[2024 – 2025] KIPP Academy Charlotte Speech Language Pathologist (grades 5 – 8, $75k – $90k)

Teaching is the absolute hardest profession in the world and it is going to take incredible leadership to successfully turn around KIPP Durham Middle School to realize our students’ limitless potential.  We are assembling a dream team of 14 exceptional educators with extraordinary skill, and the passion to make change in the lives of students and their communities.   With salaries ranging from $70k – $100k+  KIPP Durham Middle School staff will be the highest paid educators in the state of North Carolina.  If you have what it takes and are ready for the challenge, we want to recognize the expertise and commitment to excellence you bring to the table.

Through “refounding” KIPP Durham Middle School, our dream team will gain unique professional experiences and career advancement in building a school from the ground up – preparing them for leadership in the education industry and beyond.  

The exceptional educators we’re looking to join the KIPP Durham Middle School team will be master educators who have track records of affecting rapid, dramatic student learning improvements for students. While we founded the school in 2015, we are treating 2024-25 as a re-founding school year, an endeavor that requires a staff with a founder’s mentality around doing what it takes, making it happen, sweating the small stuff, and creating a reimagined reality for our students.

CRUCIAL COMPETENCIES

Our “re-founding” classroom teachers will blow the following four crucial competencies* out of the water:

Driving for Results: Our teachers will have personal accountability to achieve outstanding  academic results and the task-oriented actions required for success. Our teachers will set high goals for themselves and their students, making persistent, well-planned efforts to achieve these goals despite barriers and resistance; holding others accountable for doing their part to achieve results; and putting in all the extra effort necessary to ensure success. 

Influencing for Results: Our teachers will motivate others—students, colleagues, and families—and influence their thinking and behavior to obtain outstanding  academic results and classroom culture. Our teachers will understand that they cannot accomplish change alone, but instead must influence the work of others. They will use a variety of influencing moves—inspiring students, nurturing ridiculously joyful AND rigorous classroom and schoolwide cultures, responding to unspoken student needs and motivations, and simultaneously supporting and inspiring colleagues to collaborate on the path to schoolwide success—as the situation requires. 

Problem-Solving: Our teachers will be LASER FOCUSED on planning, organizing, and delivering high quality Tier 1 instruction, and they will continually analyze data to determine student learning needs and next steps for intervention blocks during the day.

Personal Effectiveness: Our teachers will exhibit flexibility and optimism when faced with stressful, uncomfortable, and unfamiliar situations; maintain confidence in themselves and a willingness to keep improving despite the many challenges of their role; actively embrace the constant changes needed to ensure student learning in high-challenge situations; and hold and maintain a strong belief in the human potential for learning and improvement, despite significant societal pressures to settle for less. Our teachers will see themselves as not just a classroom teacher, but a SCHOOLWIDE teacher oriented around solutions and being proactive in their engagements. 

Job Overview:

We are seeking a dedicated and compassionate Speech-Language Pathologist to serve as a member of our school team and support the speech/language/communication needs of students with disabilities. As an integral part of the Exceptional Children Team, the Speech Language Pathologist will provide specially designed instruction within a whole group, small group, or 1:1 school setting to address the diverse needs of students in alignment with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). The ideal candidate will have a strong commitment to helping all students reach their full potential through the provision of high-quality speech and language support as a primary or related service and collaborating with educators, parents, and other professionals. Additionally, this candidate will maintain confidentiality and comply with all federal, state, and local laws, regulations, guidelines, and procedures related to KIPP NC’s Exceptional Children Program.

Key Responsibilities:

• Assessment and Diagnosis:

  • Conduct comprehensive assessments to identify students with speech, language, voice, and fluency disorders.

  • Interpret assessment results and develop individualized treatment plans tailored to each student’s needs.

• Intervention and Therapy:

  • Provide individual and group therapy sessions to address identified speech and language disorders.

  • Utilize evidence-based practices to design and implement intervention strategies.

  • Monitor and document student progress and adjust treatment plans as necessary.

  • Actively participate on the school-based MTSS team. 

  • Provide hearing and speech screenings as an early intervention. 

• Collaboration and Consultation:

  • Work closely with teachers, parents, and other school staff to integrate speech and language goals into the classroom environment.

  • Provide training and resources to educators and parents to support students’ communication needs.

  • Participate in Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings and contribute to the development of IEP goals and objectives.

• Compliance and Documentation:

  • Maintain accurate and confidential records of student evaluations, treatment plans, and progress reports.

  • Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations regarding speech and language services in schools.

  • Stay updated with best practices, new research, and continuing education requirements for speech-language pathology.

  • Function as the IEP case manager for all speech only students. 

  • Participate as a member of the IEP team for students who receive speech as a related service 

• Advocacy and Support:

  • Advocate for students’ needs and rights within the school system.

  • Provide emotional and motivational support to students, fostering a positive and inclusive learning environment.

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from an accredited program.

• Active North Carolina state licensure as a Speech-Language Pathologist.

• Strong understanding of special education laws and regulations, including IDEA

• Working knowledge of ECATS and other state reporting platforms for Exceptional Children

• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills.

• Ability to work collaboratively with a diverse group of students, staff, and parents.

• A deep commitment to the mission of KIPP NC and an unwavering belief in the potential of all our students

• An unwavering commitment to anti-racism, equity, inclusion, and liberation

• A deep commitment to both racial equity and improving the lives of kids from economically marginalized communities

• Pass a criminal background check

Preferred Qualifications:

• Previous experience in a K – 8 school setting – preferably Title I serving Black and Brown students.

• Fluently speaks Spanish

Additional Notes

• Hours are Monday-Friday, 7:30AM – 3:45PM Monday, Thursday, and Friday; 7:30 AM – 5:00PM Tuesday & Wednesday (these are work hours for teachers, not school hours for students)

• You will have an office and also provide services in the resource model, using common spaces for therapy with small group and individuals

• This role is a 10 month role and run from the beginning of August to mid – June

Total Benefits

The Speech-Language Pathologist salary range is from $75k – $90k and is based on years of relevant experience, educational attainment, and any additional endorsements or certifications on top of what’s required for the role.

In addition, all KIPP NC employees receive:

• Opportunity to earn supplements for a relevant PhD, additional licensure endorsements, National Board Certification, and teaching in high needs areas (these supplements are in perpetuity and in addition to base salary)

• Health Insurance: Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina with no premiums for individuals and deep discounts for spouses, dependents, and families

• Paid Parental Leave: 8 weeks of 100% paid maternity leave and 4 weeks of 100% paid paternity leave

• Paid Time Off + Sick Leave: 5 days of PTO and 6 sick days every year

• Retirement: An optional 403b with a generous employer match with immediate vesting