Job Description

Overview

Liberty STEAM Charter, a tuition-free, open-enrollment public charter school to be located in Sumter, South Carolina, will open in the Fall of 2021 initially serving 144 scholars in kindergarten and first grade. Authorized by the SC Public Charter School District in April 2020, LSC is the first-ever of its existence in the community and will serve scholars in grades K-12 across four academies at its build-out with grade levels being phased in overtime to ensure quality educational programming is offered to all enrolled scholars. You can view our entire charter application by clicking here.

This is a unique opportunity to open a school that will offer its founding staff autonomy and leadership opportunities. Although the school is still very early in the pre-planning launch phase, the vision and mission of the school is predicated upon a general theory of action that has been well-communicated by early supporters who believe if a school existed which emphasized a focus on STEAM career fields through project-based learning and personalized learning, seeking to provide scholars with a blend of rigorous & relevant academic and workplace learning experiences, then its graduates will leave with the competencies necessary to be successful in college or career. 

As such, the school will eventually serve as the cradle-to-college/workforce pipeline in the Sumter community and become an integral part of a holistic revitalization approach. The school is currently governed by a nine-member Founding Board of Directors and currently employs a leadership team of three individuals. The school site that will house the Primary Academy is located at 15 School Street in South Sumter and is currently undergoing renovation with a scheduled completion date of June 1. By leveraging innovative practices common to some of the state and nation’s top-performing public schools, the proposed charter school is ready to shatter the opportunity gap for all scholars. In addition to a project-based learning approach with an integration of the STEAM curriculum, scholars will be provided with a strong foundation in literacy to help define and achieve their dreams. You can read our Founding Executive Director's 90-Day Report by clicking here.

Assembling a World-Class Faculty & Staff to Deliver on our Promise of Excellence for all Scholars

The founding faculty and staff at LSC will be champions who believe all scholars are capable of greatness and achievement far beyond what society has been conditioned to accept. If you have what it takes, then keep reading. You will be demanders of excellence for yourself and your scholars, encouraging and accepting nothing less than scholars’ best and most thoughtful work.

You are already a passionate learner who is hungry for professional development and thrives on feedback. Here, you will cultivate classroom cultures built on strong structures, communication and lasting relationships. You will be part of a powerful team that is all aligned around the same goals. Every day, your hard work will prepare scholars who will go on to become graduates who will be thoughtful and engaged citizens prepared to take on the leadership challenges of the 21st century. And you’ll grow. Your growth matters to us. Because doing what’s best for kids means doing what’s best for teachers, too.

This is a full-time position located in Sumter, South Carolina. 

Description of Sumter

Known as the Gamecock City, Sumter lies near the geographic center of South Carolina. Nearly 108,000 people call Sumter their home. Sumter offers a highly diversified industrial structure and is famed for its lovely gardens and charming residential neighborhoods. Part of the well-known Santee-Cooper Lakes region, Sumter is renowned for hunting, fishing, water sports, and golf. Located between two great vacation centers, Sumter is 100 miles west of Myrtle Beach’s Grand Strand and 175 miles east of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Columbia, the state capital, lies 44 miles to the west, and the major port city of Charleston is 99 miles south. Sumter is proud to be the home of Shaw Air Force Base and the Third Army, which are integral parts of our community. Sumter has become increasingly known for textiles, manufacturing, biotech industries, a thriving retail environment, and medical center of its region in addition to agricultural products, which makes it a hub for business in the east-central portion of South Carolina.

The Challenge

Sumter is not immune to the issue that has plagued rural communities of the Palmetto State and indeed the nation for the last several years – the local public school system is not producing enough graduates prepared to enter a rapidly changing skills-based economy. Make no mistake about it: Sumter is at an important crossroads and bold, dynamic innovation is a must if our community is to move forward and increase its global competitiveness. A 21st-century education system must be centered around preparing our young people to participate in an ever-changing economy. Early backers of the school’s concept strongly believe that when kids leave school with an industry-recognized credential or some kind of skill, trade, or even a degree, they are able to take those high-wage, high-demand jobs that we desperately need to fill locally in order to further grow our Sumter economy.

Solution

The creation and establishment of LSC, a public charter school in Sumter (South Carolina) focused on STEAM career fields through project-based learning supported by industry is the way forward.

MISSION: LSC will work to provide all scholars with equal access to a world-class K-12 education in an academically rigorous and scholar-centered learning environment, creating graduates who will be thoughtful and engaged citizens prepared to take on the leadership challenges of the 21st century.

VISION: In partnership with our families and the community, our vision is to provide real-world interdisciplinary, personalized, and project-based learning experiences through a STEAM-based academic program where graduates become the next generation of leaders, employers, and employees who contribute to the economic well-being of their communities and families.

Multiple career pathways will be offered to scholars to include industrial & engineering technology, health sciences, computer technology, and early college.  The school holds a deep commitment to cultivating an inclusive & supportive community where everyone is focused on learning. The establishment of the charter school could be one part of a holistic approach to help lead a renaissance in the Sumter community and will encourage further growth, hope, and a sense of pride while being a launching pad for better education opportunities in our community. Thus, the charter school will essentially serve as a key lever for holistic neighborhood revitalization by helping to close the opportunity gap in building a strong, economically diverse Sumter community.

Our community leaders believe this will positively impact local education as a whole and also, more importantly, encourage further development throughout our community, improve the quality of life, and be a mechanism to recruit new families to Sumter while providing a world-class education system for those that already call Sumter home. The founding committee is deeply intrigued with the East Lake model in Georgia, focusing on the academic achievement and growth at Charles R. Drew Charter School. Charter schools like Drew, with a clear purpose, have shown positive and profound effects on the community while improving the quality of life and education opportunities for its residents. 

FOUNDING LEAD SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER FOR THE PRIMARY ACADEMY TEACHER

We believe in the fierce urgency of now. In our classrooms, our scholars benefit from high-quality, rigorous, and engaging instruction infused with a contagious enthusiasm for content and learning. Our scholars know they can and will achieve, and every day we work to provide them with opportunities for deep intellectual engagement across all subjects and content areas. Our scholars will graduate to be thoughtful and engaged citizens prepared to take on the leadership challenges of the 21st century. Our scholars will change the world.

BEING A PART OF THE FOUNDING TEAM OF TEACHERS OPENING LSC'S PRIMARY ACADEMY IS AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY, BUT WILL BE HARD WORK DAY IN AND OUT! EACH LEAD PRIMARY TEACHER WILL SUPERVISE A TEACHING FELLOW IN THE CLASSROOM - A SECOND TEACHER WHO FUNCTIONS AS A CO-TEACHER.

Teaching at LSC is an ideal position for an educator who possesses the necessary knowledge, skills, and mindsets that will allow our scholars to achieve off-the-chart results. The ideal candidate is especially committed to serving low SES and minority scholars, self-reflective, data-driven, results-oriented, mission-focused, open to and actively seeks constructive feedback, and is tenacious about scholar college & career readiness. LSC educators have a deep passion for instruction and are eager to gain rigorous development to help perfect their craft. In addition to participating in weekly professional development and team planning meetings, teachers receive consistent high-impact coaching and feedback from the Executive Director and Academy Director. Liberty STEAM Charter is committed to recruiting, developing, and retaining excellent teachers. Our scholars will change the world. Click here to view a Profile of the LSC Teacher. You can also listen to a short clip of what a day in the life of an LSC teacher sounds like by clicking here.

Responsibilities of LSC’s lead teachers include the following but are not limited to:

Outstanding Academic Achievement & Character Development

• ​Create a positive, achievement-oriented, and structured learning environment that excites and invests scholars.
• Motivate scholars to realize high academic and behavioral standards.
• Build a classroom community by investing families in children’s academic success and development of REACH values (REACH stands for Respect, Enthusiasm, Achievement, Citizenship, and Hard work).
• Utilize data from Liberty STEAM Charter’s interim assessments to drive instruction and intervention.
• Serve as “owner” of all special education-related services, including writing and implementing rigorous, standards-driven Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), managing legal documents and files related to scholars’ IEPs and 504 plans, liaising with external service providers, ensuring all services are in compliance with mandates and coordinating annual IEP review process.
• Hold all scholars accountable during transitions, meals, trips, and school events.
• Exemplify LSC’s core values in all interactions with scholars, families, and colleagues.

Professional Learning, Development, and Growth

• Collaborate with the Executive Director, Academy Director, and grade-level chairs to improve instructional, culture-building, and leadership skills.
• Attend all professional development, team planning, and data analysis meetings.
• Participate enthusiastically in structured and informal learning and development opportunities.

Core Knowledge

• Mastery of pedagogy & content knowledge (measurable success from a previous role).
• Supporting low-level readers.
• Familiarity with the IEP process and Enrich computer program

Core Skills

• Strong instructional and classroom management skills.
• High level of personal organization and planning.
• Relationship builder (scholars, families, & colleagues).
• Data-riven & results-oriented.
• Culturally responsive pedagogy.
• Differentiation with instruction.
• Team player: maturity, humility, strong work ethic, follow-through, sense of humor, enthusiasm, and a “roll-up-my-sleeves” attitude.
• Ability to juggle multiple tasks and initiatives at once.
• Strong belief in the LSC mission and educational model to include a longer school day, longer school year, and personalized professional development.

Core Mindsets

• Belief in and commitment to the mission & core values of LSC.
• Growth mindset.
• Self-Reflective.
• Passion for serving low SES and minority scholars.
• All scholars can achieve at high levels.
• Openness to giving and receiving frequent, constructive feedback.
• A deep belief in diversity, equity, and inclusiveness.
• Collaboration makes us stronger.

Educational Background and Work Experience

• Two years of special education teaching experience preferred with a proven record of high scholar achievement.
• Bachelor’s degree with a GPA of at least 3.0 from a competitive college or university; Master’s degree preferred.
• South Carolina certification in multicategorical special education OR in the process of obtaining a certification. Valid out-of-state certification is also acceptable.
  • If you are not yet certified, you may learn more about the process by clicking here.

Compensation

The starting salary for all teachers at LSC is $40K, with the potential for a first-year teacher to earn up to a total compensation package of $50K with performance pay, perfect attendance, and additional work stipends. The salary for this position is very competitive and commensurate with experience. Additionally, Liberty STEAM Charter offers a comprehensive benefits package to include health, dental, vision, life insurance, and 401k options. Learn more about our unique employee benefits by clicking here.

To Learn More About Liberty STEAM Charter

Please visit the website by clicking here to learn more about the story, mission, and model of Liberty STEAM Charter. Liberty STEAM Charter is an equal opportunity employer and an organization that values diversity. People from all diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.

Use Your Talents and Passion to Help Deliver Life-Changing Opportunities for Kids…Apply Today

Want to attend a virtual informational session to learn more from a school founder? Click here to RSVP and receive the Zoom link for an upcoming session.

Interested applicants should apply directly to the job posting via Jazz HR. Candidates who apply can expect the following recruitment flow: candidate application, video screening, phone interview, and a final interview with school leaders.   

Our priority recruitment window concludes December 21, which is when LSC will begin observing the Winter Holidays. A tentative timeline is provided below. Please allow us a bit of flexibility on these dates as they are only meant to serve as an ideal overview & keep you as informed as possible about where we are headed and what you can expect from us.

• Priority Application Window #1: November 20-December 6
• Priority Application Window #2: December 7-18
• Offers Made: On a Rolling Basis (Pending Reference Checks)

*Please note LSC's offices will be closed November 23-27 and December 21-January 1.

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