURPOSE:
To provide a proactive developmental guidance and counseling program for all students to maximize academic, career and personal growth. This also includes teaching the Abstinence curriculum.

QUALIFICATIONS:
Education/Certification
A master's degree in counseling from an accredited college or university
Valid Texas counseling certificate
Special Knowledge
Knowledge of counseling procedures, student appraisal, and career development
Excellent organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills
Ability to instruct students and manage their behavior
Ability to present information in one-on-one, small group, and large group situations to students,
parents or guardians, and district staff

Experience
Three years teaching experience required

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES:
(In compliance with SB179)

Program Management
• Plans school guidance and counseling programs to ensure that identified objectives are met.
• Develops, coordinates and continuously evaluates the overall effectiveness of the guidance program.
• Educates the school staff, parents and community about the guidance services via meetings, school newsletters, and presentations.
• Compiles, maintain, and files all required reports, records and documents.
• Works hand in hand with Social Workers and CPS to better assist students and families.

Guidance Curriculum
• Plan, organize, implement, and deliver structured group lessons according to the district's guidance curriculum to improve students' interpersonal and intrapersonal effectiveness, personal health and safety, post-secondary planning and readiness, and other developmental needs.
• Teaches the school guidance curriculum components through the use of effective instructional strategies and planned structured groups considering diverse student populations and needs for differentiated instruction.
• Works with students, staff, parents or guardians, and the community to identify priorities where students will be served through the guidance curriculum components. Collaborate across curricular areas to integrate guidance lessons into content area curriculum.
• Create a balanced curriculum by using well-planned and intentional activities and materials, incorporating guest speakers, and offering engaging delivery techniques, including technology tools.

Responsive Services
• Use accepted theories and effective techniques of developmental guidance and respond to problematic or critical incidents or support students and offer services in time of need.
• Use preventative activities to remove barriers that interfere with a student's educational, career, personal, and social development.
• Implement remediation practices to assist students in coping with problem situations or unwise choices. Identify precipitating and antecedent factors, effective and ineffective approaches to dealing with the circumstances, and provide feedback to guide future decisions.
• Use specialized skills to support students in crisis situations requiring immediate response. Maintain a healthy and safe school environment by collaborating with district staff, parents or guardians, and local officials.
• Provide continued support to students in need through; individual counseling, small group counseling, consultation, or referral to services outside the school or district.
• Serve as an impartial, non-reporting resource for interpersonal conflicts and discourse involving two or more students, including accusations of bullying.

Individual Planning
• Create school counseling services that are developmental and age appropriate and provide information or literature that highlights related topics to students, teachers, and administrators.
• Assist individual students and their parents or guardians in monitoring their academic, career, personal, and social development as they progress in school.
• Act as a student advocate, leader, collaborator, and systems change agent. Advocate for a student environment that acknowledges and respects diversity and ensures equitable access and placement in courses and programs for minority, disenfranchised, homeless, and other special populations.
• Interpret standardized test results, offer career development.

System Support
• Collect , summarize, and interpret testing data to plan, create interventions, guide students, and address specific student needs.
• Conduct an annual program audit to inform accountability, action plans, time management, and systematic change.
• Participate in campus-based school improvement planning and goal setting.
• Provide parent or guardian and staff training and consultation to foster student educational, career, personal, and social development.
• Clearly articulate and communicate the counseling program's management system and related program action plans to campus and district staff, parents or guardians, and the community.
• Participate in staff development and continuing education opportunities to improve job-related skills and research to identify best practices in implementing a comprehensive school counseling program.
• Coordinates with school and community personnel to obtain resources for students.
• Coordinates an effective referral process to assist students gain access to special programs and services.
• Assist with the behavioral component of the Response to Intervention (RTI) framework.
• Coordinates the 504, makes referrals to Special Education if applicable.
• Coordinates the STAAR Assessments and Gifted and Talented program identification.
• Coordinates additional student assessments.
• Interprets data from assessment instruments.

Other Related Duties
• Compile, maintain, and file all reports, records, and other documents.
• Complies with policies established by federal and state law, State Board of Education rule and board policy underguidance and counseling.
• Complies with all district and campus routines and regulations.
• Adhere to legal, ethical, and professional standards for school counselors including current professional standards of competence and practice.
• Maintains a positive and effective relationship with supervisors.
• Communicates effectively with colleagues, students, and parents.

Professionalism
• Models behavior that is professional, ethical, and responsible.
• Participates in professional staff development to improve skills related to job assignment and to keep updated with developments in education.
• Other duties may include Lunch duty and after school duty.
• Performs all duties in a safe manner to avoid injury to oneself and/or to others.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Supervise assigned staff

WORKING CONDITIONS:
Mental Demands/Physical Demands/Environmental Factors:
• Maintain emotional control under stress; May be required to assist in restraining student who may be in danger of hurting themselves or others.

The foregoing statements describe the general purpose and responsibilities assigned to this job and are not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties that may be assigned or skills that may be required.
Nondiscrimination Statement
Edinburg CISD does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability or age in its programs or activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies: Title IX issues: Mark Micallef, View email address on click.appcast.io, Director of Personnel/Legal Issues, ADA/504 issues: Sofia Hinojosa, View email address on click.appcast.io , Director of Student & Social Services, 411 N. 8thAvenue, Edinburg, TX 78539, View phone number on click.appcast.io.


Edinburg CISD no discrimina por motivos de raza, color, origen nacional, sexo, discapacidad o edad en sus programas o actividades y brinda igualdad de acceso a los Boy Scouts y otros grupos juveniles designados. La
siguiente persona ha sido designada para manejar consultas sobre las pol ticas de no discriminaci n: Title IX issues: Mark Micallef, View email address on click.appcast.io, Director of Personnel/Legal Issues, ADA/504 issues: Sofia Hinojosa, View email address on click.appcast.io , Director of Student & Social Services, 411 N. 8th Avenue, Edinburg, TX 78539, View phone number on click.appcast.io.