Program Manager - Putnam County

Communities in Schools of Tennessee • Baxter, TN

3d • Onsite

About The Position

Communities In Schools of Tennessee (CISTN) is a nonprofit that partners with K-12 public schools to surround students with a community of support empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. With a budget of almost $12M, we support 85+ employees in 60+ schools that serve more than 30,000 students and families across Tennessee. As part of the CIS national network, CISTN achieves this mission by placing program managers in schools across the state to provide school-wide interventions and case managed services for students in need. CISTN staff and board members center all decisions, actions, and services on the following core values: Integrity, Empathy, Equal Opportunity, Authenticity, and Collaboration.

Requirements

• Bachelors or associate degree in social work, youth development, education or a related field is preferred.
• Work and lived experience can be substituted without formal education, requiring four to eight years of direct experience.
• Candidates in the current pursuit of a bachelors degree will also be considered.
• Must have a valid driver’s license and automobile insurance to drive for business-related reasons, including transporting clients.
• Consistently identifies needs at one-on-one, small group, and school-wide levels, tailoring interventions to meet the diverse needs of students and families.
• Utilizes student and family input alongside evidence-based programs to inform intervention strategies.
• Routinely evaluates the effectiveness of interventions, adjusting services as needed to ensure optimal outcomes.
• Clearly and concisely communicates technical information and data results to various audiences.
• Tailors communication strategies to different stakeholders and ensures messages are clear, consistent, and culturally responsive.
• Develops and maintains positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Utilizes effective communication strategies to engage stakeholders and advance the organization's mission.
• Analyzes complex problems, identifies underlying causes, and consults appropriate resources to make informed decisions in a timely manner.
• Takes accountability for decisions and ensures proposed solutions are thoughtful, inclusive of varied perspectives, and responsive to the needs of different stakeholders.
• Navigates internal systems, software, and databases efficiently, with minimal intervention.
• Consistently completes data entry and reporting accurately and on time.
• Manages department budgets effectively.
• Demonstrates a clear understanding of racial and other forms of discrimination, including but not limited to historical discrimination, that may impact students and families and applies that understanding to work in schools and across the organization.

Nice To Haves

• Should you not meet all of the listed qualifications but feel that this position is the perfect one for you, please apply!

Responsibilities

• Engage a school support team that works closely with school administrators, staff, and teachers in the implementation of the CIS model. The team may include other CISTN employees, volunteers, school faculty/staff and/or other community partners. This process will include building and nurturing school staff relations, relationships to school and community, and the engagement of volunteers for the delivery of services.
• Lead the annual needs assessment process. This process is based on data collected by districts and schools as part of overall school improvement plans, surveys and discussions with staff, parents and students, and evaluation results from the previous year. The goal is to identify gaps in services that may prevent chronic absenteeism, social emotional learning/behavioral challenges, student, and family disengagement, etc.
• Develop and implement a school support plan. Write a plan of services they will provide for the school year that addresses the gaps identified in the needs assessment, written in coordination with the school support team and principal.
• Ensure that all services identified in the school support plan are delivered throughout the school year and are associated with measurable objectives. Services include school-wide services available to all students (Tier I), small group services (Tier II), and intensive, individualized services (Tier III). Where appropriate, bring in outside partners to provide services identified in the school support plan.
• Monitor and adjust services. Lead the school support team in regularly monitoring and adjusting services from the school support plan as needed to maximize effectiveness and impact, including monthly and quarterly progress monitoring.
• Manage an annual budget. Every Program Manager is provided with a discretionary supply budget to purchase materials related to their school support plan. Program managers write their budget every school year and manage their spending on their budget.
• Provide case management: Recruit 10% of enrolled students (between 25-50 students) who need more intensive support to case manage throughout the school year. These students receive Tier II and Tier III services which include monthly check ins, student needs assessments and student support plans tailored to their individual needs. Will often include a high level of interaction/engagement with the student’s family members, including home visits.
• Advocacy: Advocate on behalf of case managed students and families, in addition to the designated community at large to include but not limited to participating in official and unofficial student meetings, IEP meetings and MTSS meetings as allowed by school administration.
• Attendance: Collaborate with the school attendance team to support school wide attendance initiatives. Responsible for tracking progress towards meeting student and school wide attendance goals.
• Recruit and engage community partners and volunteers. Build relationships with outside partners to provide services identified in the school support plan, where appropriate. Outside partners could include other nonprofit or community agencies who provide services inside the school or serve as referral sources, individuals who volunteer with individual students or on school projects, or local churches/neighborhood associations to provide in-kind donations, among others.
• Manage data entry. Routinely utilize the CIS National database to enter data about the spectrum of services provided, including profiles and comprehensive support notes for all case managed students, as well as provide regular updates on progress towards school and student goals. Access school district’s student information system (SIS) to monitor student progress and pull data.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of achieving school and student individualized goals. Lead the school support team in implementing a systematic data collection plan to evaluate the effectiveness of services in achieving school-wide goals such as family engagement, SEL, and college and career readiness and addressing the needs of case managed students.
• Prepare regular reporting. Provide monthly, quarterly, and end-of-year reports for school and affiliate leadership, which are instrumental in planning services for the following year, as well as contribute to affiliate level reports for partners, CISTN, and the Communities In Schools national office.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance premiums covered at 100% for employees, with some dependent health plans including an employer contribution.
• Employer-paid short-term and long-term disability insurance.
• Paid parental leave
• Employer paid contribution to supervision costs for those seeking advanced licensures.
• 401(k) and match up to 2%.
• Approximately a five-week break in the summer, (summer schedule varies each year depending on school calendars and program needs).
• Regular school holidays and breaks which apply to teachers, as well as 4 floating holidays.
• In addition to school breaks, Program managers receive 10 paid sick days and 2 paid vacation days.
• Cell phone stipend.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree