Special Education Aide and Specialized Transportation Driver

Escuela Verde Vision and Mission

Escuela Verde, part of the TransCenter for Youth network of schools, cultivates a community that is participatory, just, sustainable and peaceful. We live our vision through:

• Graduating high school students prepared to live happy, healthy, meaningful lives;
• Collaborating with the community to create a strong sense of place and skills to flourish without harm;
• Providing staff who model our vision and embrace education as liberation;
• Engaging youth by adhering to an ecopedagogical praxis;
• Developing biliteracy and honoring linguistic and cultural identities by engaging in translanguaging practices; and
• Offering immersion opportunities for those interested in transformative education.

Position Summary

Under the direction of the Director of Special Education, the SPED Aide and Specialized Transportation Driver operates the school van to provide safe pick-up and drop-off for students requiring door-to-school services in their IEPs, while also serving as a driver and chaperone for transition-related experiences. A primary focus of this role is fostering transition readiness skills by working predominantly in the student-run cafe to support students during their paid internships. Additionally, this position collaborates with the SPED director and teachers to implement basic transition readiness goals as outlined in student IEPs. The Special Education paraprofessional will also be available to support students in social/emotional regulation. This is a limited term grant funded position and is not guaranteed from year to year. 

Ideal Candidate

• Required: High School Diploma; Special Education Program Aide License (0070) or willingness to obtain
• Required: Clean driving record, auto insurance, and valid drivers license

• Preferred: Bilingual (English and Spanish)
• Special Education experience
• Belief in constructivist pedagogy
• View of students as capable learners
• Understanding of Project Based Learning 
• Ability to create a classroom environment that is inclusive, multicultural, and equitable
• Democratic mindset that puts all school members (advisor, students, and parents) on equal terms
• Belief in restorative practices as a method for problem-solving
• Ability to work in a collaborative environment 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Every year has uniqueness of IEP needs, the specific roles will change annually as needed as assigned by the SPED director. This list of duties and responsibilities is not all-inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties and responsibilities, as leadership may deem necessary from time to time.

Duty/Responsibility: Special Education Services

• Provide timely and secure daily home-to-school transportation for students while adhering to set schedules and safety guidelines. 
• Maintain vehicle readiness through regular cleaning, detailed inspections, and timely transportation to certified service facilities. 
• Complete the weekly vehicle inspection to ensure safe vehicles.
• Co-Chaperone and transport students/staff on field trips related to transition readiness.
• Assist in increasing student performance in the area of IEP Goal attainment. 
• Works with individual students or small groups of students to reinforce learning of materials or skills initially introduced and outlined by certified staff.
  • Provide direct and indirect instructional support to students in a positive environment.
  • Support students with special needs in an integrated classroom setting
  • Guide students in completing rigorous quarterly independent projects that adhere to the PBL process
  • Work with students 1:1 with a focus on transition readiness at EV’s cafe (school based enterprise)
• Meet and collaborate regularly with the Special Education Team to discuss student performance and develop weekly goals.
• Assists the advisor collective in devising special strategies for reinforcing learning materials and skills based on a sympathetic understanding of individual students, their needs, interests, and abilities. 
• Maintain appropriate records of student progress and IEP minutes
• Support students in social/emotional regulation
• Performs assigned supervision of students during tests, lunch periods, wellness time, and on field trips.  
• Establish rapport and hold high expectations for dignified interactions with students, parents, staff and the community. 
• Use restorative practices to keep the school environment conducive for learning; uphold student safety and dignity.

Duty/Responsibility: Non-Instructional Tasks 

• Collaboration with Staff
  • Contribute to a culture that promotes learning and growth 
  • Actively participate in staff meetings
  • Communicate proactively and promptly with staff, make adequate preparations for time off
  • Commit to using restorative practices with other staff members
  • Maintain openness to giving and receiving feedback from the professional learning community
  • Attend overnight strategic planning week in February
• Personal Growth
  • Create and follow a professional PD plan
  • Attend at least one conference/professional development opportunity per year
  • Maintain overall healthy lifestyle (body and mind) in an effort to model a healthy lifestyle for students and to be an effective community member

• Attend community nights, parent nights,  presentation nights and specialty nights throughout the year

• Ground decision making and implementation of equity work in data and best practices for students 
• Understand that new/additional responsibilities may arise and will require willingness to collaborate
• Become familiar with and follow safety protocols and procedures.
• Assist with breakfast and lunch

Education and/or Experience

• High School Diploma or GED
• Valid drivers license, auto insurance, and clean driving record
• Special Education Program Aide License (0070) or willingness to obtain
• Transportation experience preferred

Language Skills

Ability to speak effectively to other employees of the organization. Spanish speaking is a plus.

Reasoning Ability

Ability to apply commonsense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.

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 regularly required to sit. The employee frequently is required to use hands to finger, handle, or touch objects, tools, or controls and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, and reach above shoulders. 

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.  The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. This role will be in-person, in the community, and based out of Escuela Verde located at 3628 W Pierce St, Milwaukee, WI 53215.

Equal Employment Opportunity

TransCenter for Youth (Escuela Verde) is an equal opportunity employer and believes in equal opportunity for all employees and applicants. Accordingly, all employment decisions are based on the principles of equal opportunity. These decisions include recruitment, selection, promotion, transfer, discipline, compensation, benefits, training, and other personnel actions involving persons in all job titles and shall occur without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, marital status, pregnancy (including childbirth and related conditions), age, ancestry, national origin, disability, genetic information, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender identity, arrest and conviction records, the use or nonuse of lawful products off the employers’ premises during nonwork hours, declining to attend meetings or participate in communications about religious or political matters, or any other characteristic protected by law.