Transition Coordinator

TH Rises

The School

The Travis Hill School provides students detained at the Orleans Justice Center and the Juvenile Justice Intervention Center with a high quality education, rooted in restorative, trauma-informed care, a curricular and instructional design that emphasizes relevance, meaning and engagement, and an approach to learning centered around relationships, trust and mutual accountability. The Travis Hill School also provides significant transition support for students when they return home by offering support with school placement and retention, workforce development, and ongoing, day-to-day case management.

Through work with families, community partners and scores of individuals, we work to create an unbreakable network of support for court involved teens and young adults that will enable them to return to the community successfully, and positively contribute to the vibrant, creative City of New Orleans.

Travis Hill School is supported by BreakFree Education, a 501c(3) nonprofit organization.

The Opportunity

Approximately 40 students are detained at the JJIC on a daily basis. They range in age from 11 to 17 years old. All students attend our school located inside of the JJIC. Nearly 1,100 individuals are held at the OJC. We operate a full-time school for approximately 70 students between 18 and 21 years old.

Nearly all the students have faced school failure--many did not attend school regularly when they were younger, most have been suspended or expelled at some point, nearly all of them are far behind their peers academically, and 30-40% of them have special education needs. Despite this, they all have hopes and dreams, skills and talents, and family and friends who care for them.

Our mission at Travis Hill is to create a transformative learning environment where students held at the JJIC or OJC develop the academic and socio-emotional skills they need to become positive, contributing members of their community when they are released.

Position Description and Primary Responsibilities

The Transition Coordinator will be a key member of a small team of other Coordinators who together will ensure that each of our students is successfully integrated into the Travis Hill Schools, develops sound plans for transition upon release, and is supported and cared for once they return to their community.

The Coordinator will report to and be ‘housed’ primarily at one of the Travis Hill School campuses, but will spend approximately 50% of their time working in the community, directly with students, families and key partners. All of the Coordinators will work closely and collaboratively with other school staff, in particular members of the Student Support Services Team, as well as key personnel from New Orleans Public Schools, the courts, the City and the Sheriff’s Office.

This is a terrific job for someone who loves working with teens, believes all students deserve a great education, and who has strong communication skills, and has strong ties to the greater New Orleans community, particularly with local schools and youth- and family-serving nonprofits.

The Transition Coordinators have primary responsibility for:

Establishing strong, working relationships with local schools, nonprofit youth and family serving agencies, other long-term placement centers, and case management and after-care workers
Working carefully to help students and families develop thoughtful school placement plans for students and then providing intensive, support for students to ensure successful placement and transition
Providing updated transcripts and academic records, meeting with officials from potential placement sites and developing detailed, collaborative plans to support students upon release from the OJC or JJIC
Accompanying students to schools, as appropriate and necessary, upon release from OJC or JJIC
Providing ongoing support to students for up to 12 months once they have left OJC or JJIC; this support may include-
- Direct student-advocacy and support for students in their community schools--such as discipline hearings, IEP meetings, and essential court hearings
- Direct counseling support to students and their families, while also facilitating and coordinating community-based services
- Supporting student retention at and completion of school and workforce development programs
- Crisis management and support
Maintaining accurate and up-to-date documentation about student progress
Participating in counseling and interdisciplinary team meetings and others as needed, particularly for students with special needs, as a part of transition planning
Modeling and contributing to a school culture of hope and high expectations for achievement.
Assisting in the classroom and around the School as-needed; this may include facilitating life skills and similar classes and workshops for students enrolled at Travis Hill School
Taking on additional tasks and other requests as necessary
Maintaining professional boundaries and operating within Travis Hill School’s ethical guidelines

Qualifications

The Transition Coordinator will be thoroughly committed to BreakFree Education and the Travis Hill School mission. Candidates should have previous experience working directly with teens and young adults, providing them with coaching, counseling and self-advocacy skills. A proven commitment to social and racial justice work is a must.

Concrete demonstrable experience and other qualifications include:

A Bachelor’s degree, with a preference for an advanced degree in counseling or social work
Experience developing case management and release plans
Experience working with a nonprofit or community-based organization, providing direct care and case management for teens or young adults
A demonstrated willingness to advocate for racial and social justice, as a critical component of one’s work and day-to-day responsibilities
Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively in collaboration with diverse groups of people, including our students, their family members, volunteers, partnership sites, school personnel, and correctional facility staff
Action-oriented, innovative, adaptable, and resilient, with an unrelenting commitment to our students and the New Orleans community
Experience or willingness to utilize Restorative Practices
Passionate, mission-driven, committed to working with a sense of integrity and strong values, and self-directed and open to feedback with a continuing desire to grow and learn
Great time management, ability to handle conflict, and effectively communicate
Willingness to adhere to policies and procedures, yet work collaboratively with team to be flexible, open, adaptable to change, and solutions focused
Experience with and comfort learning to use a range of software including Google Suites, MS Office, and case management software
Strong written communication skills and a commitment to and awareness of the need to communicate frequently, in real time using email, text messages and other communication software
A driver’s license and access to reliable transportation, as the Coordinator will frequently need to move about the City and sometimes transport students to and from school, programming, court, home, etc.
Willingness to embrace and nurture a culture that will require all staff to work beyond the traditional hours in order to create programmatic norms that make it clear to our students that we care for them, support them, and are there for them, regardless of the hour or situation

Salary and Benefits

BreakFree Education offers Travis Hill staff a competitive salary and benefits package. Our salaries are on par with local schools, adjusted for our increased academic year, and based on skills and experience. Salaries for support staff are comparable to similar positions at local nonprofits. BreakFree Education offers a Simple IRA plan for all staff, and provides a 4% employer contribution once staff has worked for one year. BreakFree Education provides health care coverage for all staff and covers approximately 80% of the monthly premiums and 50% for dependents of employees.

This is a 12 month, full-time position. Hours may vary, but run from approximately 8:00 am-4:00 pm weekdays, with occasional evening and weekend coverage required.

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BreakFree is an equal opportunity employer. We believe that a diverse staff is a better staff. Women and persons of color are encouraged to apply to work with us

For additional information about BreakFree and the Travis Hill School,
please visit our website at www.travishillnola.org

Effective: March 6, 2023

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