Description

POSITION: Director of Special Education Compliance and Alternative Services, Office of Special Education Services

REPORTS TO: ExecutiveDirector of Special Education Services

POSITION SUMMARY: The Director of Special Education Compliance and Alternative Servicesprovides strategic leadership for districtwide special education accountability, regulatory compliance, and alternative educational services. The Director develops and maintains systems that ensure students with disabilities receive a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), while also ensuring that students assigned to alternative, interim, homebound, hospital-based, or other nontraditional educational settings receive timely, equitable, and legally compliant services. The Director leads compliance monitoring, program evaluation, data reporting, dispute resolution, Medicaid oversight, professional learning, and continuous improvement efforts in collaboration with schools, families, district departments, legal counsel, and external agencies.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategic Leadership and Accountability:

• Provide districtwide leadership for special education accountability, compliance, and alternative educational services.
• Develop, implement, and monitor systems, protocols, dashboards, and internal controls that promote legal compliance, program quality, timely service delivery, and improved student outcomes.
• Support the Assistant Superintendent in implementing the department's strategic priorities, comprehensive improvement plan, corrective action plans, and annual work plan.
• Serve as the Assistant Superintendent's designee, as assigned, for matters related to special education compliance, accountability, alternative services, and cross-departmental coordination.
• Use quantitative and qualitative data to identify trends, evaluate program effectiveness, determine areas of risk, and recommend corrective or preventive action.

Special Education Compliance

• Ensure district compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 504, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Connecticut special education requirements, Board policy, and other applicable federal, state, and local mandates.
• Monitor the timely and appropriate completion of evaluations, reevaluations, eligibility determinations, IEPs, progress reporting, service implementation, annual reviews, and required state submissions.
• Establish and oversee a districtwide process for reviewing IEP quality, procedural compliance, service delivery, placement decisions, transportation needs, and implementation of accommodations and modifications.
• Monitor FAPE and LRE requirements, including specialized program placements, out-of-district placements, interim alternative educational settings, and transitions between schools or programs.
• Oversee the interpretation and resolution of CT-SEDS error reports, compliance reports, state monitoring findings, and other accountability indicators.
• Coordinate self-review, state monitoring, corrective action, records review, and audit activities related to special education.
• Ensure compliant end-of-year closeout, student transfer, records transfer, and continuity-of-service procedures.

Alternative Educational Services:

• Provide leadership and oversight for district alternative education programs and services, including expelled student services, interim placements, reentry supports, homebound instruction, hospital-based instruction, and other assigned nontraditional programs.
• Develop clear referral, intake, placement, progress-monitoring, transition, and reentry procedures for students receiving alternative services.
• Ensure students placed in alternative settings receive appropriate instruction, related services, behavioral supports, accommodations, credits, records, and opportunities to remain on track for graduation.
• Collaborate with school leaders, Student Support Services, Special Education, Multilingual Learner Services, Attendance, Safety and Security, Transportation, and other departments to coordinate student services.
• Monitor the quality, compliance, utilization, and effectiveness of district-operated and contracted alternative programs.
• Coordinate communication with families, community providers, state agencies, and external partners regarding student placement, service delivery, transition, and reentry.

School-based Support and Professional Learning:

• Supervise and support compliance facilitators and other assigned staff in monitoring timelines, reviewing records, resolving compliance concerns, and assisting schools.
• Provide guidance to administrators, teachers, related service providers, case managers, and support staff regarding special education procedures, alternative services, and district protocols.
• Design, coordinate, and deliver professional learning related to compliant IEP development, CT-SEDS, procedural safeguards, student transfers, alternative services, data quality, and program implementation.
• Ensure staff receive timely guidance regarding legislative, regulatory, policy, procedural, and technology changes.
• Provide targeted coaching and corrective support when records, services, or practices do not meet legal or district standards.

Legal, Dispute Resolution, and Risk Management:

• Coordinate departmental and district responses to due process complaints, mediation requests, state complaints, Office for Civil Rights complaints, local dispute resolution matters, and other legal or regulatory inquiries.
• Collaborate with legal counsel, district leadership, school administrators, and families to resolve disputes and ensure timely implementation of agreements, findings, and corrective actions.
• Maintain accurate documentation and tracking systems for complaints, hearings, settlements, corrective actions, and compliance deadlines.
• Identify potential legal, fiscal, operational, and programmatic risks and recommend appropriate mitigation strategies.

Data, Medicaid, and Operational Oversight:

• Supervise the Medicaid Coordinator and support accurate, compliant, and timely Medicaid documentation, claiming, reconciliation, and audit readiness.
• Oversee data quality, reporting, recordkeeping, and documentation systems related to special education and alternative services.
• Develop reports and presentations for district leadership, the Board, state agencies, and other stakeholders, as assigned.
• Support budget development, resource allocation, grant implementation, vendor oversight, and contract monitoring for assigned programs and services.
• Assign and monitor staff work, projects, and deliverables; evaluate work products, procedures, and workflow for effectiveness and alignment with district goals.

Other Responsibilities:

• Represent the district at meetings, hearings, trainings, and interagency convenings, as assigned.
• Maintain confidentiality and exercise sound professional judgment in all student, family, employee, and legal matters.
• Perform other duties related to the functions of the position as assigned by the Superintendent or designee.

Personnel Leadership:

• Select, train, supervise, support, and evaluate assigned personnel in accordance with district policies, collective bargaining agreements, and applicable law.
• Establish clear performance expectations and ensure staff accountability for service quality, timelines, documentation, and compliance.
• Implement appropriate performance improvement, corrective, disciplinary, or other personnel procedures when necessary and in collaboration with Human Resources.

QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS/ABILITIES OF IDEAL CANDIDATE:

• Advanced degree in special education, educational leadership, student services, or a closely related field required.
• Minimum of five (5) years of successful professional experience in special education, student support services, alternative education, or a related educational setting.
• Demonstrated experience implementing and monitoring federal and state special education requirements.
• Demonstrated knowledge of IDEA, Section 504, FAPE, LRE, procedural safeguards, due process, state complaints, and related compliance obligations.
• Experience with special education data systems, preferably CT-SEDS or a comparable platform.
• Experience developing, monitoring, or improving alternative education, homebound, hospital-based, reentry, or other nontraditional educational services.
• Experience analyzing program, compliance, and student outcome data to guide continuous improvement.
• Experience leading professional learning and providing technical assistance to administrators and instructional staff.
• Experience supervising and evaluating personnel.
• Strong project management, organizational, communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple high-priority matters, meet regulatory deadlines, and exercise discretion with confidential information.
• Demonstrated commitment to equity and to serving students and families in an urban school district.

CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: Connecticut Intermediate Administrative Certification (092) and Connecticut certification in special education are required. Additional certification or demonstrated experience in alternative education, student support services, or related programming is preferred.

SALARY AND TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT: This is a twelve-month position, and the salary is in accordance with the Hartford Principals' and Supervisors' Association [redacted] Schedule: Group 12: $149,609 - $162,873.

UNION AFFILIATION: Hartford Principals' Supervisors' Association (HPSA)

APPLICATION PROCEDURE: To be considered, all internal and external applicants must fully complete a Hartford Public Schools' online application, which can be accessed through our Applicant Tracking System, Nimble, at https://app.hirenimble.com/jobs/hartford. Internal applicants should use a personal email address when applying. Please do not use your hartfordschools.org email. The code word for the internal application is hartford (lowercase "h"). Candidates' application and supporting documents will be reviewed. Candidates who advance will be contacted directly by hiring managers for interviews.

Benefits

We Value Our Staff...And It Shows

Hartford Public Schools is seeking excellent candidates and wants to provide the best experience for you.

We have put together a comprehensive package of benefits and incentives.

Financial Incentives

• Tuition Reimbursement: Up to $3,000 annually
• Residency Differential: 3% of base salary for certified administrators (HPSA members) living in Hartford
• Differential for Doctorate in Education: $2,500 annually

Additional Benefits

• Comprehensive health, vision, and dental insurance
• Board contribution of 50% of the applicable Health Savings Account (HSA) deductible
• 5 Personal days per year; 20 Sick days per year
• Life insurance (2x annual salary)
• Loan forgiveness (State & Federal)
• Professional learning
• Career growth opportunities