High school scheduling specialist

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is a district on the rise, serving over 325,000 students in 500+ schools and employing over 45,000 people, most of them teachers. CPS has set ambitious goals to ensure that every student, in every school and every neighborhood, has access to a world-class learning experience that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life. Aligned with our transformed philosophy, we are steadfastly focused on ensuring that the District provides resources equitably to support every student, every school, and every community. Six core values guide the work we do every day for our students – student-centered, whole child, equity, academic excellence, community partnership, and continuous learning. Each role in the district supports our vision that every student deserves a rigorous, joyful, and equitable learning experience.

The Instructional Systems and Supports (ISS) department envisions a school system where equitable grading, scheduling, and recovery practices empower every student to succeed. Through collaborative partnerships, data-informed decision-making, and consistent alignment with equitable policies, ISS builds and sustains systems that promote fairness, clarity, and opportunity for all learners. The department supports districtwide systems and initiatives related to grading, scheduling, promotion, graduation, credit recovery, and other instructional processes, working collaboratively with schools, networks, and central office partners to ensure effective implementation and continuous improvement. ISS is led by the Executive Director of Instructional Support Services and includes teams and leaders responsible for advancing high-impact instructional systems and supports across the district.

Job Summary:

Reporting to the High School Scheduling Manager, the High School Scheduling Specialist supports districtwide systems and processes that support high school scheduling, graduation, and course catalog administration across Chicago Public Schools. The position serves as a central point of coordination among schools, networks, academic content teams, Information Technology Services (ITS), system partners, and other district offices to ensure alignment with district policies, strategic priorities, and operational needs. Responsibilities include managing scheduling systems and data quality, leading training and technical support, overseeing graduation requests and related guidance, administering course catalog workflows and updates, coordinating with academic content teams, analyzing course usage data, and maintaining communications, timelines, and resources to support schools and district stakeholders. This is a full-time, exempt position that will be paid for time worked on a salary basis.

The High School Scheduling Specialist will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

• Provide training, technical support, and guidance to school and district stakeholders by providing office hours, coordinating deadlines and communications, assisting in creation and distribution of resources, maintaining readiness and graduation trackers, and resolving scheduling, roster, and waiver issues.
• Facilitate and monitor the districtwide high school scheduling process for an assigned portfolio of all district schools, including Options and Charter schools, ensuring alignment with district policies and strategic goals while partnering with ITS, Aspen, and Follett to resolve technical issues, address scheduling data quality concerns, and optimize system functionality.
• Coordinate the manual high school graduation request process, including reviewing submissions, auditing student promotion status changes across graduation cycles, monitoring the graduation inbox, and ensuring compliance with district policies and procedures.
• Monitor and support the administration, accuracy, accessibility, and continuous improvement of the district course catalog, including course naming conventions, Aspen system configuration, course creation and mapping workflows, approval processes, and course usage data analysis.
• Coordinate with academic content teams and high school schedulers to maintain course offerings, provide training and onboarding, manage key deadlines and communications, and serve as the primary point of contact for course catalog troubleshooting and inquiries.
• Other duties as assigned.

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the High School Scheduling Specialist must possess the following qualifications:

Education Required:

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.

Experience Required:

Minimum of three (3) years of relevant professional experience, including experience with HS Scheduling and supporting the development of HS Course Catalogs.

Other Requirements:

Access to transportation to travel to or between various schools/worksites to provide in-person support may be required. Valid Driver’s License and vehicle access preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of high school scheduling practices.
• Ability to quickly gain a strong working knowledge of CPS graduation requirements.
• Effective strategic and project planning capabilities, including the ability to align/manage activities toward goal fulfillment and successful project completion.
• Ability to build collaborative relationships with a variety of constituent groups, including external partners, to ensure the entire system operates in the most effective manner possible to support schools and principals.
• Ability to define problems, analyze data, and outline valid conclusions and action steps.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills (speaking - including presentations - listening, and writing), interpersonal, and organizational skills.
• Demonstrate high levels of integrity, honesty, credibility, and the courage to make difficult yet necessary decisions.

Benefits:

Health & Wellness: Your Care, Your Choice

CPS is committed to providing comprehensive health coverage to our employees and their eligible dependents. You'll have access to a variety of choices to best fit your needs:

• Medical Plan Options
• Pharmacy
• Dental
• Vision
• Behavioral Health & EAP
• Employee Wellness Program

Financial Security: Planning for Today and Tomorrow

We understand the importance of financial stability, which is why CPS offers strong retirement and savings options:

• Basic Life Insurance
• Life and Disability Insurance
• Pension Plans
• Supplemental Retirement Plans (403(b) and 457(b))
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)
• Spot Pet Insurance

Work-Life Balance: Supporting Your Personal and Professional Life

CPS values the well-being of its employees and offers competitive paid time off policies:

• Paid Leave
• Sick Leave
• Vacation Days
• Parental Leaves
• Short-Term Disability
• Religious Holidays
• Leaves

Reference the Chicago Public Schools: A Comprehensive Benefits Overview or the benefits handbook for comprehensive details.

Conditions of Employment

As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), employees are required to:

• Establish/Maintain Chicago Residency - Employees are required to live within the geographic boundaries of the City of Chicago within six months of their CPS hire date and maintain residency throughout their employment with the district. The Chicago residency requirement does not apply to temporary/part-time positions; however, all CPS employees must be residents of Illinois.