School Secretary

Job Title: School Secretary

Performs a variety of confidential secretarial, clerical, and administrative responsibilities necessary for an efficient and effective school office. Assists the Principal and school staff in the performance of responsibilities so that a safe, healthy, and welcoming learning environment and effective instruction are provided for all students. Serves as a primary point of contact for administrative personnel, teachers, support staff, and the public, employing discretion and independent judgment to resolve concerns efficiently. Puts the safety, health, and well-being of students at the forefront of all actions, job responsibilities, and decisions and performs all duties in alignment with the District's Strategic Plan.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Education: High school diploma or equivalent.
• Experience: One year of prior service demonstrating responsible office experience, preferably in a school district.

Preferred Qualifications

• Courses in office organization or secretarial skills, or any combination of training and/or experience that provides the desired knowledge and abilities.
• Work efficiently and with a service-oriented attitude under stressful situations with constant interruption.
• Change and adapt office procedure and details in concert with the needs and requirements of the administrator and the District.
• Understand and apply complex policies and rules.
• Maintain cooperative working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.
• Efficient keyboarding skills with minimal errors.
• Ability to handle stressful situations.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of employment and student matters.
• Ability to effectively manage time and responsibilities.

Job Responsibilities & Essential Functions (including but not limited to):

1. Attendance Monitoring & Student Discipline Support

• Supervise & Enforce: Supervise attendance record keeping and report production; monitor student attendance and enforce district policies, state, and local laws regarding attendance.
• Intervention & Resolution: Work directly with students to resolve attendance problems.
• Disciplinary Action: Assign appropriate disciplinary actions for attendance violations, develop daily detention rosters, and monitor attendance at detention.
• Committee Participation: Participate actively in the Attendance Appeal Committee, assisting the Assistant Principal.
• Communication: Maintain clear communication concerning attendance to students, parents, and appropriate local agencies. Gather and prepare appropriate attendance/accounting information.

• Administrative, Secretarial & Office Operations

• Administrative Support: Serve as secretary to the superintendent, principal, or other administrators, performing a wide variety of secretarial and clerical duties for administrative personnel, teachers, and support staff.
• Correspondence & Materials: Independently compose, type, proofread, and prepare letters, memoranda, bulletins, reports, records, questionnaires, and handbooks from general instructions, rough drafts, marginal notes, or oral instructions.
• Data & Systems Management: Establish, maintain, and monitor accurate, neat, and efficient electronic and manual filing systems using numerical, alphabetical, and subject-matter organization. Post information, check records, file, and alphabetize rapidly and accurately.
• Calendar Management: Coordinate and maintain multiple calendars, including school administrator(s), school facility events, site, master, school website, and district events.
• Public Relations: Greet and interact with the public, staff, students, and parents with appropriate, positive, and welcoming telephone etiquette and proper voice inflection. Employ discretion and independent judgment when directing individuals to the correct person.
• Information & Compliance: Answer inquiries and provide interpretations concerning standardized policies, procedures, regulations, or school activities.
• Mail & Information Flow: Sort, classify, and distribute incoming mail and other information for efficient disbursement to appropriate recipients.
• Staff Orientation: Orient and direct substitute teachers and substitute classified personnel.
• Inventory Control: Responsible for the assignment and inventory of room cabinet keys. Order and maintain office supplies, and ensure a clean, attractive, orderly, safe, and efficient office environment.
• Meetings: Attend meetings and conferences as requested, acting as a recorder and preparing reports for actions taken and assignments made.

• Financial, Purchasing & Reporting Operations

• Financial Tracking: Track and compile financial data and budget information for the superintendent, principal, and/or other administrators.
• Purchasing Coordination: Coordinate the purchasing process, including processing requisitions, receipt, verification, and distribution of materials. Prepare work orders for the maintenance of buildings, grounds, and school equipment.
• Data Collections & Reports: Create forms, compile and organize data necessary for the efficient operation of the office, and complete all required district and State data collections, monthly reports, and year-end reports in a timely fashion.

• Student Records, Health & Safety

• Student Registration: Register new students, secure appropriate student records, maintain confidential student records, and transfer records for students moving to other schools.
• Medical Compliance: Maintain immunization records in conjunction with the County Health Department and file necessary report(s) with the State of Montana.
• First Aid: Administer first aid to students and contact parents and emergency assistance agencies in cases of serious illness or injury.

• Other Functions

• Perform other duties associated with the position as determined or assigned by immediate supervisors.

Equipment Used: A variety of electronic and technology devices, copier, telephone/voice mail, fax.

Work Environment: While performing the duties of this job, the employee regularly works inside. The employee must be able to meet deadlines with severe time constraints. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Physical Demands: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit; occasionally walk and stand; twist at neck and waist. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. The employee is required to be able to hear conversations in quiet environments.

Mental/Motor Demands: While performing the duties of this job, the employee often performs routine work. The employee frequently exercises flexibility (ability to shift from one task to another). Guidance and reinforcement are usually available. The employee frequently works within time constraints and maintains attentiveness intensity. The employee is frequently involved in social interactions which require oral and written communications.

The physical demands, work-environment characteristics, and mental/motor demands described within this job description are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations shall be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

For those classified employees employed under a written contract for a specified term, nothing contained in this job description shall create a property right beyond the specified duration of the employment contract.

Performance of duties will be evaluated in accordance with provisions of the Whitefish School District Board's Policy on Evaluation of Classified Personnel.