Special Education Teacher | 2026-2027 School Year

Sankofa Montessori; Forest Park (GA); On-site; USD 52,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

TRS retirement plan

403(b) retirement plan

Health benefits

Dedicated planning time

Professional development and coaching

Technology/resources for instruction

Job summary

Sankofa Montessori in Forest Park, Georgia seeks a dedicated Special Education Teacher for the 2026–2027 school year. You will provide high-quality, individualized instruction and services aligned with students' IEPs across classrooms, co-teaching, and small-group formats.

Collaborate with general education teachers, families, and service providers to ensure compliance with IDEA/IEP requirements while maintaining accurate records and communicating effectively about student progress.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college.
• Valid or eligible Georgia educator certification in Special Education.
• Knowledge of IDEA, IEP development and implementation, progress monitoring, accommodations and modifications, and special education compliance.
• Ability to provide specially designed instruction to students with a range of learning needs.
• Strong instructional and classroom management skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with teachers, families, school leaders, and related service providers.
• Commitment to inclusive education and high expectations for students with disabilities.
• Successful completion of required background checks.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct special education services in accordance with students' IEPs, including co-taught, small-group, and individualized instruction.
• Ensure IEP services, accommodations, modifications, goals, and service minutes are implemented with fidelity.
• Develop, review, and maintain high-quality, compliant IEPs.
• Serve as case manager for assigned students and maintain accurate and timely special education records.
• Monitor student progress toward annual IEP goals and consistently collect and analyze progress-monitoring data.
• Use student data to adjust instruction, interventions, accommodations, and supports.
• Collaborate with general education teachers to plan and deliver differentiated and specially designed instruction.
• Support students' access to grade-level standards and the general education curriculum.
• Participate in eligibility, reevaluation, annual review, amendment, manifestation determination, and other required special education meetings.
• Support referral, evaluation, reevaluation, and eligibility processes.
• Coordinate with speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, behavior specialists, psychologists, and other providers.
• Maintain proactive communication with families regarding student progress, services, needs, and upcoming meetings.
• Ensure teachers understand students' accommodations, modifications, goals, behavior supports, and instructional needs.
• Support positive student behavior and social-emotional development using proactive, restorative, and individualized approaches.
• Maintain confidentiality in accordance with FERPA, IDEA, and applicable requirements.
• Meet all required timelines for IEPs, evaluations, progress reports, documentation, and other special education responsibilities.
• Participate in professional learning, collaborative planning, data meetings, and staff meetings.
• Demonstrate Sankofa's core values of Love, Joy, Ownership, Purpose, and Reflection.

Skills

Classroom management

Communication skills

Collaboration

Compliance knowledge

Education

Georgia SPED certification

Bachelor's degree

Job description

About Sankofa Montessori

Sankofa Montessori is a tuition-free public charter school serving students in Kindergarten through 5th grade in Forest Park, Georgia. Our mission is to empower children with the knowledge, skills, and agency needed to lead purposeful lives.

At Sankofa, we bridge traditional public school education with the Montessori approach, creating learning environments that balance academic rigor, student independence, hands-on learning, and individualized support. Our school community is grounded in our core values of Love, Joy, Ownership, Purpose, and Reflection.

We are seeking a skilled, student-centered Special Education Teacher to join our Flight Crew immediately for the 2026–2027 school year. The ideal candidate believes deeply in the potential of every child, understands the importance of both high-quality instruction and special education compliance, and is prepared to collaborate closely with general education teachers, families, service providers, and school leaders.

About the Role

The Special Education Teacher is responsible for ensuring students with disabilities receive high-quality, individualized instruction and services aligned with their Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).

This role includes direct student services, case management, progress monitoring, IEP development and implementation, family communication, collaboration, and special education compliance.

The Special Education Teacher will work across classroom environments and provide services through co-teaching, small-group instruction, individualized instruction, consultation, and other service models identified in students' IEPs.

What You'll Do

• Provide direct special education services in accordance with students' IEPs, including co-taught, small-group, and individualized instruction.
• Ensure IEP services, accommodations, modifications, goals, and service minutes are implemented with fidelity.
• Develop, review, and maintain high-quality, compliant IEPs.
• Serve as case manager for assigned students and maintain accurate and timely special education records.
• Monitor student progress toward annual IEP goals and consistently collect and analyze progress-monitoring data.
• Use student data to adjust instruction, interventions, accommodations, and supports.
• Collaborate with general education teachers to plan and deliver differentiated and specially designed instruction.
• Support students' access to grade-level standards and the general education curriculum.
• Participate in eligibility, reevaluation, annual review, amendment, manifestation determination, and other required special education meetings.
• Support referral, evaluation, reevaluation, and eligibility processes.
• Coordinate with speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, behavior specialists, psychologists, and other providers.
• Maintain proactive communication with families regarding student progress, services, needs, and upcoming meetings.
• Ensure teachers understand students' accommodations, modifications, goals, behavior supports, and instructional needs.
• Support positive student behavior and social-emotional development using proactive, restorative, and individualized approaches.
• Maintain confidentiality in accordance with FERPA, IDEA, and applicable requirements.
• Meet all required timelines for IEPs, evaluations, progress reports, documentation, and other special education responsibilities.
• Participate in professional learning, collaborative planning, data meetings, and staff meetings.
• Demonstrate Sankofa's core values of Love, Joy, Ownership, Purpose, and Reflection.

What Teaching Looks Like at Sankofa

Teaching at Sankofa is meaningful, high-impact work. We hold high expectations for students while recognizing that children may need different pathways and supports to reach those expectations.

Our Special Education Teacher will have:

• Dedicated planning time twice a day for instruction, case management, progress monitoring, and collaboration.
• Access to curriculum, instructional materials, classroom supplies, and technology.
• Opportunities for professional learning, coaching, and feedback.
• Regular collaboration with general education teachers and the Student Support Team.
• An inclusive school model where special education is a shared responsibility for student success - not an isolated department.

We are looking for an educator who is ready to collaborate, problem-solve, and take ownership for ensuring our passengers receive the services and instruction they deserve.

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.
• Valid or eligible Georgia educator certification in Special Education appropriate for the students served.
• Knowledge of IDEA, IEP development and implementation, progress monitoring, accommodations and modifications, and special education compliance.
• Ability to provide specially designed instruction to students with a range of learning needs.
• Strong instructional and classroom management skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to maintain accurate records and meet required deadlines.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with teachers, families, school leaders, and related service providers.
• Commitment to inclusive education and high expectations for students with disabilities.
• Successful completion of required background checks.

Preferred Qualifications

• Two or more years of successful special education teaching experience.
• Demonstrated success developing and implementing high-quality IEPs.
• Experience with co-teaching, resource/small-group, and individualized instructional models.
• Experience using academic and behavioral data to monitor student progress.
• Experience working with elementary-aged students.
• Familiarity with Montessori education or a willingness to learn and implement Montessori principles.
• Experience supporting students with diverse academic, behavioral, communication, and social-emotional needs.

Sankofa Montessori offers competitive compensation aligned with our salary scale and the charter school market. Please see HERE for our certified teacher salary scale.

• Teachers Retirement System of Georgia (TRS) in accordance with applicable requirements
• 403(b) retirement plan
• competitive health and employee benefits
• dedicated planning and collaboration time
• professional development and coaching
• the instructional resources and technology needed to be successful

Equal Employment Opportunity

Sankofa Montessori provides equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants and prohibits discrimination and harassment on the basis of any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, compensation, training, and other employment practices.