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Assistant Director Special Education

Washtenaw Intermediate School District
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The WISD’s Mission is to educate, serve, and advocate with students, families, schools and the community. We disrupt racial inequities, build just educational systems, and expand access for all learners. We value human potential while striving to support current and future generations of Washtenaw County to enrich as many lives as we possibly can.  

The WISD’s Vision is to be a leader in empowering, facilitating, and delivering high-quality, boundary-spanning, educational system that educates all children through an equitable, inclusive, and holistic approach.

SUMMARY:

The Assistant Director of Special Education supports the Executive Director of Special Education in the daily administration of WISD's educational service agency responsibilities for special education general supervision, compliance, monitoring, accountability, data, continuous improvement, and technical assistance. The Assistant Director exercises sound professional judgment, coordinates assigned staff and systems, and serves as a liaison to local educational agencies and public school academies. The role balances compliance requirements, stakeholder expectations, and responsive problem-solving so WISD's oversight and District-support functions are equitable, reliable, legally sound, and focused on improved outcomes for students with disabilities. In collaboration with the Special Education Director, the Assistant Director coordinates the LEA-facing aspects of referrals and student transitions into and out of WISD-operated center-based programs.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Equity and Continuous Improvement:

  • Demonstrates a strong commitment to equity, social justice, accessibility, and inclusion in all practices and position responsibilities.
  • Demonstrates the ability to examine how his/her/their position (directly or indirectly) impacts educational inequities in student achievement outcomes.
  • Engages in reflection and ongoing learning and development on critical concepts and terms identified in the Washtenaw ISD Educational Equity Policy including concepts such as cultural proficiency, racial equity, and systemic and structural inequities.

Compliance, Monitoring, and Accountability:

  • Coordinates assigned components of WISD's special education general-supervision system under the direction of the Executive Director and supports coherent implementation of IDEA, MARSE, Section 504, the ADA, the WISD Special Education Plan, and other applicable requirements.
  • Monitors ISD oversight, Catamaran, corrective-action tracking and verification, significant disproportionality, MiCIP alignment, data and growth reporting, and other assigned accountability systems.
  • Establishes conflict-free processes for state-complaint investigations and ensures that investigators do not have administrative authority over the program or service being investigated.
  • Maintains separation between identifying and verifying corrective action and the program or District leadership responsible for implementing it.
  • Analyzes patterns across complaints, monitoring, corrective actions, disproportionality, service data, and student outcomes and reports systemic findings, risks, and recommended responses to the Executive Director.
  • Provides clear, timely IDEA, MARSE, policy, procedural, and compliance guidance to WISD leaders and staff, local districts, and PSAs.

District Partnerships, Technical Assistance, and Countywide Support:

  • Builds collaborative, responsive relationships with local special education directors, PSA leaders, families, community partners, and state agencies.
  • Identifies recurring District needs and coordinates differentiated technical assistance, coaching, consultation, professional learning, and capacity-building supports.
  • Coordinates assigned district-facing special education services, countywide systems, specialized supports, and other educational service agency responsibilities.
  • Supports countywide implementation of assigned initiatives such as PSSP, START, CPI, assistive technology and augmentative communication, transition, curriculum, behavior, and inclusive practices.
  • Uses service, monitoring, and outcome data to evaluate responsiveness, identifies unmet needs, recommends resource adjustments, and improves WISD's support to districts and PSAs.
  • Convenes and facilitates District-partnership, compliance, professional-learning, and implementation meetings as assigned.

Referrals and Student Transitions:

  • Coordinates the LEA-facing referral process for WISD-operated center-based programs, including communication with districts and PSAs, intake, completeness review, information gathering, tracking, and timely transfer to the Director of Special Education.
  • Collaborates with the Director of Special Education, principals, LEA teams, and families to support coordinated transitions into and out of WISD-operated programs, continuity of services, and clear communication of roles and next steps.
  • Ensures referral communications do not promise placement or predetermine an IEP team decision and that the IEP team retains legal authority for placement.

Staff Leadership and Operations:

  • Develops and maintains common procedures, guidance, tools, dashboards, communication protocols, and documentation standards for assigned ESA functions.
  • Exercises sound professional judgment in daily administration, interprets policies and regulations, assesses complex situations using data and professional standards, and makes timely decisions within delegated authority.
  • Balances multiple priorities, compliance timelines, stakeholder expectations, and rapid problem-solving while maintaining reliable service and a stable, people-focused team culture.
  • Supervises, coaches, and evaluates assigned supervisors, coordinators, specialists, and support staff; establishes clear priorities, timelines, role boundaries, and quality expectations.
  • Supports recruitment, selection, onboarding, development, retention, assignment, and succession planning for assigned staff.
  • Assists with budget and resource recommendations, monitors assigned budgets and expenditures, and supports responsible use of district, grant, state, and federal resources.
  • Coordinates interagency collaboration and maintains relationships with MDE, local districts, PSAs, families, community organizations, and other partners.
  • Prepares and oversees accurate, timely local, state, federal, Board, and internal reports related to compliance, monitoring, services, partnerships, data, and improvement.
  • Promptly elevates systemic noncompliance, unresolved findings, conflicts of interest, significant legal or relationship concerns, and major capacity or resource needs to the Executive Director.
  • Participates as a member of district administrative teams and represents WISD at meetings, conferences, and Board meetings as assigned.
  • Maintains regular, predictable attendance; abides by applicable rules, regulations, policies, procedures, and statutes; and performs other duties as assigned.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Directly supervises, coaches, and evaluates assigned special education administrators who oversee compliance and data personnel, district-partnership staff, teacher consultants, specialists, and support staff.
  • Establishes clear priorities, roles, timelines, and performance expectations and ensures responsive service, legal compliance, reliable follow-through, and effective collaboration across accountability, monitoring, technical-assistance, and district-partnership functions.
  • Supports the professional growth of assigned staff through ongoing coaching, feedback, professional learning, and performance management.

QUALIFICATIONS:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Alternative requirements that may be appropriate and acceptable to the Board of Education may be considered.  The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE:

  • Master's degree in Special Education or a related field and approval in at least one area of Special Education - required.
  • Full or temporary approval as a Michigan Director or Supervisor of Special Education - required.
  • At least three years of successful administrative experience in special education - required, preferably as a special education supervisor or director.
  • Experience working with students with varied disabilities and supporting inclusive, evidence-based instructional and behavioral practices.
  • Possesses knowledge of IDEA, MARSE, Section 504, the ADA, and other local, state, and federal requirements affecting special education.
  • Previous experience in leadership, supervision, consultation, training, facilitation, conflict-resolution, and systems-improvement.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS:

  • Must meet Michigan Department of Education (MDE) School Administrator Certificate requirements (in accordance with MCL 380.1536 and MCL 380.1246)
  • Must satisfy qualifications established under the MDE, Special Education Programs and Services, Admin. Rule R 340.1771.

LANGUAGE SKILLS:

  • Demonstrates ability to read, analyze and interpret general educational periodicals, professional journals, or governmental regulation.
  • Demonstrates ability to write reports, business correspondence and procedural manuals. 
  • Demonstrates ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of administrators, parents and the general public.

TECHNICAL SKILLS:

  • Demonstrates ability to integrate technology into the everyday workflow as necessary.
  • Demonstrates ability to use a personal computer (PC) or MAC in a networked environment to utilize the Internet and other electronic communication mechanisms.
  • Demonstrates ability to use current productivity, collaboration, data, presentation, and electronic communication tools in a networked environment.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS:

  • Demonstrates ability to maintain program and grant budgets.
  • Demonstrates ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions and decimals.
  • Demonstrates ability to compute rates, ratios and percents and to draw and interpret bar graphs.

REASONING ABILITY:

  • Demonstrates ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. 
  • Demonstrates strong analytical, organizational, budget-management, written communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
  • Demonstrates ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS::

  • Demonstrates ability to work cooperatively with students, families, WISD program teams, related-service disciplines, district leaders, and community partners.
  • Demonstrates professional maturity and high levels of discretion, integrity, cultural proficiency, and collaborative problem solving.

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.  While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, walk and stand. The employee is occasionally required to bend and or twist at the trunk more than the average person. The employee is continuously repeating the same hand, arm or finger motion many times. The employee is frequently required to talk or hear. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds such as books and teaching material. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distant vision and the ability to adjust focus. The ability to travel to other buildings is required. The position requires the individual to sometimes work irregular or extended work hours and meet multiple demands from several people.

ENVIRONMENTAL ADAPTABILITY:

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.  The noise level in the work environment is quiet to loud depending upon the activity in the particular part of the day. Occasionally the employee may be required to be outdoors for a short period of time, and therefore subject to varying weather conditions, for purposes of accomplishing the essential functions of this job.

FUNCTIONS OF POSITION DESCRIPTION:

This position description has been prepared to define the general duties of the position, provide examples of work and to detail the required knowledge, skills and ability as well as the acceptable experience and training for the position.  The description is not intended to limit or modify the right of any supervisor to assign, direct and control the duties of employees under supervision.  The WISD retains and reserves any and all rights to change, modify, amend, add to or delete from any portion of this description in its sole judgment. This position description is not a contract for employment.

The WISD is an equal opportunity employer, in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.  The District will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.

TERMS:

Salary and other employment conditions to be established by the Board of Education as reflected in the Non-Affiliated Staff Manual. Starting salary ranging (dependent upon experience) from $116,162 - $142,762.

Washtenaw Intermediate School District is a drug-free workplace.

It is the policy and commitment of the Washtenaw Intermediate School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, age, height, weight, familial status, marital status, genetic information, sexual orientation or any legally protected characteristic, in its educational programs, activities, admissions, or employment policies in accordance with Title IX of the 1972 Educational Amendments, executive order 11246 as amended, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and all other pertinent state and Federal regulations.