Highsteppers, Senior (minimum 12 students)

Cleveland Metropolitan School District; Cleveland (OH); On-site; USD 38,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

The Cleveland Metropolitan School District at James Ford Rhodes High School seeks an Athletic Coach to guide student-athletes in alignment with CMSD and OHSAA rules. The role emphasizes supervision, clear communication with families, and program compliance.

Candidates should hold a CPR certificate and a valid Ohio pupil-activity coaching permit, plus prior coaching experience and a high school diploma. The district supports professional development in a collaborative environment.

Qualifications

• CPR certificate required.
• A valid Ohio pupil-activity coaching permit is required.
• Prior coaching experience is highly preferred.
• Education: high school diploma or equivalent (Diploma/GED) and transcripts.

Responsibilities

• Attend OHSAA Rules Interpretation meetings and practices.
• Follow CMSD/OHSAA guidelines and rules.
• Attend and arrive promptly to practices and games.
• Track, communicate, and comply with athlete eligibility status.
• Submit roster, schedule, and transportation needs to Athletic Director.
• Distribute, collect, and care for uniforms and equipment.
• Participate in required professional development.
• Upload scores and statistics to CMSD reporting site.
• Monitor program to ensure CMSD policy compliance.
• Attend all required Athletics Department meetings.
• Supervise students before and after practice and competitions.
• Communicate with parents, staff, and administrators.
• Address forfeited games/payments for review.
• Exhibit appropriate language and behavior as role model.
• Maintain clean and organized team spaces.
• Plan and implement an appropriate number of practices and games.

Skills

CPR certificate

Ohio coaching permit

Coaching experience

Sport knowledge

Education

Diploma or GED

Transcripts

Job description

Position Type: Differential Job Families Date Posted: 2026-06-15 Location:James Ford Rhodes High School

ABOUT CLEVELAND METROPOLITAN SCHOOL DISTRICT

The Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) is Ohio's third-largest public school system, serving more than 35,000 students. CMSD strives to ensure that every child receives a high-quality education, regardless of the provider. To that end, CMSD lets families choose which District schools their children attend, with options that include STEM, the arts, single-gender education, International Baccalaureate, Montessori, and early college. Our schools have autonomy over human and financial resources in exchange for accountability for performance. The principal has primary responsibility and accountability for establishing their school as a high-quality, high-expectation academic center focusing on personalized instruction, professional support for teachers, and school-wide practices that lead to measurable results. CMSD ensures that students have access to technology and training to prepare them for the future. The District provides a free laptop or tablet for every student and connects every family that needs internet access. Graduating seniors leave commencement with not only a diploma but also a laptop. In our pursuit of a more fair, just, and good system of education, we strive to ensure that all of our learners, both scholars and educators, to be challenged with academically and intellectually complex tasks that are worthy of their efforts and provide them opportunities to demonstrate their best work.

BUILDING BRIGHTER FUTURES

The Cleveland Board of Education adopted the Building Brighter Futures (BBF) initiative on December 9, 2025. Building Brighter Futures is a strategic and data-driven plan shaped by more than a year of community engagement, information analysis, and thoughtful deliberation. The goal of this plan is to strengthen enrollment and ensure scholars attend a newer school building that offers more educational opportunities, including algebra in the eighth grade, more sports and extracurricular activities, and college credits and college and career pathways in high school. BBF is ensuring academic excellence so every CMSD scholar can thrive.

THE OPPORTUNITY: NTRODUCTION: CONTEXT AND MISSION

The Cleveland Metropolitan School District has developed standards of excellence that the district applies to all parts of the organization inclusive of schools, principals, school leadership teams, networks, and central office. Alignment between Standards of Excellence (SoE) and the district’s Theory of Action helps ensure that principals are able to focus on scholar achievement and that central office supports are timely and effective. Our Vision for Learning in a Post-Pandemic World: In our pursuit of a more fair, just, and good system of education, we want each of our learners, both each of our scholars and each of their educators, to be individually and collectively presented with academically / intellectually complex tasks that are worthy of their productive struggle and allow them authentic opportunities to demonstrate their work and their learning of academic content and transferable skills in a joyful and adventurous environment.

THE OPPORTUNITY:

Provides guidance, support, and direction for students participating in Cleveland Metropolitan School District sports programs or other approved student activities.

Responsibilities

• Attend OHSAA Rules Interpretation meeting, Pre-/Post Meeting
• Understands and follows CMSD/OHSAA guidelines and rules
• Attends and arrives promptly to practices and games
• Will track, communicate, and comply with student eligibility status
• Submit roster, schedule, and transportation needs and other required paperwork to the Athletic Director in a timely manner
• Distributes, collects, and cares for uniforms and equipment
• Participates in the scheduled professional development by the Athletics Department
• Upload scores and statistics to the approved CMSD reporting site
• Monitors the ongoing program to ensure compliance with all pertinent Cleveland Metropolitan School District policies and procedures
• Attends all required organizational meetings conducted by the Athletics Department
• Supervises students before and after practice and competitions
• Communicates effectively with parents, staff, and administrators
• Communicates with Central Office of forfeited games or seasons for review of payments due to not fulfilling the entire season's job duties
• Properly supervises students before and after practice and competitions
• Uses appropriate language and behavior with parents, coaches, students, and referees
• Exhibits self-control and acts as a role model
• Maintains clean and organized team spaces
• Plans and implements an appropriate number of practices and games
• Attends and arrives promptly to practices

Coaching Performance

• Organizes practices with purposeful drills and specific objectives
• Communicates expectations to athletes in each instructional phase of practice
• Demonstrates and teaches sport-specific skills, strategies, and rules
• Consistently corrects behaviors and performance
• Motivates and holds athletes accountable in a constructive manner
• Implements a training and conditioning program in the off-season

Qualifications

• Valid Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) certificate is required
• This position requires a Pupil-activity (coaching) permit from the Ohio Department of Education. For all individuals who will direct, supervise, or coach a student activity program that involves athletics, routine or regular physical activity or activities with health and safety considerations. All athletic directors and the Licensing Department have been provided with proof of securing these certifications. Applicants may contact the Office of Interscholastic Athletics to obtain additional information.
• Previous successful coaching experience is highly preferred
• Knowledge of the technical aspects of the sport/activity and a willingness to seek out new techniques, aspects, or procedures for the sport/activity
• Education: Diploma, Transcripts, GED

EEO Statement

We believe that equity and inclusion at CMSD is an essential call to action, a catalyst to ensure value and appreciation among all our employees, so we may be fair and welcoming now and in the future. CMSD provides equal opportunities for employment, retention and advancement of all personnel by administering all terms and conditions of employment regardless of race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, sex, disability or genetic information, age, citizenship status, military status, sexual orientation or expression, socio-economic status, title, other dimensions of identity, or any other characteristic protected by law. The District’s Policy Prohibiting Discrimination, Discriminatory Harassment, and Sexual Harassment and the District’s Title IX grievance procedures, including information on how to report or file a complaint of discrimination, how to report or file a formal complaint of sexual harassment, and how the District will respond, may be accessed on the District’s Civil Rights Notices webpage, available at ClevelandMetroSchools.org/domain/105. The District’s Title IX Coordinator / Director of Equal Employment Opportunity may be reached at: 1111 Superior Avenue East, Suite 1800 Cleveland, Ohio 44114 (216)-838-0070 [e-mail]