Director of Special Education (26-27 SY)

Job Description

Job Description

About Freire Schools

Established in 1999, Freire Schools ( is a network of four charter schools across Philadelphia and Delaware whose mission is to prepare students from historically underserved communities for success in college and beyond. We're distinguished by our belief in every student who walks through our doors, our strong code of conduct and commitment to peace that ensures a safe environment for all, our sense of family throughout our community, and our joyous and engaged classrooms that focus on academic achievement. As evidence of our impact, in 2023 Stanford's Center for Research on Education Outcomes ranked Freire Schools in the top 15 in the country for academic gains out of 368 charter networks nationwide.

About the team

For this Director of Special Education position, you'll be working for our high school in Wilmington, Delaware called Freire Charter School Wilmington (8th-12th Grade): Freire is all about Graduation x 2 – graduation from high school and from college. We challenge our students to achieve higher than they ever have before, and we give them the support they need to get there, including individualized college counseling. 95% of The Class of 2025 received acceptances into 52 unique colleges and universities and earned nearly $4.3M in scholarship award offers. This success is possible because the Freire Wilmington community is a true family, where students and teachers work together to build the future each student wants and deserves.

Freire Charter Wilmington: 201 W 14th St, Wilmington, DE 19801

What you'll do

Reporting to the Head of School, you'll provide strategic leadership, management, and oversight of all special education programming and services to ensure that every student receives a high-quality, inclusive, and legally compliant educational experience. You'll supervise Special Education Teachers, Related Service Providers, and Special Education Support Staff, and serve as an active member of the school's leadership team.

Responsibilities

• Lead the vision, implementation, and continuous improvement of the school's special education program.
• Supervise, coach, and evaluate special education teachers, paraprofessionals, and related service providers.
• Ensure full compliance with all federal, state, and local special education regulations, including IDEA, Section 504, and Delaware-specific requirements.
• Maintain oversight of all special education timelines, including evaluations, reevaluations, annual reviews, progress monitoring, and procedural safeguards.
• Serve as the school's LEA representative at IEP meetings as appropriate.
• Monitor the implementation of specially designed instruction (SDI), accommodations, modifications, and related services across classrooms.
• Oversee all referral, evaluation, and reevaluation processes, and coordinate related services including speech and language, occupational therapy, and counseling.
• Build strong partnerships with families through proactive communication, and serve as a resource for families navigating special education services.
• Manage special education budgets, contracts, and related service agreements as assigned.
• Support recruitment, hiring, onboarding, and retention efforts for special education personnel.

Who you are

You possess an unwavering belief that every student, regardless of ability or learning profile, is capable of success, and you both exude and cultivate Freire's values of equity, love, critical thinking, and diversity. In this role, you'll lead a team dedicated to ensuring our students with IEPs and 504 plans receive the individualized support and advocacy they need to thrive at Freire Wilmington. We're looking for someone who meets the minimum requirements to be considered for this role. If you meet these requirements, we encourage you to apply.

Minimum requirements

• Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree in Special Education or related field preferred.
• Valid Delaware Special Education Certificate or Special Education Director Standard Certificate required
• Minimum of two years of successful experience in special education leadership or coaching
• Demonstrated knowledge of IDEA, Section 504, and applicable Delaware special education regulations.
• Strong organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to build trust with students, staff, and families.
• Genuine commitment to fostering a culture of respect, responsibility, excellence, collaboration, and social justice, and to Freire's mission and values.

Pay and benefits

We offer a competitive salary based on your experience and qualifications. Our benefits package includes health, dental, vision, and more. Delaware employees are enrolled in Delaware's state pension plan (and may additionally choose to participate in the state's 403(b) retirement plan).

Freire Schools is committed to maintaining a workplace environment that is free from all forms of discrimination and discriminatory harassment, in service of the policy goal to provide all persons equal access to all categories of employment regardless of a person's actual or perceived race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender (including gender identity and expression), age, creed, religion, ancestry, national origin, ethnic background, marital status, pregnancy or related conditions, disability, veteran/military status, or any other category protected by state or federal law.