School Counselor (Elementary)

Persistence Prep is a K-8 charter school in Buffalo founded on the belief that all scholars, regardless of race, disability, home language, SES status, or zip code, can learn and achieve at high levels when held to the highest expectations. Our mission is to ensure that all scholars are firmly on the path to succeed within a four-year college and create positive change within their communities.

About the role

The School Counselor will assist individuals, groups, and systems through the application of positive behavior supports. Responsibilities include coordinating Functional Assessments of Behavior and Behavior Intervention Plans, providing classroom and school-wide behavior management strategies, running small social-emotional groups, and offering individual counseling to scholars.

Responsibilities

• Uphold the mission and vision of the school consistently.
• Execute school-wide systems and structures that maximize scholar engagement and success.
• Reinforce a disciplined culture of high academic and behavioral expectations.
• Collaborate with the Scholar Support Team to design, coordinate, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive behavior support program.
• Implement activities to help scholars meet academic and social goals.
• Manage family relationships for scholars on your caseload who receive counseling services and respond to family concerns promptly and effectively.
• Provide crisis intervention and behavior management to build scholars' ability to meet the school's high expectations.
• Provide one-on-one or group counseling as needed by scholars.
• Develop and implement curriculum for social and emotional development.
• Partner with school leaders and staff to design and coordinate family engagement and education activities, including workshops, potlucks, family nights, and community-building events.
• Share responsibility for grade-level and school-wide initiatives.
• Attend and participate in events outside of normal school hours (e.g., family nights, scholar performances, conferences, and orientations).
• Actively participate in professional development sessions.
• Complete all duties and tasks as assigned.

Requirements

• Unwaveringly high expectations for all scholars, with the belief that every child should have access to a college education.
• Commitment to upholding and executing Persistence Prep's mission and educational model.
• Expert knowledge of function-based intervention planning for developing behavior change strategies that focus on reducing problem behavior and increasing appropriate behavior.
• Expert knowledge of techniques needed to successfully complete effective Functional Behavior Assessments (FBA), function-based interventions, and Behavior Intervention Plans (BIP).
• Exceptional knowledge in the use of assessment and assessment data to inform instruction and prescribe work plans for individual scholars.
• Maturity, humility, strong work ethic, self-motivation, and a "roll-up-my-sleeves" attitude.
• Demonstrated ability to work well in a team and communicate effectively with diverse audiences, including scholars, staff, families, and community members.
• Solutions-focused style that encourages teamwork and collaboration to support scholar development.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with classroom teachers.
• Ability to stay organized and effective despite a highly variable daily schedule.
• Commitment to a results-driven approach, with a strong ability to analyze data and use it to inform decisions.
• Proven track record of supporting scholars in achieving high levels of growth (academic and behavioral).
• Experience working in urban schools at the elementary level is highly preferred.
• Bachelor's Degree required; Master's or advanced degree in School Counseling or related field preferred.
• Required certification: School Counselor {2030} or School Social Worker {2080}.

Pay

Competitive salary starting from $50,000.

Schedule

• Full-time, permanent position.
• Start date: August 1, 2026.
• Occasional attendance at events outside of normal school hours required.