Job Board

Reports to: PK-3 Principal
Application Deadline: Until position is filled
Start Date: August 1, 2025
Answering the Call
Feeling trapped in the box of the traditional educational model? Ready to rethink rural, K-12
education? Wouldn’t it be cool if you could teach in an innovative rural school that cultivates
students’ creativity and makes learning relevant through real-world experiences? A school in which the content standards are the floor and not the ceiling? A school in which relationships are valued more than compliance? Well, here’s your chance!
We are searching for individuals who are comfortable working in an exciting environment, who are risk-takers and are driven to imagine and explore the limitless possibilities for our students, and who are committed to providing an engaging, yet rigorous, project-based/place- based approach to teaching and learning. Successful candidates will be highly collaborative, yet independent thinkers, and will be comfortable “co-working” with their professional peers. Do you want to teach your students on a deeper level and facilitate opportunities for them to develop their passions beyond thecore content? You’ll be able to do just that at University Charter School. UCS is a diverse, student-centered school that is seeking educators who are prepared to lead and are passionate about UCS's ambitious plans to re-imagine rural education. If you’re tired of the box of tradition, apply to teach at University Charter School, where the box does not exist.

University Charter School:

University Charter School (UCS) is an innovative PK-12 public charter school that opened in
August 2018 in rural Livingston, Alabama. For the 2025-2026 school year, UCS will have ~764
students in grades PK – 12. UCS is designed to be a rural, diverse school that cultivates
independent thought, promotes the building of character and civic responsibility, and is committed
to preparing all students for personal and professional success through the discovery of individual
learning pathways in a rigorous and integrated Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts,
and Mathematics (STREAM) focused, project-based and place-based curriculum. The vision of
University Charter School is to become a rural model for producing adaptable learners that have a
strong sense of place, mission, and rural identity, and who recognize the value of collaboration
within a school, across a community, and between diverse rural regions. Our graduates will be
prepared to continually meet the demands of an ever changing economy and will be perceived as
community leaders and catalysts for meaningful change. We see UCS as a purposeful, place- based,
and collaborative pathway to encourage growth and retention in and to restore relevance to our rural
community.

UCS is strategically and intentionally located on the campus of the University of West Alabama and
was created in partnership with the University of West Alabama. UCS faculty and students will
leverage the assets of the University through hands-on partnerships and academic projects with
participating colleges and divisions that span health care, education, and the arts, to name a few.
UCS’s approach to education is unique in a number of ways:
? Location: The school’s location on the University of West Alabama campus in rural Sumter
County, Alabama, will provide students with the opportunity to build rich and ongoing
relationships with each other and benefit from the programs and opportunities available on
campus and in our community. Sumter County, our rural community, has been challenged by a
lack of high quality educational opportunities, a decline in overall child well-being, high
poverty rates, high unemployment rates, low per capita income, and depopulation. UCS was
created out of a partnership between the University of West Alabama and a rural, impoverished
community in an effort meet the educational needs of the children. By nurturing the diversity
of a divided community, UCS presents a solution to the unique educational challenges that face
rural communities by providing a blueprint for others to follow, as well as presents
opportunities to demonstrate and implement PK-12 best practices in a rural setting.
? Curriculum: UCS’s curriculum is project-based and place-based, which will provide
students with real-world local connections to what they are learning in school. Students
will also have the autonomy to direct their course of study, allowing them to pursue
academic work and projects that inspire them.
? Diverse by Design - Last but not least, UCS will ensure that a diverse group of students can
take advantage of all of the opportunities this school will offer.
Roles and responsibilities
? Successfully plan instruction, deliver high quality instruction, and assess and
progress monitor student progress
? Work collaboratively with colleagues and community partners in a co-taught, interdisciplinary
instructional setting, to design high quality, purposeful and meaningful learning experiences for
students through a project-based, place-based and problem- based approach
? Attend and participate in curriculum design and planning sessions and professional development
? Develop meaningful and supportive relationships with students through a positive
youth development lens
? Develop and maintain positive relationships and communication with parents and families
? Monitor students’ progress towards performance outcomes and personal learning goals
? Assess student knowledge of the standards using proficiency scales and record grades using
a competency based grading system
? Other duties as deemed necessary by the principal to support and strengthen the community
? Bring your "A Game" and have fun. It's what we do at UCS

Qualifications
The strongest candidates will have the following certifications, skills, and experiences:
? An undeniable enthusiasm for and commitment to authentically engaging youth
? Excellent verbal and written communication skills
? Exceptional organizational and planning skills
? AL Educator Licensure/Endorsements or equivalent Out-of-State Licensure/Endorsements
(If hired, out-of-state candidates must obtain necessary AL licensure (preferred, not
required)
? Evidence of excellence in teaching in a student-centered and rigorous environment
? Experience in a project-based learning environment is strongly preferred, but not required
? Willingness to learn, explore, experiment, question, create, critique, and enhance as
we RETHINK RURAL EDUCATION.

Salary and benefits
UCS offers a competitive salary dependent upon degree and experience and comprehensive
benefits package including State health insurance and retirement.