Director of Online Learning

Description

The Vacancy – Director of Online Learning

The Richland School District is seeking an innovative and transformative leader to provide direction and leadership for the District’s comprehensive instructional technology plan. The Director will be responsible for development, oversight, and evaluation of the District’s instructional technology plan and accompanying multi-million dollar budget. The Director will work with District leaders and building principals to increase District wide instructional innovation, knowledge base, and skills in the appropriate integration of instructional technology to leverage high quality instruction for all children.  

The Director will provide leadership to increase student agency through personalized learning and project based learning, and will help the District move students from being consumers of digital content to being creators of such content. The Director will also lead the District in the implementation and oversight of a District’s newly adopted digital citizenship curriculum. Further, as the District responds to the COVID-19 pandemic with an increased focus on remote/online learning, the Director will provide leadership and oversight to this critical new approach to student learning.

The District is looking for an energetic and experienced instructional leader who is either already strong in instructional technology, or who has proven to be a quick learner able to apply new knowledge to novel contexts.  This is a ‘leader of leaders’ position; able to move the District through collaboration. The Director must be able to jump in quickly, create and sustain momentum, and strengthen systems already in place while growing and expanding the understanding and commitment among building and District leaders.

This Director must be a strong communicator in a myriad of media, be extremely well-organized, and have a clear vision for the direction of instructional technology and innovation in our District. The Director will also have experience and skill managing large budgets and directing and evaluating staff.

The District

Richland School District encompasses the cities of Richland and West Richland. The District includes ten elementary schools, four middle schools, two senior high schools, an alternative school with grades nine through twelve, and a home school partnership program.  The District also is a partner in a regional STEM high school based in Pasco and a regional Skills Center in Kennewick.

The District receives strong support from the community with a strong history of support for levies, bonds, and programs. Nearly 14,000 students attend schools in the Richland School District. We employ approximately 2000 staff across a wide range of positions and are proud of our staff’s ability to provide a quality educational experience for students.

Qualifications

Education/Certification/Experience

• Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership, Curriculum & Instruction, or Educational Technology required

• Valid Washington State Administrative Credential (or ability to obtain one within two (2) years of hire) required.

• Successful experience as a building and/or District level administrator strongly preferred.

• Successful experience utilizing, designing, training, and/or leading instructional technology initiative(s) preferred.

• Specific experience with implementing and troubleshooting the application “Canvas” strongly preferred.

 Primary Duties & Responsibilities

1. Collaborate with the Deputy & Assistant Superintendents, the Executive Director of Teaching and Learning, the Executive Director of Information Technology, District and building leaders, and District instructional coaches to develop and implement the District’s vision for integrating technology into student learning experiences.

2. Oversee the District’s short-term and long-term plans for at-home learning, including appropriate staff professional development, if onsite schooling is interrupted due to pandemic or another emergency.

3. Oversee the District’s development and maintenance of the “Virtual Learning Academy”, which may include district-developed curriculum, implementation of vendor product(s), or a hybrid of both.

4. Maintain a current understanding of emergent technologies, instructional initiatives, classroom applications, and remote/online resources in order to leverage technology to support student learning.

5. Plan, administer, direct, and evaluate the effectiveness of the District’s instructional technology implementation and programming.

6. Be a resource to support building leaders in the implementation of the District’s comprehensive instructional innovation plan using the ISTE standards.  

7. Provide support to the District’s Alternative Learning Experience (ALE) programs use of virtual learning options, including enhancements to current option(s).

8. Manage the District’s Canvas offerings and provide front-line tech support for Canvas issues.

9. Create proposals for the development and revision of policies pertaining to instructional technology and digital citizenship.

10. Develop, communicate, and oversee a process for evaluating learning platforms, applications, and programs that promote a shift from content coverage to content creation.    

11. Ensure compliance with state and federal regulations.

12. Prepare and deliver reports to the Executive Cabinet and/or Board of Directors.

13. Lead the development and implementation of a comprehensive K - 12 grade computer coding program that supports state technology learning standards.  

14. Develop and implement ongoing and differentiated professional development for staff and administration that promotes innovative integration of technology, personalized learning, and student agency for students.

15. Develop, and reorganize as necessary, an effective departmental organizational chart that maximizes the use of staff for the most impact on student learning and staff support.

16. Communicate progress in all aspects of instructional technology to all stakeholders, including the School Board, families, District staff, and the public.

17. Prepare grant applications as appropriate to meet departmental needs.

18. Collaborate with building principals to support building-specific communication with families regarding their student’s devices and accompanying platforms, and how these will be used in the education of their child.

19. Create and post documents, videos, and resources to support the implementation of digital devices across the District and that support students and families.  Examples might be: digital conversion guide, parent handbook, FAQs, ‘how to’ videos, podcasts, etc.

20. Create and implement a ‘branding’ campaign to highlight District work and accomplishments in the area of innovation, instructional technology, and student agency.

21. Provide support input to labor relations and collective bargaining as it relates to instructional technology.

22. Perform other duties as assigned by the Superintendent and/or supervisor.

This job description is not intended to capture all of the responsibilities of this position. As a part of the administrative team, the successful candidate will be expected to work collaboratively with administrative colleagues on whatever job-related tasks are necessary. Other duties besides what are codified in this document can and will be assigned.

Contract

Contract: 260 days starting on July 1^st annually.

Salary: $125,802 - $143,364 + 4.2% Regionalization Stipend. (Projected for 2020-2021 contract year)

All salaries DOE and applied consistent with agreement.

FLSA: Exempt

Reports to: Deputy Superintendent of Instruction

Approximate Timeline (Subject to Change)

May 7, 2020                             Position Posted

June 5, 2020, 5:00 PM PDT       Deadline for Initial Screening

Week of June 8, 2020               On-line Interview, Round One

Week of June 15, 2020             On-line Interview, Finalists

Week of June 22, 2020             Selection of Candidate

This hiring process will be led by Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Tony Howard. Interviews will be conducted remotely using “Zoom” technology. For questions about this position and/or the application process please contact Mr. Howard at (509) 967-6010 or tony.howard@rsd.edu.

The Richland School District complies with all federal and state laws and regulations and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, or ancestry, the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability or use of a trained guide dog or service animal by a person with a disability, age, familial or marital status, honorably discharged veteran or military status. This applies to all educational programs, extra-curricular activities, and employment.

Candidates claiming Veterans’ Preference should contact Tony Howard, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources (tony.howard@rsd.edu) prior to the deadline for initial screening. Inquiries regarding the application of Title IX may be sent to Todd Baddley, Assistant Superintendent (todd.baddley@rsd.edu), and inquiries regarding Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (concerning students with disabilities who are not eligible for special education) may be directed to Brian Moore, Assistant Superintendent (brian.moore@rsd.edu). Inquiries regarding accommodations for disabled employees and the public should be directed to Mr. Howard in Human Resources. These individuals may be contacted by mail at 615 Snow Avenue, Richland, WA 99352, by e-mail as noted above, or by phone at 509-967-6000.