ITINERANT LEAD HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELOR - JACKSON OLIN HS

Job Summary

JOB TITLE:


Itinerant Lead High School Counselor


REPORTS TO:


Coordinator of Guidance and Counseling

WORK DAYS:


240 Contract Days (12 Months)

SALARY:


Certified LC ($76,320 - $121,496)

LOCATION:


High Schools

FLSA Status:

EXEMPT


X

NON EXEMPT

JOB DESCRIPTION:


The Itinerant Lead High School Counselor will provide leadership for the implementation of the guidance and counseling program services to improve academics and behavior of all students. Utilizing leadership, advocacy, and collaboration, the School Counselor promotes student success, provides preventive services, and responds in person to identified student needs by implementing a comprehensive school counseling program that addresses academic, career, personal, and social/emotional development for all students. Itinerant Lead High School Counselors are professional educators with a mental health perspective who understand and respond to the challenges presented by today's diverse student population. The Itinerant Lead High School Counselors do not work in isolation; rather they are integral to the total educational program and provide high quality comprehensive counseling and guidance programs for high school students.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:


The Itinerant Lead High School Counselor shall serve as the Senior Counselor. The Itinerant Lead High School Counselor shall also work with students to increase engagements in Dual Enrollment, FAFSA completion, acquisition of scholarships, application to college, military enlistment, workforce readiness and other areas of post-secondary opportunities, to ensure all students in Birmingham City Schools complete graduation requirements and are college and career ready and have earn a CCR Indicator.

Coordinating:
• Participate in developing district-level meeting agendas and professional learning in conjunction with BCS School Counseling Coordinator.
• Attend and participate in BCS Coordinator of Counseling meetings and provides support to other counselors at their school.
• Coordinate and facilitate department meetings monthly, at minimum, or meets more as needed.
• Assist School Counseling Coordinator and other Student Services team members in developing and/or revising policies, practices, and procedures relevant to school counseling program.
• Attend Professional Development, Conferences and workshops (Departmental, District and Outside District) designed to maintain and upgrade counseling supervisory skills.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the school and community resources that complement the provision of counseling services.
• Initiate and maintain productive working relationships with students, staff, parents, administration and community-based organizations.
• Coordinate the activities of the high school counseling department, including calendaring school day and evening events for communicating important information to students and parents.

School Counseling
• Maintain an organized, functional and up to date school counseling virtual and/or in-person office/center.
• Implement a comprehensive guidance curriculum: conduct classroom guidance activities in each teacher's class and/or systematically conduct developmental counseling groups for each grade level throughout the year; consult with and/or provide resources to teachers to facilitate their instruction of counseling content and to embed counseling content in the regular educational curriculum.
• Coordinate transition to high school activities with middle school counselors and administration.
• Consult with and serve as a resource to teachers to facilitate embedding counseling content into the regular education curriculum.
• Respond to calls, emails, and in-person visits from families and students within 48 hours.


Maintaining Educational Records
• Maintain confidentiality regarding school/workplace matters in accordance with state and federal law.
• Consult on the analysis of transcript(s) of and schedule for new/transfer students.
• Consult with students, parents, administrators to ensure graduation requirements are met for diploma options and or any endorsements associated with earning an Alabama High School Diploma or Option B, Workplace Pathways Diploma.
• Work in collaboration with administrators, department of assessment and accountability, career and technical education department, and office staff, to submit accurate, complete cohort graduation data to include CCR Indicators identified by ALSDE to include dual enrollment/college credit attainment, AP, IB, ACT/ACT Workkeys Benchmark scores, career and technical credential and or completer status, and approved apprenticeship.
• Work in collaboration with office staff to ensure students' grades (including summer school, night school, and other non-traditional options) are entered on transcript and course schedule is updated, as necessary.
• Work with the other school counselors, completes timely reviews of student transcripts and class schedules and makes corrections, as necessary.


Parent/Community Outreach
• Partner with parents and colleagues to manage course goals, curriculum, and materials that best benefit the individual needs of each student
• Partner with community stakeholders for programs related to college, careers, and post-secondary options
• Communicate the impact of the comprehensive school counseling program to all stakeholders.
• Coordinate community program awareness activities
• Consult with and trains teachers, parents and staff regarding student needs.

Responsive Services:
• Serve as Building Based Team Lead for Crisis Response Team.
• Plan and evaluate the counseling program: have familiarity and experience with the PREPaRE Crisis Response Model and the recognized ASCA model program.
• Serve as the primary liaison between site-based Student Support Services Team and district level Student Support Services.
• Serves as the First Responder in BCS MTSS Tiered Systems of Support. Collaborate with prevention specialists, social workers, school psychologists, mental health coordinator, special programs and outside agencies (if appropriate) to seek opportunities for children with behavioral/social challenges and parents to receive support.
• Participate as a member of the PST/MTSS/504 teams.
• Respond to appointments, in-person visits students, parent/guardian regarding summer school, grades, enrollment, testing and other inquiries within 48 hours.

Administrative
• Participate on the school scheduling team.
• Coach, mentor, and train school counseling staff.
• Participates in the hiring of school counselors at the school.
• Attends and participates in BCS Coordinator of Counseling meetings.
• Attends conferences and workshops designed to maintain and upgrade counseling supervisory skills.
• Serve on school and/or system committees, advisory boards, and/or task forces as needed.

Perform other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:


A Master's Degree or higher from an accredited college or university; A valid Alabama Educator Certificate; Must meet Every Student Succeed Act (ESSA) federal and state requirements or a willingness to meet the requirements within the designated time frame;

Additional Qualifications:

• Master's Degree or higher w/a guidance and counseling endorsement.
• Three years experience as high school counselor (Required) .
• Ability to build positive relationships with students, staff, parents, and external stakeholders
• Strong leadership, organizational, and project management skills
• Effective interpersonal skills, with an emphasis on communication and collaboration with a wide variety of people and groups
• Ability to problem solve as a productive team member
• Maintain skills in computer software, including word processing, database,

spreadsheet, Web Page development, presentation, digital video and audio editing,


and image processing to communicate, to plan and provide instruction, to facilitate student learning, to manage data, and to produce/ submit required reports, correspondence, and/ or financial information.

• Possess strong skills for presenting and facilitating training sessions
• Possess knowledge and skills to coordinate the integration of technology into learning
• Proficiency in oral, written, and electronic communications and able to use various technological devices/software, student management systems, Microsoft Office, Google Suite, and other platforms

Such alternatives to the above qualifications as the Board may require .

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:

• Completed Application (HireTrue)
• Resume (uploaded to application)
• Three (3) returned References (HireTrue)

*PLEASE ENSURE ALL INFORMATION IS CURRENT WITHIN A 6 MONTH PERIOD*

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:


Physical strength, mobility, dexterity, stamina, and acuity are required to perform job responsibilities.

REVISED:

March 2025

Please Note: All candidates must submit to a background check ( Employment is contingent upon candidate meeting suitability criteria as established by Alabama State Department of Education. The Birmingham Board of Education does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religious preference, marital status, disability, national origin, or any other reason prohibited by state or federal law. Employees of the District are required to comply with the provisions of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and Title IX of the 1972 Educational Amendments. Birmingham Board of Education is required by state law to verify the employment eligibility of newly hired employees by using the federal E-Verify program. New employees are required to provide a Social Security number, an unexpired identity document that contains a photograph, and other acceptable documents that establish employment eligibility. In addition to determining whether a new hire is authorized to work in the United States, E-Verify will confirm that the employee's name and Social Security number match.