Safe Schools & Transition Mgr

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is one of the largest school districts in the United States, serving over 320,000 students in 600+ schools and employing approximately 40,000 people, most of them teachers. CPS has set ambitious goals to ensure that every student, in every school and every neighborhood, has access to a world-class learning experience that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life. In order to fulfill this mission, we make three commitments to our students, their families, and all Chicagoans: academic progress, financial stability, and integrity. Six core values are embedded within these commitments – student-centered, whole child, equity, academic excellence, community partnership, and continuous learning.

As the designee for the Chicago Board of Education, The Options Network within the Office of Network Support authorizes and manages a portfolio of 36 Options Schools including charter, contract, Alternative Learning Opportunity Programs (ALOP), and district-run.

Job Summary:

Reporting to the Chief of Options Schools, the Safe Schools & Transition Manager will support schools, families, students, and the Network offices to ensure students who have been assigned to Safe School enrollment through expulsion transferring, or considering doing so, are able to efficiently and effectively move through the transfer process. This includes identifying if a transfer is in the best interest of a student, and if so, identifying the best fit school for the student, and ensuring a cohesive and smooth transition between the sending and receiving schools. This role will also be responsible for managing the transition process of students during school closures or relocations.

The Safe Schools & Transition Manager will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

• SAFE Schools:
• Submit Regional Safe School grant application and all end-of-the-year Regional Safe School data to ISBE.
• Work closely with Student Adjudication, Law Dept., families, district personnel, safe school administrators, and juvenile detention center to facilitate the enrollment of students in Safe school setting.
• Provide guidance and support to schools to ensure they are functioning per district guidelines and contract terms, including but not limited to creating the master schedule for all SAFE school sites in Aspen, issuing student transfers per ISBE guidelines, and diploma retrieval; Maintain Options tracker database.
• Manage the Safe School Summer Bridge Program and ensure transportation, food services, Extended School Year (ESY), and all appropriate correspondences to families are delivered.
• Develop and maintain partnerships with external agencies to strengthen program resources; Recruit community partners who can fully implement an evidence-based framework for prevention, early intervention, referral, and support to students with identified needs.
• Complete, accurate and timely entry of student SAFE program enrollment information into the Verify system and Aspen system; Coordinate and conduct all administrative reviews requested by SAFE school administrators; Coordinate and track student transitions including issuing communications, schedule and lead meetings, and track student enrollment upon release from the program.
• School Transitions: Partner with the Authorization team to manage all components of student transitions that are due to school closures, relocation and expansion including but not limited to the following:
• Facilitate ongoing meetings with school leadership to track and monitor student transitions
• Collaborate with internal CPS departments to provide clear, cohesive guidance related to student transitions including the organization, collection and transfer of student records
• Partner with the Office of Social Emotional Learning to ensure that transitioning students receive increased social-emotional supports to increase the likelihood of successful transition into a new school
• Gather and analyze data to inform decisions about best-fit placement of transitioning students
• Other duties as assigned

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Safe Schools & Transition Manager must possess the following qualifications:

Education Required:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university

Experience Required:

• Minimum of five (5) years of professional work experience in an education environment planning and implementing complex cross-functional projects and processes that actively engage parents, community members, students, and other external stakeholders, preferably in an urban school district, required
• Minimum of three (3) years of experience utilizing student information systems and/or enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems to manage and report data.
• Minimum of two (2) years of professional work experience developing external communication documents for a wide range of audiences
• Experience building and maintaining relationships with community/external partners required

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Strong understanding of education enrollment and transition systems, processes, and impacts
• Strong advocacy, negotiation, and conflict-resolution skills in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to manage concurrent projects and balance competing priorities and deadlines
• Proven detail-orientation, problem-solving, and follow-through skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; ability to effectively communicate with a variety of audiences, especially through policy briefs and PowerPoint presentations; competent and creative in the visual display of information
• Knowledge of educational performance measures, educational research, and urban education systems
• Ability to define problems, and outline valid conclusions and action steps

Conditions of Employment

As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), employees are required to:

• Establish/Maintain Chicago Residency - Employees are required to live within the geographic boundaries of the City of Chicago within six months of their CPS hire date and maintain residency throughout their employment with the district. The Chicago residency requirement does not apply to temporary/part-time positions, however, all CPS employees must be residents of Illinois.
• Be Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19 - Unless approved for a medical or religious exemption, all employees are required to be up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccinations, including boosters, and to submit proof of vaccination to the district within 30 days of hire. “Up-to-date” on vaccination is defined as being at least two weeks past all primary vaccine doses and any applicable boosters.