SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER IV (VISION SPECIALIST) – DOWNTOWN, OAHU

Recruitment Information

Recruitment Number 24-0389

This vacancy is with the Department of Health.

Salary: $6,084 to $6,765 per month (SR-22, Step D to I) effective August 1, 2024. Salary includes Shortage Category Differential.

Note: Hiring rates will be based on availability of funds, the applicant’s qualifications, and other relevant factors.

This continuous recruitment may be closed at any time. The notice of the last day to file applications will be posted on the State of Hawaii’s Civil Service Job Opportunities Listing page of our website.

Duties Summary

To provide culturally competent and family-centered educational services for infants and toddlers with special needs and their families. A member of a transdisciplinary team and performs work in the child’s natural environments. Responsible for providing evaluation, consultation and treatment services. Collaborates with a variety of multidisciplinary teams and community groups and assists to ensure a smooth transition for infants and toddlers and their families.

Provides expertise in special education to enhance a child’s overall development, focusing on the areas of personal-social skills, cognitive development, learning styles and behavior. Also, provides culturally sensitive family-centered care coordination. Requires independent judgment to carry out assigned duties and responsibilities for a full range of cases.

This position is with the Family Health Services Division, Department of Health, is responsible for the provision of assistive technology support services to infants and toddlers with special needs and their families, in collaboration with multiple public and private agencies, and to staff members of early intervention programs. 

The duties and responsibilities of the position include facilitating and participating int he development, implementation and evaluation of educational technology intervention plans for infants and toddlers with special needs and their families; planning and evaluating educational technology projects to be incorporated within early intervention programs; researching and maintaining a lending a library of access tools, adapted toys, communicating devices, and computer software for enhancing the development of infants and toddlers with special needs; developing, conducting, and evaluating training sessions for early intervention program staff and parents; serving as a liaison between early intervention programs and various private agencies on educational technology projects; providing assistance with overall operation and educational application of various computers and related early intervention programs; and transporting equipment to learning centers, training classes, etc.

Applicants must possess work experience which included at least one (1) year of professional work experience which involved the education of blind or visually impaired students.

Minimum Qualification Requirements

To qualify, you must meet all of the following requirements:

Legal Authorization to Work Requirement:

The State of Hawaii requires all persons seeking employment with the government of the State shall be citizens, nationals, or permanent resident aliens of the United States, or eligible under federal law for unrestricted employment in the United States.

Education: A bachelor’s degree from an accredited four (4) year college or university with a major in human behavior or in a social science. Education MUST HAVE included a minimum of twelve (12) semester credit hours in psychology and/or education, which included coursework in the learning process and child growth and development.

Specialized Experience: Six (6) months of professional teaching experience assisting in and teaching a class for students with developmental disabilities which included managing small groups of students, assisting in and having some responsibility for planning and preparation of instructional materials and providing individual instruction to students.

OR

Satisfactory completion of practice teaching at an accredited college or university and satisfactory completion of twelve (12) additional semester credit-hours in Special Education with specialization in students with developmental disabilities.

AND

Possess three (3) years of experience teaching students with developmental disabilities. This experience must have been comparable in scope and complexity to work at the III level in the State service. Such experience must have involved the development and preparation of lesson plans and teaching units and experience in the overall management of a classroom.

OR

Satisfactory completion of twelve (12) semester credit hours in Special Education with specialization in students with developmental disabilities from an accredited college or university, AND one (1) year of experience as a professional teacher, not necessarily in teaching students with developmental disabilities. However, this teaching experience must have demonstrated conclusively that the applicant had experience and responsibility for planning and preparing for the independent operation of a classroom, which involved independently developing and preparing lesson and unit plans and carrying on overall classroom management.

The Special Education Teacher III in State service has independent responsibility for an assigned classroom. Methods and activities are developed by the teacher for effective presentation of subject matter and the development of students, with full accountability for classroom management.

Selective Certification Requirement: Applicants must possess work experience which included at least one (1) year of professional work experience which involved the education of blind or visually impaired students. Such experience may have been gained concurrently or separately in meeting the minimum qualification requirements of the class Special Education Teacher IV.

Driver’s License: Applicants must possess a valid driver’s license at the time of appointment.

Substitutions Allowed: Relevant substitutions for the Specialized Experience Requirement as described in the Minimum Qualification Requirements, will apply.

The information provided above represents a summary of the complete Minimum Qualification Requirements. To view the Requirements in their entirety, please CLICK HERE (Download PDF reader).

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Other Information

The State of Hawai’i complies with federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. If you require reasonable accommodations in completing an application, any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the selection process, please call 808-587-0936 for assistance.

PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS (PSLF) PROGRAM

The PSLF Program is a federal program that is intended to encourage individuals to work in public service by forgiving the balance of their federal student loans. To qualify, the individual must have made 120 qualifying payments while employed by a qualifying employer. For more information, please click: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service 

ELECTRONIC NOTIFICATION TO APPLICANTS

The Department of Human Resources Development (HRD) will use electronic mail (email) to notify applicants of important information relating to the status and processing of their applications as part of our ongoing efforts to increase operational efficiency, promote the conservation of green resources, and minimize delays and costs.

Please ensure that the email address and contact information you provide is current, secure, and readily accessible to you. We will not be responsible in any way if you do not receive our emails or fail to check your email-box in a timely manner. In addition, please be aware that you may no longer receive notification about applications submitted if you choose to disable the Job Application Emails feature in your Account Settings.

TESTING INFORMATION

The examination for this recruitment will be conducted on an unassembled basis where the examination score is based on an evaluation and rating of your education and experience. It is therefore important that your employment application provide a clear and detailed description of the duties and responsibilities of each position you held.

In-person interviews and/or further testing in Hawaii may be required at the discretion of the hiring agency. If in-person interviews and/or further testing is a requirement, applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements and are referred to the vacancy must be available to participate in person and at their own expense in this required phase of the selection process.

Applicants are encouraged to submit their applications as soon as possible. In addition to employment availability and score, the referral of qualified applicants may be based upon other factors including date of receipt of application.

CLICK HERE (Download PDF reader) for further information about Equal Employment Opportunity, the Merit Civil Service System, Citizenship and other requirements, Reasonable Accommodation, Veterans Preference, Examination Requirements, and the State Recruiting Office’s Levels of Review.

YOUR JOB BENEFITS WITH THE STATE OF HAWAI’I

The State of Hawaii offers its employees who are members of the civil service a range of benefits. Some benefits are offered as a result of collective bargaining agreements and changes may occur.

A summary of these benefits, which is based on full-time employment, is listed below.

Note: Benefits for NON-CIVIL SERVICE appointments will be provided by the hiring department at the time of interview.

With Civil Service modernization, effective July 1, 2002, employees appointed to temporary positions may also gain membership in the civil service upon satisfactory completion of an initial probation period of at least six months. As a temporary member of the civil service, you will be eligible to apply for promotion and transfer opportunities to permanent as well as other temporary positions. You may also enjoy other rights and benefits afforded to members of the civil service, with the exception of return rights and placement rights associated with a reduction-in-force of a permanent member of the civil service.

Paid Holidays

You may be eligible for 13 paid holidays each year; 14 holidays during an election year.

Paid Vacation

You may earn vacation leave at a rate that other employers find tough to match – 21 days each full year from the FIRST year of employment. This compares to an average of 10 days offered by private companies. You may accumulate up to a total of 90 days (720 hours) of vacation.

Paid Sick Leave

You may earn sick leave at the same rate as vacation – 21 days per year from the FIRST year, and there is no limit on the amount you can accumulate. Expectant mothers may also use sick leave for pre-natal or post-natal check-ups or any illness related to pregnancy. Plus, unused accumulated sick leave may eventually be used to increase your retirement benefits in certain situations.

Other Leaves

Reasonable time off with pay may be provided for jury or witness duty, a death in the family, some military duty, and donation to the Blood Bank. Leave sharing donations may be granted to eligible employees who have serious personal illnesses or injuries or need to care for a seriously ill or injured family member. Various leaves without pay may also be granted with full re-employment rights.

Health Insurance

The State pays a part of the premiums for each employee’s enrollment in a State sponsored Medical, Drug, Vision, and Dental Plan. For more information, visit the Employer Union Trust Fund website www.eutf.hawaii.gov for coverage and options.

Group Life Insurance

The State provides a free life insurance policy for employees.

Retirement Plan

The State contributes to a retirement plan for eligible employees. Generally, employees under the Hybrid Plan with 10 years of credited service and who have reached 65 years of age or have 30 years of credited service and have reached 60 years of age may retire and receive benefits. To find out more about the options you have, go to http://ers.ehawaii.gov.

Premium Conversion Plan

Participating employees may increase their take-home pay by having the State deduct the cost of health care premiums before payroll taxes are withheld.

Flexible Spending Accounts

Eligible employees can reduce their federal and state income taxes and social security taxes through a tax-savings benefit program called Island Flex. This program allows employees to set aside money from their paychecks to pay for out-of-pocket health care expenses and eligible dependent care expenses on a BEFORE-TAX basis.

Transportation Benefits

Participating employees may increase their take-home pay by having the State deduct qualified transportation expenses (i.e. eligible parking fees, monthly bus passes for TheBus, fare coupons for The Handi-Van, Vanpool Hawaii participation fee, etc.) through pre-tax payroll deductions.

Deferred Compensation

The State offers employees a voluntary pre-tax retirement savings plan designed to give employees a tax break today and an opportunity to build a retirement nest egg through voluntary payroll deductions. Several types of investment options are available.

Temporary Disability Insurance

Qualified employees may be eligible to receive benefits for a disability caused by a non-work related injury or illness under this program.

Social Security

As an employer, the State also contributes to an employee’s social security account.

Promotions & Transfers

For employees with membership in the civil service, the State offers promotion and transfer opportunities throughout the State Executive Branch.

Training & Continuing Education

The State supports developmental activities related to an employee’s work. In many departments there are numerous in-service training opportunities available. Sabbatical leaves with pay are available for qualified employees.

Travel Expenses

The State may pay for certain business related travel expenses including mileage reimbursement for use of a personal car during work, airfare, meals and lodging expenses for trips to neighbor islands or out of state.

Incentive & Service Awards

The State has a program that recognizes employees for their years of service and provides cash awards for their superior accomplishments and other contributions that improve State operations.

Union & Collective Bargaining

Employees have the right to join the union for collective bargaining with the State and employee representation. Some employee unions provide discounts, insurance and other opportunities. Employees may also decide not to join a union, however, employees are required to pay union service fees unless the employee’s job is excluded from collective bargaining.

The above information is solely intended as a summary of the benefits available to State of Hawaii employees and is subject to change. Whether or not you are entitled to a particular benefit will depend on your specific appointment and employment status (included, excluded, exempt, non-exempt). Please refer to the appropriate collective bargaining agreement or executive order and all applicable laws, rules, policies, or plan documents for further details. Nothing herein shall be deemed as creating an employment contract, promise of employment, promise of continued employment, or obligation of any kind on the part of the State of Hawaii.

CLICK HERE for more information on the State of Hawaii’s Benefits At-A-Glance.

The State of Hawaii is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Revised 01/13

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