Counseling Service Lead (225 days) (2024-2025)

Position Title: Counseling Services Lead
Department: School Location
Reports To: Principal
FLSA Status: Exempt
SUMMARY:
In order to provide the comprehensive guidance and counseling model to all high school students, the high school guidance department (depending on size of school and enrollment) may be staffed by a Registrar of Student Services, Guidance Counselors(s), Career Counselor, and Career Specialist(s). All will work as members of the guidance and counseling department staff to provide a comprehensive developmental guidance and counseling program for students in high school and specifically provide services to meet the needs of their students; consult with teachers, staff, and parents to enhance their effectiveness in helping students; and to provide support to other high school educational programs.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Supports and upholds the mission, vision and strategic goals of Aiken County Public School District.
• Organizes, manages and evaluates effective and clear programmatic procedures for the operation and functioning of Counseling Services in high schools consistent with the philosophy, mission and vision of the Aiken County Public School District.
• Provides Counseling Services for educational, college and career planning, and social and emotional development. Ensures compliance with all laws, administrative codes, Board policies and regulations.
• Provides leadership within the school in ensuring an understanding of the educational philosophy and objectives of the district school counseling program.
• Develops and implements yearly departmental goals that lead to programs and services to improve and increase student success and achievement.
• Provides leadership in the process of hiring qualified, diverse professional school counselors.
• Creates/Maintains the yearly Counseling and Advisement Calendar.
• Supervises, manages and evaluates activities of guidance counselors, career development facilitators, registrars, and clerical staff.
• Leads and coordinates meetings for the proper functioning of the Counseling Program, developing a specific agenda and distribute minutes of each meeting to the district Coordinator of Counseling and Career Services.
• Advocates for programs and services that lead to student success and achievement with school staff members, parents and district.
• Provides and encourages opportunities for effective staff development that addresses the needs for counseling, guidance, college and career education programs including workshops, conferences, visitations, demonstration lessons and sessions in which the staff learns of research based successful practices and strategies.
• Supervise procedures for the secure and confidential storage of student records. Protects confidentiality of information gained as part of exercising professional duties and use discretion in sharing such information within legal confines.
• Maintains data pertinent to withdrawals and ensures withdrawing students meet with a school counselor. Tracks student withdrawals and ensures compliant graduation rate documentation is received on each withdrawal.
• Assists other school personnel in preventing students from dropping out of school; and assists in securing alternative programs when warranted.
• Maintains a reduced caseload of which should not exceed 50% of the average counselor caseload.
• Establishes effective liaison with the community agencies and post-secondary institutions
• Requires and maintains records of all student postsecondary outcomes. Analyze and share the data with the appropriate professional staff.
• Assumes responsibility for compiling, maintaining, and filing reports, records, and other documents legally required or administratively needed in designated school.
• Coordinates and ensures special programs such as financial aid nights, parent informational meetings, dual enrollment and virtual school opportunities, etc.
• Maintains responsibility for the counseling department budget by overseeing and maintaining accurate records of all incoming and outgoing expenses.
• Coordinates and participates in grade level IGP conferences.
• Provides supervision for counselors, career specialists, and assigned support staff.
• Coordinates the virtual and dual enrollment programming.
• Assists with the development of the master schedule.
• Serves as a liaison between school counseling staff and school administration, district administration and feeder schools.
• Performs other duties as may be assigned.

JOB SPECIFICATIONS
EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE:
Master's Degree in Counseling, or School Administration, and school experience.
Such alternatives to the above qualifications as the Board may find appropriate and acceptable.
CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS:
Valid South Carolina Teaching License in the area of Guidance Counselor
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws
LANGUAGE SKILLS:
Ability to read, analyze and interpret professional journals, technical procedures and instructional manuals. Ability to design and write professional development plans, reports and data entry procedures. Ability to effectively present professional development and training and respond to questions from groups of educators, trainees, media, administrators and organization members.
MATHEMATICAL SKILLS:
Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in units of measurement, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to work with mathematical concepts such as probability and statistical inference and in the display and interpretation of data. Ability to apply basic concepts of statistical analysis, fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.
REASONING ABILITY:
Ability to interpret and carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram or schedule form. Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to analyze information and use logic to address work related issues and problems.
Ability to identify student adjustment and/or academic problems, provide counseling and/or recommend appropriate remedial action to parents. Ability to supervise students and maintain order in various classroom and instructional activities and situations.
OTHER SKILLS and ABILITIES:
Ability to perform duties with awareness of all district requirements and Board of Education policies.
Ability to operate a personal computer and related software. Knowledge in the methods for developing lesson plans and materials, and classroom activities which stimulate learning. Ability to apply knowledge of current research and theory to instructional program; ability to plan and implement lessons based on division and school objectives and the needs and abilities of students to whom assigned.
Ability to develop effective working relationships with students, parents, and the school community. Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing. Ability to develop effective working relationships with staff and district employees. Ability to implement a flexible work schedule to meet the reporting deadlines. Proficiency with Microsoft applications such as Excel, Word, and PowerPoint required. Ability to perform duties with a high level of detail and accuracy. Ability to self-monitor and manage multiple tasks while working individually and with members of a group.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
The employee will occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds such as boxes of materials. The employee will sometimes push/pull items such as furniture or boxes of materials.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, walk, talk, listen and/or reach with hands and arms. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision. Some driving required. Duties of the job require frequent use of a computer monitor and related equipment.
WORK ENVIRONMENT:
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Office environment with limited exposure to environmental conditions. The noise level in this environment is quiet to loud depending upon the activity in the particular part of the day. Frequent interruptions and immediate attention to unexpected situations are expected.
TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT:
Determined by allocations
Teacher Pay Scale
The terms of employment detailed in this job description are based on full time employment during the school year. Conditions of employment adjusted for part time employees or individuals who are hired for less than an entire school year.
EVALUATION:
Performance of this job evaluated annually according to Board Policy.
DISCLAIMER STATEMENT:
The information contained in this job-description is for compliance with the American with Disabilities Act (A.D.A.) and is not an exhaustive list of the duties performed for this position. Additional duties are performed by the individuals currently holding this position and additional duties may be assigned.
Updated 2018