Special Education Aide and Specialized Transportation Driver TransCenter Youth

STATUS:
Full-time, Non-exempt, Academic Year plus (208 days)

SALARY:
Base amount $30,590 plus benefits, higher based on experience and qualifications

LOCATION:

Milwaukee, WI

REPORTS TO:
Special Education Director and Collaborative Leaders

Escuela Verde, part of the Trans Center for Youth network of schools, cultivates a community that is participatory, just, sustainable and peaceful. We live our vision through:

• Graduating high school students prepared to live happy, healthy, meaningful lives;
• Collaborating with the community to create a strong sense of place and skills to flourish without harm;
• Providing staff who model our vision and embrace education as liberation;
• Engaging youth by adhering to an ecopedagogical praxis;
• Developing biliteracy and honoring linguistic and cultural identities by engaging in translanguaging practices;
• Offering immersion opportunities for those interested in transformative education.

Position Summary

Under the direction of the Director of Special Education, the SPED Aide and Specialized Transportation Driver operates the school van to provide safe pick-up and drop-off for students requiring door-to-school services in their IEPs, while also serving as a driver and chaperone for transition-related experiences. A primary focus of this role is fostering transition readiness skills by working predominantly in the student-run cafe to support students during their paid internships.

Additionally, this position collaborates with the SPED director and teachers to implement basic transition readiness goals as outlined in student IEPs. The Special Education paraprofessional will also be available to support students in social/emotional regulation. This is a limited term grant funded position and is not guaranteed from year to year.

Ideal Candidate

• Required:
  
  High School Diploma;
  Special Education Program Aide License (0070) or willingness to obtain
• Required:
  
  Clean driving record, auto insurance, and valid drivers license
• Preferred:
  Bilingual (English and Spanish)
• Special Education experience
• Belief in constructivist pedagogy
• View of students as capable learners
• Understanding of Project Based Learning
• Ability to create a classroom environment that is inclusive, multicultural, and equitable
• Democratic mindset that puts all school members (advisor, students, and parents) on equal terms
• Belief in restorative practices as a method for problem-solving
• Ability to work in a collaborative environment

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Approved 2023;
Revised 10/2026

Every year has uniqueness of IEP needs, the specific roles will change annually as needed as assigned by the SPED director. This list of duties and responsibilities is not all-inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties and responsibilities, as leadership may deem necessary from time to time.

• Provide timely and secure daily home-to-school transportation for students while adhering to set schedules and safety guidelines.
• Maintain vehicle readiness through regular cleaning, detailed inspections, and timely transportation to certified service facilities.
• Complete the weekly vehicle inspection to ensure safe vehicles.
• Co-Chaperone and transport students/staff on field trips related to transition readiness.
• Assist in increasing student performance in the area of IEP Goal attainment.
• Works with individual students or small groups of students to reinforce learning of materials or skills initially introduced and outlined by certified staff.
  • Provide direct and indirect instructional support to students in a positive environment.
  • Support students with special needs in an integrated classroom setting
• Guide students in completing rigorous quarterly independent projects that adhere to the PBL process
• Work with students 1:1 with a focus on transition readiness at EV’s cafe (school based enterprise)
• Meet and collaborate regularly with the Special Education Team to discuss student performance and develop weekly goals.
• Assists the advisor collective in devising special strategies for reinforcing learning materials and skills based on a sympathetic understanding of individual students, their needs, interests, and abilities.
• Maintain appropriate records of student progress and IEP minutes
• Support students in social/emotional regulation
• Performs assigned supervision of students during tests, lunch periods, wellness time, and on field trips.
• Establish rapport and hold high expectations for dignified interactions with…