Administrative Program Specialist 1

Salary: $58,380.00 - $78,468.00 Annually
Location : Thurston County - Olympia, WA
Job Type: Full Time - Permanent
Remote Employment: Flexible/Hybrid
Job Number: 2
Department: Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
Division: Special Education
Opening Date: 04/11/2025
Closing Date: 4/27/:59 PM Pacific

Description
GENERAL SERVICE

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT
Administrative Program Specialist 1 - Special Education (Finance)

$58,380 - $78,468 annually
Closes April 27,2025
The Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) seeks to fill Administrative Program Specialist 1. This full-time position is based in Olympia, Washington. This position may be eligible for partial to near full-time telework. Telework is a combination of in-building and off-site days. We encourage interested candidates to visit the OSPI website to gain insight into our agency.
About OSPI and our initiatives

OSPI is the primary agency charged with overseeing public K-12 education in Washington state. Working with the state's 295 public school districts and 7 state-tribal education compact schools, OSPI allocates funding and provides tools, resources, and technical assistance so every student in Washington is provided a high-quality public education.
At OSPI, we recognize that our employees are the key to the success of the agency. We are committed to our work but value the balance with our personal lives. We demonstrate our commitment to employees by providing an environment that stimulates professional growth and values them for their expertise. OSPI is a great place to work and has several initiatives to help create a great working environment, including:

• We support a healthy work/life balance by offering flexible/alternative work schedules and mobile and telework options. (Depending on job duties and work location.)
• We have a tuition assistance policy and support employees seeking tuition waiver through participating higher education organizations.
• We have an Infant at Work Program that is based on long-term values of newborns and infant-parent bonding. Eligible employees who are new parents or legal guardians can bring their infant (six weeks to six months) when returning to work. (Depending on job duties and work location.)
• We value and are actively involved in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion within OSPI by way of cross-divisional, collaborative committee. The focus of the committee includes employee engagement and education; reinforcing OSPI values; and maximizing the value of diversity and identifying strategies for inclusion.

Vision, Mission, and ValuesVision: All students prepared for post-secondary pathways, careers, and civic engagement.

Mission: Transform K-12 education to a system that is centered on closing opportunity gaps and is characterized by high expectations for all students and educators. We achieve this by developing equity-based policies and supports that empower educators, families, and communities.
Values: Ensuring Equity, Collaboration and Service, Achieving Excellence through Continuous Improvement, Focus on the Whole Child
Equity

Each student, family, and community possesses strengths and cultural knowledge that benefits their peers, educators, and schools. Ensuring educational equity:

• Goes beyond equality; it requires education leaders to examine the ways current policies and practices result in disparate outcomes for our students of color, students living in poverty, students receiving special education and English Learner services, students who identify as LGBTQ+, and highly mobile student populations.
• Requires education leaders to develop an understanding of historical contexts; engage students, families, and community representatives as partners in decision-making; and actively dismantle systemic barriers, replacing them with policies and practices that ensure all students have access to the instruction and support they need to succeed in our schools.

Position Overview

This position exists within the Operations unit of Special Education. This position processes federal grant applications, revisions, awards, and maintains documents related to the internal special education budget. The duties and responsibilities of the position contribute to the overall mission, goals, and objectives of the agency by ensuring school districts maintain the required elements of state and federal special education fiscal requirements. This includes fiscal training, coaching, and oversight to improve equitable special education programs and address the diverse needs of students with disabilities, families, and educators.
This position is part of a work unit that provides integrated special education fiscal monitoring and technical assistance services for local districts throughout the state. This position operates under the supervision of an Assistant Director of Operations.
Key Responsibilities

• Grant Operations
  • Review and recommend approval of annual Local Education Agency (LEA) grant applications for federal special education funding to support improvement efforts around special education referral, evaluation, provision of services, and progress monitoring.
  • Provide fiscal technical assistance and professional development within the state specifically around fiscal functions associated with processing grant applications and maintenance of documents related to the district's internal budget.
  • Provide telephone support, online information, and support to local district business managers, special education directors, and superintendents.
  • Provide technical information and training to local school districts, Educational Service Districts (ESD), parents, and other groups regarding special education funding at regional and/or state conferences and meetings.
  • Assist in the development of the annual allocation tables and release of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) funds.
  • Assist in the calculation of charter school allocation adjustments and state maintenance of effort and local education agency maintenance of effort testing, and review and recommend for approval local education agency annual excess cost data.
  • Processes federal grant applications, revisions, awards, and maintains documents related to the internal special education budget for the Part B IDEA and proviso grant fiscal activities.
  • Assist with form package budget revisions; archive hard copy files.
  • Attend EGMS/fiscal meetings.

• Fiscal Monitoring
  • Support with the design and implementation, in collaboration with the Special Education Program Review team, of special education fiscal monitoring reviews of selected LEAs, including developing, planning, and implementing an integrated, outcome-based monitoring system.
  • Support with oversight and verification of LEA submissions related to special education fiscal monitoring, including analyzing the results of the monitoring process and utilizing results of the data to create and disseminate meaningful information regarding special education fiscal performance through presentations, written reports, training modules, etc.

• Other Duties as Assigned
  • Records management.
  • Assistance with reports.
  • Other administrative and/or research tasks.
  • Cross training as needed.

Required Qualifications: (this is degree and years of experience)

• Bachelor's in business administration, finance, or closely allied field
• Minimum of 1 years' experience in the development and management of state and/or federal grants and contracts.

OR

• A combination of education and experience listed above for a minimum of 5 years.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience in the development and management of education related state and/or federal grants and contracts.
• Previous work in a Special Education program in an educational setting

Compensation
The annual compensation for the position is $58,380 - $78,468 per year and depends upon experience, educational background and qualifications. Geographic differentials may be applied based on work location of successful candidate. Washington State offers a generous benefit package including health, dental and life insurance, retirement and an optional deferred compensation program. Please visit Health Care Authority for information regarding health benefits and the Department of Retirement Systems for retirement plan information. This is a general service position. This position is not represented by a bargaining unit.
Application Process

Those interested in this position must apply through Careers.wa.gov. Applications must include the following documents in MS Word and PDF format only:

• A letter of interest specifically addressing the qualifications listed in this announcement;
• A current résumé, and;
• A list of three or more professional references.

Please address any questions to:
Sal Salazar, Human Resources
Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
600 Washington Street Southeast
Olympia, Washington

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Persons needing accommodation in the application process or this announcement in an alternative format may contact the Human Resources Office at or . click apply for full job details