Mary McDowell Friends School is a K-12 college preparatory program dedicated to the success of students with learning disabilities. Grounded in the Quaker values of equality, integrity, and social responsibility, we cultivate a diverse community in which each student can reach his or her full potential. Our specialized teaching methodologies and challenging curricula empower students to become academic achievers, creative thinkers, and contributing members of a global society.

Mary McDowell Friends School (MMFS) is seeking a Lower School Administrator & Liaison to the DOE for the 2023-2024 school year. This position reports to the  Lower School Directors.

Job Function and Scope:

The LS Administrator is a full-time position. The goals are;

• To oversee the efficient and effective management of the division’s administrative functions, focusing on assisting the division directors and communicating with parents.
• To expedite communication and documentation between the school, families, legal representatives and the DOE, in support of the CSE and OPT processes.

Responsibilities and Duties:

LS Administrator

Faculty/Families:

• Support the Lower School Co-Directors in the daily operation of the division.
• Demonstrate a positive and welcoming demeanor to the MMFS Community.
• Support arrival/dismissal duty when needed.
• Supervise Lower School afternoon receptionist.
• Serve as the Lower administrative liaison to other MMFS divisions/offices.
• Arrange the ordering, delivery, and set-up of meals, refreshments, and snacks for regular faculty meetings and events.
• Coordinate the selection, purchase, and distribution of faculty gifts on behalf of the division directors.
• Manage receipts and reconcile expense reports for division directors.
• Coordinate lunch duty coverage for absent teachers.
• Update and maintain the school information database.
• Support families, students, faculty and staff as needed for information, guidance, and assistance throughout the day.
• Periodically observe students and teachers in the classroom.
• Create various schedules: arrival duty, administrator on duty, healthy choice rotations, etc.
• Organize and create club schedules, rotations and groupings.
• On behalf of the division directors oversee the hiring process of new faculty- communicate with candidates, set up interviews, create visitor day schedules, coordinate teacher and administrator interviews of candidates. Collect interview checklists and follow-up with candidates.
• Create report templates, schedules, tracking system and collation process for twice annual reports writing.

Communication:

• Communicate school information and updates to parents via weekly newsletter.
• Manage and maintain the division’s calendar of events.
• Manage and coordinate field trips, ie: permission slips, reservations, payments.
• Coordinate and schedule twice annual Parent/Teacher Conferences.
• Provide Development Office with weekly division updates for the weekly e-news.

Liaison to the DOE

CSE:

• Provide support and guidance to parents regarding CSE related issues.
• Work with the CSE to create a student observation schedule for all LS, MS and US students.
• Coordinate and provide the CSE with teacher availability schedules for all LS, MS and US student reviews.
• Inform CSE of scheduling conflicts based on the school calendar and events as they develop.
• Coordinate the delivery of student reports to CSE.
• Provide student and school documentation to CSE as needed.
• Send monthly attendance reports to lawyers.
• Prepare documentation for subpoenas.
• Provide student and school documentation to lawyers in preparation for impartial hearings.
• Coordinate MMFS witnesses for impartial hearings.
• Maintain detailed records on CSE Observations, CSE Reviews, and Impartial Hearings.

OPT:

• Coordinate and process student transportation requests and assignments between families, CSE, OPT, bus companies and the school.
• Maintain student transportation database, including OPT busing assignments and schedule, as well as transportation alternatives.
• Maintain records on and distribute OPT-issued student MetroCards.
• Maintain school schedule needs and student records within the OPT database.
• Resolve transportation conflicts as they occur; communicate service needs with bus companies; support parent inquiries.

Supervisory Responsibilities

This position manages three direct reports (administrative assistants & mail clerk) at the Lower School.

• Ensure the front desk has coverage and support when needed
• Oversee purchasing
• Review and approve timecards
• Support onboarding and any necessary training

 Mail Clerk Supervision:

• Ensure there is a daily inter-office mail run performed by the Mail Clerk to all three school locations.
• Track and approve the weekly hours of the Mail Clerk on Paylocity.
• Ensure that the Mail Clerk is able to perform her/his mail run in a timely and accurate manner.
• If the Mail Clerk is unable to perform her/his mail run on any given day, you are responsible for finding an appropriate alternative to ensure the mail run continues.
• Consults with and periodically meets with the state-appointed liaison for the Mail Clerk.
• Mediates any conflicts that may arise with the Mail Clerk and her/his ability to do her/his job in a safe and timely manner.
• Coordinates and manages the Mail Clerk in any additional jobs or tasks that the Mail Clerk may perform throughout the year.

Competencies:

• Strategic thinker & creative problem solver
• Effective planning, prioritization, and organization skills
• Excellent written and oral communication
• Service-oriented, patient, and diplomatic management style
• Can motivate and build trust within teams
• Keen emotional intelligence

Diversity and Equity Commitments:

• Understand and participate in all school-wide diversity and equity initiatives.
• Examine teaching practice through the lens of race, identity, equity, and privilege.
• Develop a curriculum that provides students with an opportunity to recognize their many identities.

In compliance with NYC’s Pay Transparency Act, the annual base salary range for this position is $58,500 – 70,000. Mary McDowell Friends School considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, essential skills, internal peer equity, and market and organizational considerations when extending an offer.

Work Environment & Physical Demands

This job operates in a professional office environment within a school building. The ability to open filing cabinets and bend, sit, or stand for long periods, as necessary. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets, and fax machines. The physical demands described here represent those that an employee must meet to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

This is a full-time, twelve-month administrative position. Days and hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with a half-hour paid lunch. Evening and weekend work for special events is required as job duties demand and will be scheduled in advance.

Travel

Up to 5% of travel required to other divisions for meetings.

 Required Education & Experience

• College degree or equivalent experience
• 5+ years of experience professional environment supporting senior management; supervisory experience a plus
• Intermediate experience with Google Suite of products (Gmail, docs, sheets, calendar, etc.)
• Intermediate experience with a CRM or similar database; Veracross experience a plus
• Ability to handle a high-pressure and high-volume workload
• Ability to work cooperatively and collaboratively with all levels of employees, management, and external agencies to maximize performance, problem-solving and achieve results
• Aptitude to grasp complex tasks and carry out directions independently
• Grit, personal responsibility, and a commitment to continual professional growth

Preferred Education & Experience

• Experience in education administration, special education, private sector, or independent school system a plus