Unpublished
EDUCATION ORGANIZER
Application Deadline: January 17, 2020
The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington (ACLU-WA) is seeking a Spokane-based Education Organizer. This is a short-term hourly position through July 9, 2020. The Education Organizer reports to the ACLU-WA Field Director and the ACLU-WA Youth Policy Counsel. The pay is $26.54 per hour and hours must not exceed 20 hours per week.
OVERVIEW
The ACLU of Washington is a leader among state affiliates of the American Civil Liberties Union, the country's premier guardian of liberty. We work in courts, legislatures, and communities to protect and extend American rights to freedom, fairness and equality. The ACLU is both nonprofit and nonpartisan. The ACLU-WA’s staff of 40+ employees and numerous volunteers work in a fast-paced, friendly and professional office in downtown Seattle. We are supported by more than 135,000 members, activists, and donors.
The ACLU-WA is a nonpartisan public interest organization devoted to protecting and extending civil rights and civil liberties. The ACLU-WA has joined partner organizations and parents to form the Every Student Counts Alliance (ESCA), which is dedicated to reforming student discipline practices in Spokane Public Schools.
Students who are suspended or expelled from school are more likely to be pushed out of school and to end up in the juvenile justice system. Some students are referred to the juvenile justice system because of misbehavior. The ESCA has been working collaboratively with parents and with the school district to change these practices.
The ACLU-WA believes that parent engagement is crucial to long-term reform efforts. In particular, effective reforms will center the expertise of those most impacted, and this organizer will focus efforts to mobilize parents of children who are unjustly impacted by the Spokane Public Schools’ policies. Accordingly, the ACLU-WA wishes to help build parent leadership around school discipline reform, and to facilitate their involvement in advocacy efforts.
The ACLU is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. The ACLU encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, socio-economic circumstance, or record of arrest or conviction.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
The Education Organizer will identify parents invested in reforming student discipline, to build their leadership capacity as advocates, and to connect them to ongoing advocacy opportunities in Spokane.
The organizer will:
Application Deadline: January 17, 2020
The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington (ACLU-WA) is seeking a Spokane-based Education Organizer. This is a short-term hourly position through July 9, 2020. The Education Organizer reports to the ACLU-WA Field Director and the ACLU-WA Youth Policy Counsel. The pay is $26.54 per hour and hours must not exceed 20 hours per week.
OVERVIEW
The ACLU of Washington is a leader among state affiliates of the American Civil Liberties Union, the country's premier guardian of liberty. We work in courts, legislatures, and communities to protect and extend American rights to freedom, fairness and equality. The ACLU is both nonprofit and nonpartisan. The ACLU-WA’s staff of 40+ employees and numerous volunteers work in a fast-paced, friendly and professional office in downtown Seattle. We are supported by more than 135,000 members, activists, and donors.
The ACLU-WA is a nonpartisan public interest organization devoted to protecting and extending civil rights and civil liberties. The ACLU-WA has joined partner organizations and parents to form the Every Student Counts Alliance (ESCA), which is dedicated to reforming student discipline practices in Spokane Public Schools.
Students who are suspended or expelled from school are more likely to be pushed out of school and to end up in the juvenile justice system. Some students are referred to the juvenile justice system because of misbehavior. The ESCA has been working collaboratively with parents and with the school district to change these practices.
The ACLU-WA believes that parent engagement is crucial to long-term reform efforts. In particular, effective reforms will center the expertise of those most impacted, and this organizer will focus efforts to mobilize parents of children who are unjustly impacted by the Spokane Public Schools’ policies. Accordingly, the ACLU-WA wishes to help build parent leadership around school discipline reform, and to facilitate their involvement in advocacy efforts.
The ACLU is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. The ACLU encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, socio-economic circumstance, or record of arrest or conviction.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
The Education Organizer will identify parents invested in reforming student discipline, to build their leadership capacity as advocates, and to connect them to ongoing advocacy opportunities in Spokane.
The organizer will:
- Facilitate parent meetings and trainings to build parent knowledge of school discipline and skills in school district and legislative advocacy.
- Support parents in developing and leading community education sessions on student discipline and related issues.
- Support parents in participating in advocacy efforts (such as attending workgroup meetings, testifying at school board meetings, and meeting with school district leadership).
- Serve as liaison between the ESCA coalition members and ESCA parents.
- Develop and maintain relationships with Spokane Public Schools.
- Represent the ESCA and ACLU at Superintendent’s Work Group Meetings and other meetings related to disability and student of color issues.
- Communicate regularly with the ACLU-WA Field Director and Youth Policy Counsel in Seattle.
- Collaborate with ACLU-WA Communications Director on media-related matters.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Commitment to race and other forms of equity, dismantling white supremacy, and structural power analysis, with knowledge and understanding of how power is manifested in matters of race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, religion, ability, language, immigration status, national origin, and socio-economic circumstances, both internally in our organization and externally in the communities that we serve.
- Experience in grassroots organizing.
- Strong affinity for networking and building strategic relationships.
- Demonstrated ability to produce work reflecting consistent attention to detail and to coordinate numerous concurrent projects.
- Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills, including an ability to connect with people from different backgrounds, build relationships across differences, and navigate and resolve conflict in a manner that values and respects relationships.
- Self-motivation, with a demonstrated ability to manage projects and follow-through.
- A positive attitude and the ability to maintain balance and perspective even when encountering challenges.
- Personal qualities of humility, capacity for self-reflection, and a sense of humor.
- Ability to have courageous conversations internally with colleagues and externally with allies when overcoming differences in opinion.
- Ability to work regular weekday evenings and occasional weekends.
- Willingness to travel to the Seattle office, when needed.
- Access to a vehicle and a driver’s license preferred.
This job description provides a general but not comprehensive list of the essential responsibilities and qualifications required. It does not represent a contract of employment. The ACLU reserves the right to change the description and/or posting at any time without advance notice. This position is “non-exempt” under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
Compensation will be $26.54 per hour, for approximately 20 hours per week, until July 9, 2020. Benefits include reimbursement for approved transportation, sick leave, and 401K.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
To apply, email a brief letter of application and resume to [email protected] and include in the subject line of the email your Last Name and Education Organizer. In your letter, please indicate where you learned of the posting. Applications will be accepted until January 17, 2020, at which time the job announcement will be removed from our website at www.aclu-wa.org/careers.
The ACLU of Washington comprises two separate corporate entities, the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, Inc. and the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington Foundation. The two corporations share the same overall mission, office space, and employees. This job posting refers collectively to the two organizations under the name “ACLU of Washington”.
