Principal or Vice Principal Middle School Principal
Job Description
Responsible for the collective success of a school, including the learning, growth and achievement of both students and staff. As the schools’ primary instructional leader, they will enable critical discourse and data-driven reflection about curriculum, assessment, instruction, and student progress, and create structures to facilitate improvement. They will create systems that maximize the utilization of resources and human capital, foster collaboration, and facilitate constructive change. By creating a common vision and articulating shared values, they will lead and manage their schools in a manner that supports schools’ ability to promote equity and to continually improve their positive impact on students and families.
SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED
- Receives direct supervision from the Superintendent and Chief Academic Officer.
- Supervises building licensed staff and non licensed staff.
PRIMARY DUTIES
The following are examples of primary duties assigned to the Principal. Other related primary duties and responsibilities may be assigned.
- Strategic Leadership: Collaboratively develop the vision, mission, values, expectations and goals of the school; Provide for data-based progress monitoring; Collaborate with staff and school community to implement strategies to move those goals forward.
- Instructional Leadership: Promote school-wide efforts to establish, implement; and refine appropriate expectations for curriculum, instructional practices, assessment and use of data on student learning that result in student academic achievement; Support teachers through ongoing, actionable feedback and needs-based professional development; Hold all staff accountable for setting and achieving rigorous performance goals for all students, and empower staff to achieve these goals across content areas.
- School Cultural and Equity Leadership: Articulate, model and positively reinforce a clear vision and values of the school’s culture, and involve students, families and staff in creating an inclusive and welcoming climate that supports it.
- Human Resource Leadership: Establish and effectively manage processes and systems that ensure a knowledgeable, high-quality, high-performing staff; Ensure that the school is a professional learning community; Participate in job fairs, screen applications and interview candidates for certified and classified positions.
- Managerial Leadership: Establish systems to improve student learning and overall healthy development for all students; Proactively manage interactions and relationships, including those among and between parents/guardians, students and staff; Ensure that the school provides a supportive environment that fosters a climate of safety, respect, and well-being; Provide supervision of the school campus during school hours and at extracurricular activities sponsored by the school; Supervise student discipline to promote a positive school climate.
- External Leadership: Design and/or utilize structures and processes, which result in family and community engagement, support and ownership for the school; Develop systems and relationships to leverage the school district and community resources available to them both within and outside of the school in order to maximize the school’s ability to serve the best interest of students and families.
QUALIFICATIONS
Knowledge of:
- Educational needs of middle school students
- Knowledge of curriculum development and effective instructional practices
- Knowledge of using data to promote student achievement
- Positive discipline and classroom management techniques
- Effective public speaking and presentation techniques
- Principles of supervision, training and performance evaluation
- Pertinent federal, state and local laws, codes and regulation
- English usage, spelling, grammar and punctuation
- Modern office procedures and methods
- Principles of business and letter writing and basic report preparation
Ability to:
- Supervise, plan and direct standards based education practices and curriculum development
- Implement district programs
- Oversee, direct and coordinate the work of staff
- Recruit, select, supervise, develop and evaluate staff
- Analyze situations and generate effective strategies
- Develop goals and implement plans, systems and procedures to achieve them
- Attend professional development, conferences and meetings (including evenings and weekends)
- Attend and supervise student and community activities (including evenings, weekends and holidays)
- Make presentations as required; create excitement for learning
- Be reflective on performance and have a continuous improvement mindset
- Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing
- Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work
- Motivate staff and students to achieve high levels of engagement and performance
Principal/director candidates are assessed using the following Roaring Fork Schools Leadership Competencies (derived from research about effective school leadership and from feedback from the Carbondale Middle School community):
- Ability to execute a strategic vision
- Team oriented and collaborative leader: effective as a team leader and team member; works with staff to create conditions for collective efficacy; prioritizes shared decision making and collaborative leadership
- Inclusive: values diversity, supports all students, foregrounds equity, welcoming to all
- Drives for results: high expectations and follow through
- Ability to influence
- Problem solving ability
- Showing confidence to lead: presents with confidence, puts oneself in challenging situations, takes personal responsibility for mistakes
- Persistence
- Planning: plans, organizes, and manages responsibilities effectively
- Cognitive complexity: analytical, conceptual, multidimensional
- Awareness of emotions in self and others
- Trustworthy: follows through on commitments, treats others with respect, builds relationships
- Ability to work with, respond to, and build strong relationships with staff, students, and community members; relatable and engaging
- Hands-on leadership; involved and visible; strong work ethic
- Student-centered, with a genuine enjoyment working with middle school students
- Approachable, accessible, and empathetic
- Values and utilizes restorative practices
- Excellent listener and communicator
- Sense of humor and fun
EXPERIENCE & TRAINING GUIDELINES
Experience: A minimum of three years teaching; three years as an Assistant Principal or Mentor Teacher.
Training: Equivalent to the completion of a Master’s degree from an accredited college in education or a related field.
License or Certificate: Possession of or enrollment in a program to obtain a Principal’s license through the Colorado Department of Education. Possession of ability to obtain and maintain an appropriate valid Colorado driver’s license.
WORKING CONDITIONS
Office environment; exposure to computer screens; travel from site to site. Primary functions may require maintaining physical condition necessary for sitting for prolonged periods of times; use of computer keyboard; light lifting and carrying.
SALARY RANGE AND DAYS WORKED
?Salary range: Initial placement range from $99,898 to $117,673, depending on education and years of experience.
Benefits: The Roaring Fork School District offers full district paid employee health benefits as well as voluntary vision, dental, and dependent coverage. Other benefits include: paid personal and sick leave, paid parental leave for mothers and fathers, a robust retirement plan under Colorado PERA with a district contribution of over 20% of an employee’s wages each month, Employee Assistance programs, a district wellness program, and access to discounted ski passes and other community benefits.
Days worked: this is an exempt position, scheduled to work 206 days/year.
ABOUT CARBONDALE MIDDLE SCHOOL
Carbondale Middle School (CMS) serves a diverse and multilingual student population of 350 students in grades 5-8. For more information visit our website at https://cms.rfsd.k12.co.us/
ABOUT THE ROARING FORK SCHOOL DISTRICT
With 13 schools and 5,600 students, the Roaring Fork School District is located in the culturally vibrant and naturally stunning Roaring Fork Valley serving the communities of Glenwood Springs, Carbondale, and Basalt. The Roaring Fork Schools believe that teachers are our most important asset, and our teachers enjoy a true teacher voice in decision-making; clear and collaborative leadership; small class sizes (an average of 21); a highly competitive and progressive salary schedule; access to our affordable housing program; and a culture of self-care and well-being. We believe diversity is a strength, and our staff makes a real difference for our students who come from different ethnicities, cultures, and socio-economic backgrounds.
