Director of Out-of-District Placements, Office of Special Education; C132-2627

POSITION: Director of Out-of-District Placements, Office of Special Education

REPORTS TO: Executive Director of Special Education

POSITION SUMMARY: The Director of Out-of-District Placements is a key leadership position within the Special Education Department responsible for overseeing the district's out-of-district placement functions, a portfolio of assigned schools and programs, and services for justice-involved students, while leading the Out-of-District Specialists team. The Director ensures that students with disabilities receive appropriate, high-quality educational programming and services in accordance with IEP requirements, FAPE, LRE, and applicable state and federal requirements.

This role requires exceptional leadership, sound judgment, and creative problem-solving to address complex student needs, placement considerations, service coordination, and transitions across district and external educational settings.

The Director serves as the district's primary operational leader for out-of-district placement coordination, working with families, school teams, external schools and programs, transportation, Finance, and other district departments to ensure placements are appropriate, services are implemented, costs and logistics are monitored, and students are supported in returning to district programs when appropriate.

RESPONSIBILITIES: This position requires extensive knowledge of special education law, strong leadership abilities, excellent communication skills, and a collaborative, solutions-oriented approach to supporting students with disabilities. The Director must be able to analyze complex student needs, develop creative and compliant placement and service solutions, and coordinate effectively with families, school teams, external programs, agencies, and district departments.

• Provide supervision and leadership for out-of-district placement functions, assigned schools and programs, and services for externally placed justice-involved students, while overseeing the Out-of-District Specialists team and ensuring effective case management, appropriate placements, and continuity of educational services.
• Oversee the review, authorization, coordination, monitoring, and ongoing evaluation of out-of-district placements to ensure each placement remains appropriate to the student's IEP, educational needs, FAPE, LRE, and applicable district and regulatory requirements.
• Establish consistent case-review practices for students in external placements, including monitoring student progress, services, attendance, placement stability, and continued need for the placement, and ensure timely follow-up when concerns arise.
• Coordinate with families, district teams, external schools and programs, related service providers, transportation, and other agencies to resolve complex placement and service-delivery issues and support effective transitions into, between, and from out-of-district settings.
• Provide oversight for case management and educational continuity for justice-involved students assigned to the Director's portfolio, including coordination of records, IEP implementation, services, transitions, and re-entry planning as applicable.
• Partner with Finance, Transportation, Procurement, and Special Education leadership to monitor placement-related services, transportation requirements, contracts, and other operational considerations associated with external placements.
• Maintain productive relationships with approved external providers and communicate district expectations regarding IEP implementation, progress reporting, student safety, service delivery, documentation, and family communication.
• Partner with the Director of Accountability and Compliance to ensure accurate state and federal reporting, Child Count data, documentation, and audit readiness related to students served through out-of-district placements.
• Resolve complex and sensitive placement concerns, inquiries, and complaints through timely stakeholder communication, problem-solving, and conflict-resolution strategies, elevating matters to the Executive Director when appropriate.
• Prepare placement analyses, trend reports, recommendations, presentations, and other communications that support the Executive Director and inform district decision-making regarding external placements and specialized service needs.

• Lead continuous improvement of the district's out-of-district placement process, including referral, review, approval, monitoring, transition, and return-to-district practices.
• Supervise and engage in activities related to student eligibility, IEP development, placement determinations, service planning, and transportation as they relate to students considered for or currently served in out-of-district settings.
• Develop and support creative, individualized solutions when conventional district or external placement options do not adequately address a student's academic, behavioral, social-emotional,…