Teacher Leader Job Description

Mission of Kalmiopsis Community Arts High School

Where it’s okay to be who you are while discovering your place in the world.

KCA’s Four Guiding Principles

• Youth Leadership Grows Genuine Confidence
• Creative Expression is a Human Right
• Rural Communities Count
• Multiple Perspectives Build a Better World

About KCA

KCA is a Title I public charter high school in Three Rivers School District, Josephine County, Oregon. The school opened its doors on August 28, 2023. Student population is limited to 64 students, and our demographics are predominantly low-income with a high rate of housing insecurity. The school is free, receives funding from the Oregon Department of Education, and is subject to the same laws and requirements as other public high schools in Oregon. The school is located in Cave Junction, which is part of the rural Illinois Valley, comprising the city of Cave Junction and the smaller communities of Selma, Kerby, Takilma, and O’Brien. We collaborate with our community whenever possible. It is our priority to act with a transdisciplinary, multicultural, and socially-engaged mindset. At KCA, we have built a culture based on trust, practicing Restorative Justice in case of conflict or violation of our cooperatively determined rules. We implement punitive measures only rarely and in extreme cases. Creativity and the arts serve as the heart and foundation of our program.

Teacher Leader Job Summary

Teacher Leaders are hired and supervised by the KCA board of directors. KCA does not have a principal, which means that Teacher Leaders share all teaching and administrative roles in a non-hierarchical structure. All staff at KCA work cooperatively to run the school, provide guidance and support to one another, and support students’ academic, creative, social-emotional, and physical development. Because KCA attracts many students for whom the traditional school model has proven challenging, Teacher Leaders also have the opportunity to work one-on-one with our students to determine how they can reach graduation. Possible solutions, and thus possible responsibilities, include credit remediation during the school year and over the summer.

The 2024-2025 Academic Year is August 26-June 5. KCA’s school day runs from 8am-3:45pm daily, and we operate on a 4-day schedule along with the rest of TRSD. Our academic year is unique in the district, however, in that it begins and ends with one- to two-week experiential intensives with a third intensive between the winter and spring semesters. Intensive topics are inspired by students, and the intensives themselves are typically facilitated by guest teachers with Teacher Leader support.

Hours: Full-time (ten months per year) or part-time. We're on a block schedule with Mon-Wed classes and Tues-Thurs classes, so it is possible for part-time teachers to come in two days per week. Classes have a maximum of 16 students per grade (9th through 12th).

Primary Duties and Responsibilities: School Culture

• Create a warm, nurturing environment where students feel safe to be themselves, make mistakes, and approach their learning with processes that work for them
• Give students choices in many situations to allow them to have some control in their education and help them learn to make authentic choices
• Foster arts integration: Arts Integration is an approach to teaching and learning through which content standards are taught and assessed equitably in and through the arts. Encourage students to use the arts to apply and connect previously taught content. Align, teach, and assess both content and arts standards equitably with an eye toward growth, not mastery.
• Practice Restorative Justice: Restorative Justice is a way of responding to harm and conflict that seeks to repair harm and prevent future harm. Guide students in developing conflict-management, communication, and other social skills. Uphold a culture of trust, empathy, and accountability in which reparations are a tangible possibility.
• Build connections with families: The Illinois Valley is a small, low-income community with limited resources, and families may seek your support with both social/emotional and practical concerns. A listening ear and empathetic approach are crucial to aligning Teacher Leaders with KCA’s mission.
• Help all students develop a toolkit to transition from studenthood to . . . the world: Self-reflection, Mindfulness, Critical thinking, Persistence, Self-efficacy, Autonomy, Taking responsible risks, Following their creativity

Primary Duties and Responsibilities: Teaching

Prior to the start of the school year:

• Connect with fellow staff members through team meetings and staff socials
• Attend and contribute to weekly staff meetings
• Prepare the classroom in mid-August (two weeks prior to start of upcoming school year) for the first day of school
• Develop curriculum for a variety of learning styles, including the purchase and creation of curriculum materials that emphasize creative, thematic-based learning

During the school year:

• Support intensive development and facilitation, including acting as Teacher of Record
• Share opening the school, closing the school, and lunch duty with other TLs
• Use classroom observation and student input to develop lessons and assignments based on student interests. Whenever possible, assignments should include an arts-based component
• Collaborate with community volunteers, including those who teach the arts or special skills
• Share and maintain an organized classroom space
• Craft a stimulating classroom environment that fosters teamwork, cooperation, and peer-to-peer sharing/learning
• Conduct parent-teacher conferences twice annually. For fall and spring conferences, assign grades and write individual narratives addressing both qualitative and quantitative conclusions
• Attend and contribute to weekly staff meetings

After the conclusion of the school year:

• Clean, reorganize, and pack the classroom at the end of the school year in June
• Attend and contribute to weekly staff meetings
• Act as Teacher of Record for summer school class(es) (to be negotiated cooperatively during hiring)

Primary Duties and Responsibilities: Administration

Allocation of FTE between administrative and teaching duties will depend on both your experience/interests and KCA’s budget. Administrative responsibilities prior to and after the school year will be negotiated cooperatively with you during the hiring process and included in your individual contract.

During the school year:

• Advising: Social-emotional counseling and guidance with both the student and their family; four-year academic planning to prepare students for graduation; college and career preparation; option to attend meetings for your advisees who have an IEP or 504 or who qualify for McKinney-Vento, Multilanguage Learner, Migrant, Accelerated Learning, Indian Education Program, and/or other services. Collaborating with the Teacher Leader who coordinates the plan/services in question.
• Hiring adjunct teachers and support staff
• Professional development: Arts integration; bi-annual first aid/CPR certification; ACEs (available through SOESD); ALICE/Active Shooter training; Annual Safe Schools training (self-paced, online through TRSD)

Benefits of Being a Teacher Leader at KCA

• The non-hierarchical organizational structure creates an environment of collaboration, collective decision-making, and mutual respect. We love to play to people’s strengths!
• A free, healthy breakfast and lunch are provided to all students and staff; our chef can accommodate most dietary restrictions.
• Fine, performing, and literary arts are everywhere! Most intensives are arts-based, creative classes are offered each semester, and teachers are encouraged to develop and/or curate an arts-integrated curriculum.
• Teachers have the freedom to incorporate learning standards in creative ways and can make learning interactive and fun.
• Our small student population of 16 students per grade, multigrade classes, prioritization of social-emotional development, inclusion of students in decision-making when possible, operation on a first-name basis, and restorative justice methods of conflict resolution help make KCA feel like a “second family.”
• You would help shape the structure and culture of a new school that provides an alternative option to students who are otherwise likely to slip through the cracks.

Challenges of Being a Teacher Leader at KCA

• As an intentionally small school with a budget dependent on enrollment, KCA will always operate with a frugal budget. Therefore, Teacher Leaders’ salaries are lower than that of other public school teachers; for the 2024-2025 school year, a first-year Teacher Leader will earn $38,337.80, which is considerably less than other first-year teachers in the district.
• Working without a principal brings a fair amount of professional autonomy, yet entails more work than a traditional teaching position.
• As a new school, there is sometimes a sense of “creative chaos”: not all administrative systems are in place, and existing systems are subject to revision. Teacher Leaders, with support from other staff, are responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining the systems in addition to teaching – you can’t hide in your classroom! The ideal candidate would appreciate this aspect of the position as both a benefit and a challenge.

‍Compensation

First-year compensation for 2024-2025 is TBD but estimated at a rate of $40,000 for 10 months, with 3.4% step and 2% cost of living increases. Teachers can choose pay over 10 or 12 months, paid monthly.

‍‍Benefits

Four personal days and ten sick days per year; free Employee Assistance Program (EAP); Professional development funds (conference fees, airfare, lodging, per-diem) for one national conference annually (grant-funded, may change for 2026-27); Staff at 0.75 FTE or greater qualify for the following through Oregon Educators Benefits Board: medical, dental, vision, long-term disability, and $15,000 life insurance; Staff working 600 hours or more per year qualify for retirement through Oregon PERS (KCA picks up 6% Employee Contribution).

Qualifications

Specialized Knowledge and Certification: It is vital to have an appreciation of adolescents. Knowledge of or a strong desire to have knowledge of the Illinois Valley bioregion of Southern Oregon is highly desirable. A current teaching credential and experience teaching adolescents is desirable; however, life experience, curiosity, patience, good humor, and adventurousness are also valuable traits in a candidate.

Skills: Patience, perspective, a sense of humor, a curiosity for learning and especially learning in the natural world; the ability to often let children take the lead in learning situations; the ability to understand the learning potential of making mistakes; the ability to remain calm in stressful situations; the ability to keep a careful eye on students’ safety; the ability to arrive to work on time and complete or exceed all requirements; the ability to focus on solutions to problems rather than dwell on complaints; the ability and desire to be honest and tactful in communicating with other people (of all ages); the ability and desire to understand students’ educational and personal backgrounds and stages of adolescent development; the ability and desire to respond with empathy, listening skills, and also firm boundaries when needed; the ability to operate cooperatively in a non-hierarchical structure. Experience in finance, safety, facilities, and/or board representation would be extremely welcome, although we are also happy to train. Enthusiasm for using arts-integrated curriculum and a restorative justice approach to conflict are essential.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

Candidates of all physical abilities are encouraged to apply, as we would cooperatively create solutions that provide reasonable accommodations. The school has four classrooms, all of which are managed by the current four Teacher Leaders. Unfortunately, incoming Teacher Leader(s) will need to use other Teacher Leaders’ classrooms for the foreseeable future, although we hope to expand the number of classrooms in the future. The school also has a kitchen, dining room, student hang-out area, teachers’ lounge (“The Staff Cave”), black box theater, and fenced yard.

Non-Discrimination

Kalmiopsis Community Arts High School is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, or any other reason or category protected by state or federal law.