Itinerant Compliance Specialist at YES Prep Public Schools

Job Description

POSITION: Itinerant Compliance Specialist

REPORTS TO: Director of Special Populations Administration

POSITION TYPE: 11-month

START DATE: Immediate 

COMPENSATION: $54,911 - $65,894, Home Office grade 4

At YES Prep, work for a mission that impacts the life trajectory of students and their families. YES Prep creates pathways to extraordinary opportunity through best-in-class development, competitive compensation and benefits, and recognition for your impact. Grow as an authentic leader and be part of a high-performing, team-oriented culture. 

Some quick stats about us:

• 24,700 Students
• 2,400 Team Members
• 15 Secondary Campuses
• 10 Elementary Campuses
• 92% Students Who Qualify for Free/Reduced-Price Lunch
• 96% Hispanic & African-American Students
• 90% Students Who Are Accepted to a 4-Year University
• 88% First-Generation College Students
• Ranked in the Top 100 High Schools in the Nation, U.S. News & World Report

We serve the students of Houston, Texas, the 4th largest city across the United States. There are over 20 public-school districts and other great public charter school options within Houston’s city limits serving our increasing population. We are a rapidly growing organization, committed to creating life-changing opportunities for over 23,000 students by 2025.

THE OPPORTUNITY

YES Prep needs a dynamic Itinerant Compliance Specialist with a diverse set of experiences, to make our mission a reality. As a YES Prep relationships and achieve jaw-dropping results, create pathways to opportunity for our students, build transformative relationships, and eliminate educational inequities to advance social justice.

To put it simply, you will play a crucial role in ensuring students in special populations receive the essential services and support they deserve. You will work on behalf of our Special Populations Department to manage a caseload of students across multiple campuses, ensuring compliance with all regulations governing IEPs, 504 plans, and Education Benefit (EB) procedures. Through meticulous attention to detail, strong communication skills, and unwavering commitment to student success, you will help safeguard student rights and foster a culture of equity within our school system.

THE ROLE

When you join the YES Prep team, some of the exciting work and responsibilities will include:

• Scheduling, preparing, and leading Admission, Review and Dismissal (ARD) meetings, 504 meetings & LPAC meetings for a caseload of approximately 115 students in SpEd, 575 EB students, and 60 students in 504 across multiple campuses;
• Completing Special Populations paperwork, including Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), 504 Plans, and LPAC documentation;
• Monitoring & supporting teammates in completing portions of student IEPs, and monitoring completion of feedback forms required for all Special Populations;
• Ensuring that federal/state timelines are met with respect to functions of ARD Committee meetings, 504 meetings, and LPAC meetings;
• Overseeing Home Language Survey collection & review, EB Parent Permission

Forms & proper Emergent Bilingual program placement;

• Completing and submitting lists, forms, reports, and data submissions required by the Special Education, Section 504 & Emergent Bilingual programs;
• Completing applicable PEIMS submissions;
• Following procedures for timely progress reporting, folder documentation, parent communication, etc.;
• Collaborating with school teams, parents/guardians, and external agencies to gather and maintain thorough documentation for students in Special Populations;
• Proactively identifying and addressing potential compliance risks;
• Facilitating compliance-related trainings for stakeholders, including SpEd Managers, Compliance Specialists, SpEd Teachers, and campus staff etc. in conjunction with the Special Populations Compliance Team
• Supporting with accurate data entry related to PEIMS submissions for students in Special Populations;
• Attending relevant professional development; 
• Additional duties as assigned.

THE PERSON

We seek staff with a multitude of backgrounds, talents, interests, and ideas. Certain traits consistently shine through our most successful employees: passion for the mission, drive for results, care for students, and resilience. Other traits needed and desired for this role are:

MUST HAVES

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited four-year educational institution

• At least two years of relevant work experience as a Special Education Teacher, interventionist, Literacy Specialist, Bilingual or ESL teacher, or other Special Populations campus or district role;
• Organized, with highly developed tracking systems & attention to detail;
• Belief in and commitment to the mission and core value of YES Prep Public Schools
• Openness to giving and receiving frequent feedback
• Ability to maintain emotional control under stress
• Ability to work urgently in a fast-paced and results-oriented environment
• Ability to juggle multiple tasks and initiatives at once
• Demonstrated ability to work on a team
• A dedication to learn, grow, and develop as a professional

THE MUST HAVE BELIEFS

• Belief in and commitment to the mission and core value of YES Prep Public Schools
• Desire to disrupt systemic status quos in education
• Willingness to go above and beyond to disrupt said status quos
• Passion to develop resiliency through a relentless pursuit of jaw-dropping results
• Conviction that high expectations + high accountability = high performance and high growth

THE NICE TO HAVES

• Valid Texas Teacher certification, including Special Education or ESL or Bilingual certification
• Understanding of Special Education, Emergent Bilingual & 504 procedures
• Experience with Emergent Bilingual programming & LPAC meetings 
• Master’s Degree
• Experience in using a data management system for compliance
• Basic understanding in Microsoft Office programs
• Experience in chairing/facilitating and ARD meeting

THE PERKS

• Compensation – This position is an exempt, salaried position; offers commensurate with experience.

• Health and Supplemental Insurance – A $0 monthly medical option that includes $600 towards a Health Savings Account, in addition to a variety of supplemental benefits including Dental, Vision, Disability, Life, etc. Employees must work 20+ hours a week to be eligible for a full spectrum of benefits, and 10 hours a week minimum for medical benefits.

• Retirement Plans – Participation in Teacher Retirement System of Texas and a 457b Retirement Plan.

• Paid Time Off – Employees working 20+ hours a week receive 12 days of Paid Time Off in addition to the system closures during the Academic Calendar.

• Paid Leave Programming – In the event you need to be out due to medical needs (including maternity and paternity leave), YES Prep offers paid leave, paid out at 100%, based on eligibility and tenure.

• Professional Development - YES Prep values longevity and performance over time. We invest in developing leaders through high-quality programs, effective coaching, and ongoing professional development.

• Award Winning Culture – The strong cultures of our campuses and Home Office are just one of many reasons we were named Houston’s Best Place to Work in 2018, 2019, and 2021. We won the 2012 Broad Prize for Excellence in Urban Education and were a 2016 finalist as well.

YES Prep is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression, national origin, disability, age, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or parenthood.