About this role
DISTRICT OVERVIEW Holyoke Public Schools is a PreK-12 public school district serving nearly 4,800 students, of whom 80 percent are Latino/Latina, in 11 schools. We employ nearly 1,300 people who together educate and support a richly diverse community of learners. We are committed to recruiting and retaining top-quality educators who believe all children can and will learn and who strive daily to make school a joyful place of discovery, support, and belonging. Holyoke Public Schools' strategic plan, “Moving Forward Together,” builds on the strengths of our past while serving as a call to action to accelerate student learning by thinking differently about how we teach, how we work together, and how we support students' well-being. Many successes contributed to Holyoke's return to local governance after 10 years in state receivership. These include:
• The highest graduation rate on record of 77.1 percent, an increase of more than 15-points over 10 years
• Meaningful, applied learning opportunities for high school students, including theme-based academies, career vocational technical education programming, work-based learning, and advanced coursework
• A comprehensive approach to early literacy that includes strong core instruction and one-on-one tutoring, contributing to more students reading at grade level
• A thriving dual language English/Spanish program, where nearly 900 students are on their path to becoming bilingual, biliterate, and bicultural
• More than one-third of Holyoke teachers identify as people of color, a 19-point increase over 10 years. Many partnership programs support staff to earn licensure or additional certification.
Please visit the Holyoke Public Schools website to learn more about us, our recent accomplishments, and our commitment to equity. - PERSPECTIVA GENERAL DEL DISTRITO Las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke son un distrito escolar público que cuenta con 11 escuelas de prekínder a 12.° grado y acoge a casi 4 800 estudiantes, de los cuales el 80 % se identifica como latino o latina. Empleamos a casi 1 300 personas que, en conjunto, educan y apoyan a una comunidad de estudiantes altamente diversa. Estamos comprometidos a contratar y retener educadores de alta calidad que creen firmemente que todos los niños pueden aprender y aprenderán, y que se esfuerzan diariamente por hacer de la escuela un lugar alegre de descubrimiento, apoyo y pertenencia. El plan estratégico de las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke , “Avanzando Juntos”, se basa en nuestras fortalezas previas y, al mismo tiempo, sirve como un llamado a la acción para acelerar el aprendizaje estudiantil a través de una nueva perspectiva sobre cómo enseñamos, cómo trabajamos en colaboración y cómo apoyamos el bienestar de los estudiantes. Existen numerosos logros que permitieron a Holyoke recuperar el control local después de 10 años de administración judicial. Entre estos logros se encuentran:
• La tasa de graduación más alta registrada, del 77.1 %, lo que representa un aumento de más de 15 puntos porcentuales en 10 años
• Oportunidades significativas de aprendizaje práctico para estudiantes de secundaria, que incluyen academias temáticas, programas de educación técnica y vocacional, aprendizaje basado en el trabajo y cursos avanzados
• Un enfoque integral de la alfabetización temprana que combina una sólida instrucción básica con tutorías individuales, lo cual ha contribuido a que más estudiantes lean a nivel de grado
• Un próspero programa bilingüe de inglés/español, en el que casi 900 estudiantes avanzan hacia el bilingüismo, la biliteracidad, y la biculturalidad.
• Más de un tercio de los maestros de Holyoke se identifican como personas de etnicidad diversa, lo que representa un aumento de 19 puntos porcentuales en 10 años. Diversas colaboraciones con programas que han contribuido a que miembros del personal obtengan sus certificaciones o credenciales adicionales.
Visite el sitio web de las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke para obtener más información sobre nuestra comunidad, nuestros logros recientes y nuestro compromiso con la equidad. Position Summary: The Office Manager serves as the operational and customer-service hub of the school. This individual ensures that the Main Office is welcoming, organized, responsive, and focused on the needs and safety of students, families, staff, and visitors. The Office Manager works closely with the Principal and school leadership team to coordinate daily school operations, maintain accurate and confidential records, support effective communication, and ensure timely follow-through on administrative responsibilities. The successful candidate must be able to manage multiple priorities, exercise sound judgment, solve problems independently, and remain professional and composed in a fast-paced school environment. Essential Job Duties
• Create and maintain a welcoming, respectful, culturally responsive, and service-oriented Main Office environment.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for students, families, staff, visitors, vendors, and community partners.
• Answer and screen telephone calls, respond to routine inquiries, accurately record messages, and direct individuals to the appropriate staff member or department.
• Welcome and screen visitors in accordance with district and school safety procedures, including visitor identification, sign-in, and building-access expectations.
• Communicate effectively and professionally with families, including families whose home language is not English, and arrange interpretation or translation support when needed.
• Maintain the Principal's calendar and assist with scheduling appointments, conferences, interviews, meetings, and school events.
• Monitor and support daily Main Office operations, including student arrival, dismissal, attendance, early dismissal, transportation changes, and other time-sensitive needs.
• Maintain accurate student, staff, attendance, enrollment, and operational records using district-approved systems.
• Prepare, type, format, distribute, and file correspondence, notices, reports, memoranda, spreadsheets, presentations, and other school documents.
• Maintain organized electronic and paper filing systems, including secure and locked files for confidential student and personnel information.
• Protect the confidentiality of student, family, and personnel information in accordance with FERPA, district policies, and applicable state and federal requirements.
• Receive, review, organize, and route incoming mail, correspondence, records, forms, requests, and deliveries.
• Gather, organize, analyze, and maintain data needed for school operations, reporting, planning, and decision-making.
• Support purchasing, supply orders, invoices, payroll documentation, staff attendance records, substitute coverage, and other financial or personnel processes as assigned.
• Maintain accurate inventories of office supplies, equipment, keys, and other school resources.
• Assist with the coordination of staff coverage, substitutes, meetings, field trips, transportation, and schoolwide events.
• Support school communication systems, including email, telephone, electronic messaging platforms, calendars, and family notifications.
• Respond calmly and appropriately to urgent situations, including student concerns, family needs, medical situations, safety matters, and operational disruptions.
• Recognize and resolve routine problems with minimal administrative intervention and promptly elevate concerns that require leadership attention.
• Anticipate operational needs, communicate potential challenges, and follow through until assigned tasks or concerns are resolved.
• Coordinate and, when assigned, oversee the daily work of clerical staff, office personnel, and temporary office support.
• Collaborate with the Principal, leadership team, teachers, support staff, Central Office departments, families, and community partners.
• Demonstrate professionalism, reliability, discretion, flexibility, and sound judgment in all interactions.
• Perform other related duties as assigned by the Building Principal.
Minimum Qualifications:
• High school diploma or equivalent required. Associate degree preferred.
• At least three years of successful administrative, clerical, secretarial, office-management, or related experience.
• Strong knowledge of general office procedures, practices, systems, and terminology.
• Excellent organizational, time-management, and attention-to-detail skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and maintain accuracy in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent customer-service and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively and tactfully with students, families, staff, visitors, vendors, and members of the public.
• Ability to remain calm, professional, and solution-oriented when responding to difficult, sensitive, or urgent situations.
• Ability to recognize and resolve problems with minimal administrative intervention.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment while maintaining discretion and confidentiality.
• Ability to work collaboratively as a member of a school-based team.
• Intermediate to advanced proficiency with word-processing, spreadsheet, database, presentation, email, calendar, and student-information software.
• Willingness and ability to learn new technologies, software programs, communication platforms, and operational systems.
• Experience maintaining accurate records and handling confidential student or personnel information.
• Knowledge of school department policies, procedures, and information systems preferred.
• Experience working in a diverse, multilingual school community preferred.
• Bilingual and bicultural candidates, particularly candidates who are fluent in English and Spanish, are strongly encouraged to apply.
Work Schedule: Hours: 40 hours per week. Specific work hours will be determined by the Building Principal based on the operational needs of the school.