TITLE: Newspaper Sponsor

LOCATION: Northwest Middle School

The Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools (KCKPS) is a nationally recognized urban school district that serves approximately 22,000 students. With a Head Start program, three preschools, 30 elementary schools, 8 middle schools, and 5 college and career academies/high schools, the district serves a wonderfully diverse mixture of students. A remarkable 62 different languages are spoken in the homes of our students. To serve those students, the district employs approximately 3,650 staff, including more than 1,600 teachers.

The vision of the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools is to be one of the Top 10 School Districts in the Nation. Our goal is that "Each student will exit high school prepared for college and careers in a global society, and at every level, performance is on track and on time for success." To help our students achieve this goal, the district is implementing a district-wide initiative called Diploma+.

JOB GOAL:

The Newspaper Sponsor promotes students to participate in writing and publishing the school newspaper. The Sponsor will supervise the production of the newspaper and will work closely with other staff and the administration of Kansas City Kansas Public Schools.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:     

• Recruits and supervises the growth and development of students in accordance with the guidelines; to follow the policies and procedures of the school district when writing and publishing the school newspaper.
• Organizes, supervises, and conducts fund-raising and sponsorship activities as required to support the student newspaper.
• Monitors student coverage of all events associated with the school newspaper whether within the school district or at external functions.
• Maintains accurate records associated with the school newspaper.
• Performs other duties as assigned by principal or designated administrator.     

COMMUNICATION / ORGANIZATION:

• Maintains communication with school personnel, and parents/guardians to enhance cooperative action which will meet the educational needs of students.
• Utilizes existing technology effectively in the performance of duties.
• Performs other related work as required.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• High School diploma
• Ability to organize and manage student events.
• Prefer certified teacher

REASONING ABILITY:  Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.  Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form. 

LANGUAGE SKILLS:  Ability to read and analyze and interpret general professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations.  Ability to write reports, general curriculum and learning theories, correspondence, and protocols.  Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of administrators, staff, parents, students, and the general public.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: 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 is regularly required to sit, walk, stand and talk or hear. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds.  The employee must occasionally push items of 20 pounds such as pushing on a bike ore wheelchair, or moving/rearranging furniture.  While performing the duties of the job the employee occasionally may visit a child’s home.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and depth perception.

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 usually loud and is a standard acceptable level for this environment. Is directly responsible for students’ safety, work output and well-being.

OTHER SKILLS and ABILITIES:  Ability to apply knowledge of current research and theory to instructional program; ability to plan and implement lessons based on division and school objectives and the needs and abilities of students.  Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with students, peers, parents and community; ability to speak clear and concisely in written or oral communication.

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT:   Varies by Activities

SALARY:          Based on the Kansas City Kansas Supplemental Salary Schedule 

REPORT TO:    Principal or Designated Administrator

EVALUATION:  Performance of this position will be evaluated in accordance with the Board of Education policy on evaluation.

Applications will be reviewed prior to the closing date for this position.

The information contained in this job description is for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (A.D.A.) and is not an exhaustive list of the duties performed for this position.  The individual currently holding this position performs additional duties and additional duties may be assigned.  

Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  KCKPS does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, tenure, disability or any other factors that cannot be lawfully considered in its programs and activities as required by all applicable laws and regulations.

Signatures

This job description has been approved by all levels of management:

Manager _______________________________________________

HR ___________________________________________________

Employee signature below constitutes employee’s understanding of the requirements, essential functions and duties of the position.

Employee _____________________________ Date ____________