STARTING SALARY: $27,701 + (based on experince) Central Heights Middle School is seeking an equity-driven, innovative, collaborative .5 School Counselor to join our team for the 2025-26 school year. CHMS counselors are integral leaders in our Equitable Multi-Level System of Support. At the universal level, they partner with staff to support all students' social and emotional wellness. They collaboratively lead academic and career planning to decrease disproportionate opportunity gaps and to ensure students achieve their school goals.
Middle School Counselors also work with their Student Services colleagues to review data, identify students, and deliver additional group or individual support or intervention. This position will join a student services team consisting of one other School Counselor, a .5 School Psychologist, and a School Social Worker in addition to a restorative justice coach and Administrators. Please carefully review the job description to understand what school counseling looks like in Sun Prairie.
SUMMARY: School counselors support students’ learning, social development, and mental and behavioral health using problem solving, assessment, data-based decision-making, and the delivery of evidenced-based interventions. School counselors collaborate and consult with educators, community, families, and other professionals to help create safe, healthy, and supportive learning environments for all students. The school counselor functions as part of the district’s Student Services Team. This team of Psychologists, Counselors, Social Workers and Nurses collaboratively provides a multi-leveled system of supports through implementation and monitoring of evidence-based behavioral and academic interventions for all students in need. The services provided should reflect the specific needs of the students, families, and schools served and address the following non-exhaustive list of duties, responsibilities, and expectations:
School counselors apply their knowledge of both counseling and education through consultation and collaboration with teachers, school administrators, parents, and community providers. They participate in effective data-based decision-making using a foundation of assessment and data collection to monitor student and system progress. School counselors engage in specific services for students, such as direct and indirect interventions that focus on academic skills, learning, socialization, and mental health. School Counselors provide services to schools and families that enhance the competence and well-being of children, including promotion of effective and safe learning environments, prevention and remediation of academic and behavior problems, response to crises, and improvement of family–school collaboration.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.
Embrace the professional responsibility to interrupt systemic racism toward our black and brown children and families and to collaboratively dismantle, rebuild, and align our system for racial equity.
Implement the evidence based practices that make up the Sun Prairie Student Services Integrated Practice Model: Motivational Interviewing, SBIRT, CBITS, Bounce Back, Behavioral Health in Schools - Sun Prairie, Building Bridges.
Implement a comprehensive school counseling program that addresses academic, career, and personal/social development for all students by leading and coaching the integration of social emotional learning and the academic and career planning process at the building level as an expert in these areas.
Provide leadership around district graduation requirements and the post high school planning process in grades K-12+. This may include scheduling, registration, and student placement.
Facilitate and organize the orientation of new students. Assist with student transitions from one school to another including evening parent/student programs.
Provide equity leadership through awareness of relevant and current culturally and linguistically appropriate assessment and instructional practices.
Commit to ongoing development of your personal equity learning.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: This position supervises the following positions: Supervises students.
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to eligible individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE:
Master’s degree in counseling
COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE SKILLS:
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports and correspondence. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from individuals and groups.
MATHEMATICAL SKILLS:
Ability to work with mathematical concepts such as statistical inferences, fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical solutions.
OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
Ability to apply knowledge of current research and theory to instructional program. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with students, parents, peers, and community. Ability to speak clearly and concisely in communication. Ability to use computers and other technology to accomplish job responsibilities.
ANALYTICAL AND REASONING ABILITY:
Ability to define problems, collects data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.
TEMPERAMENTS:
Ability to direct others, deal with people, and influence people in their opinions, attitudes, and judgments. Ability to perform a variety of duties. Ability to work with people who express conflicting opinions. Ability to solve problems, make judgments, and reach conclusions. Ability to express personal feelings, work alone, and perform effectively under stress.
PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job the employee will frequently talk or hear, regularly stand, walk, and sit. Specific vision abilities of this job include close vision, distance vision and peripheral vision.
WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is moderate. The employee is directly responsible for the safety, well being of students.
CERTIFICATES, LICENSES:
Must possess and maintain or be eligible to hold a current Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction School Counselor license, Code 966 or 54. Must possess a valid driver’s license.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
Shall complete a physical examination as required by Wisconsin Statute 118.25.