Principal or Vice Principal Founding High School Principal
Job Description
Founding High School Principal
Veritas Prep Charter School was founded as a middle school in 2012 with a mission of preparing students to compete, achieve, and succeed in high school, college, and beyond. As Veritas grew, so did the number of family members, students, and parents asking one question: When are you going to start a high school?
With our community calling on us for support at the high school level, we knew we had to act, and VPCS was approved for expansion to high school in the fall of 2022! In 20-21, we gathered a diverse high school design team, bringing together Springfield community members, current and former Veritas students and families, and Veritas teachers, leaders, and staff. With the right voices at the table we have been able to reimagine what high school can look like and create a compelling career-focused Early College model aligned to our vision of a Veritas Prep High School Graduate. We are excited to launch an innovative high school where we can continue to support our students to compete, achieve, and succeed!
The Role
Are you ready to lead the launch of a new, rigorous, and innovative Early College and career-focused high school for students in Springfield? Veritas Prep seeks a full-time Founding Principal who believes all young people can achieve great things and is ready to partner with them and the community to launch an inclusive and socially just school where all scholars succeed. Opening in the fall of 2022, Veritas Prep High School (VPHS) will enable students to complete their high school diploma while earning college credits and credentials toward high-impact degrees and careers. Please consider this exciting opportunity to build on the successes of Veritas middle schools and the VPHS Design Team recommendations and create an exemplary high school program that propels students on the path towards their dreams.
What You’ll Do
As the Founding Principal of VPHS, you’ll build on research and existing design decisions to map out the details of the school program and prepare to launch implementation. You’ll work alongside our Director of High School Design (DHS), our High School Planning Team (HSPT), and student leaders, as well as collaborate with families, Early College Partners, industry experts, and community members to build background on our program details and dive into next steps.
You will also:
- Finalize the details of school culture and operations
- Contribute to the final Y1 details of our Early College and career readiness program and launch implementation aligned to our anticipated Early College Designation from the MA DESE
- Continue to build out the multi-year plan details for Early College and career readiness and access
- Invest stakeholders in our shared vision and plans to launch the school in the fall of 2022
In Spring/Summer 2022
- Review and develop remaining details of an innovative, challenging, and socially just high school program that ensures rigorous opportunities and varied learning pathways for scholars that prepare them for college and high-impact careers. This includes but is not limited to:
- Contribute to the hiring and development of a founding team, and review and finalize the proposed talent development system
- Finalize details of the school culture plan, including student and staff culture and family and community engagement
- Finalize operational details, including the proposed schedule aligned to key Y1 priorities (e.g., flexibility to include a college course in the 2nd semester)
- Work with DHSD, HS Planning Team and Student leadership Team to build background on existing program decisions and details
- Finalize our shared vision, values, and plans for high school roll-out and collaborate with the DHSD to project manage program development and timelines
- Collaborate with IHE partners to flesh out remaining details of EC and career readiness programming, including targeted academic pathways and program of study details, and to complete Early College MOU and DESE applications as needed
- Understand, leverage, and continually reflect on the Veritas Anti-Racism Standards to drive and refine all aspects of VPHS development, including culture and discipline, curriculum and academic program, professional development, hiring, leadership, and management
- Review and contribute to the finalization of a strategic program of study, identifying quality curricular materials and assessment tools that effectively disrupt racism in education and prepare students for a rigorous Early College and career readiness program
- Review and finalize detailed MTSS systems, innovative support strategies for early college, and a robust SEL and CCLR curriculum to ensure all scholars can achieve at high levels
- Work to develop strong family, community, and industry partnerships and integrate those partnerships into the VPHS vision and program
- Work with the Director of Talent to finalize hiring of a passionate and diverse team of effective teachers, operations, and support staff for year 1 of the high school
- Participate in leadership coaching, feedback, and professional development with current Veritas leaders and external providers (ongoing)
- Work with network and school leaders to develop a comprehensive orientation and year-long staff development plan for founding teachers, leaders, and staff
In SY 22-23
- Lead and manage the launch of VPHS with the inaugural 9th grade class
- Effectively lead, manage, support, and inspire staff through shared and distributed leadership to ensure all scholars receive excellent instruction
- Implement a year-long high-quality professional learning strategy and schedule for teachers and staff
- Implement our strategic academic program and use data and a targeted assessment systems to continuously monitor and improve scholar success
- Implement a robust and systematic approach to school culture, including SEL and CCLR curriculum, student life and leadership, and a tiered behavior support system
- Continue to foster family, community, and organizational partnerships that enhance our program and scholar experience and create effective pathways to successful careers
- Work collaboratively with scholars, high school and network staff, and IHE and industry partners to build out details for sophomore year and beyond
What You’ll Need (Qualifications)
- Our 20-21 Design Team established the following Leadership Must-Haves:
- Commitment ot centering students in all aspects of the program with an unwavering belief that they can achieve amazing things
- Experience successfully developing and leading diverse people and teams
- A track record of investing others in a shared vision and strategically executing on that vision
- Deep understanding of systemic racism and its impact in education and a commitment to anti-racist curriculum, practices, and policies
- A passion for continuous growth as a leader
- Strong track record with culturally responsive and trauma-informed practices
- Commitment and knowledge or experience with innovation in secondary education, including high-impact college and career pathways for traditionally underserved students and strategies to enable students to maximize their progress towards future success in high school
- Bachelor’s degree, master’s preferred (Education/Psych.)
- Five years of secondary teaching experience (preferred)
- Three years of school leadership experience at the high school level (preferred)
- Expertise in high school curriculum and programming in at least one content area
- Expertise in implementing continuous improvement cycles to achieve strategic goals
- A track record of success leveraging the talents of a team to execute multi-layered, complex plans
- Have or be eligible for a MA/DESE administrator license (Principal/Assistant Principal, Grades 5-12), including SEI endorsement
- Current authorization to work in the United States – a candidate must have such authorization by his or her first day of employment
Wondering if you should apply? Are you an experienced leader who is passionate about giving every child access to an education that will prepare them for wherever life takes them? Are you a life-long learner who thrives on feedback? If you answered yes, you should apply!
Think you don’t quite meet all the qualifications listed above? Apply anyway! We are looking for a truly diverse team of leaders, and research shows that historically marginalized groups are less likely to apply if they don’t meet every requirement. We want to recruit and support a diverse staff, to understand the history of inequity in education, and to ensure students see teachers, staff, and leaders who look like them working in their schools.
Still not sure? Set up a call with a recruiter by emailing recruitment@vpcs.org.
Veritas Prep is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against employees or qualified job applicants on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran or military status, marital status, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity or expression, or any other status or condition protected by applicable law. This policy extends to, but is not limited to, recruitment, selection, compensation, benefits, promotion, training, and termination.
About Veritas Prep
Veritas Prep Charter School (VPCS) was founded in Springfield in 2012 with the mission to prepare students in grades 5-8 to compete, achieve, and succeed in high school, college, and beyond. VPCS now serves more than 370 Springfield students and is one of Massachusetts’ top-performing middle schools. Building on the success of VPCS, Friends of Veritas Prep partnered with the Holyoke Public Schools, launching Veritas Prep Holyoke (VPH) in 2018 as part of Holyoke’s innovative turnaround efforts. VPH is a neighborhood enrollment school serving grades 5-8.
Launching in August of 2022, Veritas Prep High School will open its doors to 100 Springfield students in Grade 9, adding roughly 100 students and one grade level per year. We are committed to centering students and community in all we do. Over the past year, we engaged in a unique and innovative design process that put students and community at the center of decision making. The VPHS 20-21 Design Team, composed of more than ⅓ students, ⅓ family and community members and several staff, worked with additional community members and alumni to shape our Portrait of a Veritas Graduate and establish the central design priorities of VPHS. We are committed to fostering graduates who are College, Career and Future Ready; Woke Citizens; Innovators; Learners for Life and the Leaders of Tomorrow. To prepare them most efficiently and effectively for their futures, VPHS will offer a Wall-to-Wall (serving all students) Early College and career readiness program that puts all students on a pathway to high-impact careers through strategic college credits, work-place credentials and when possible, an Associates degree.
Veritas Prep schools provide a college prep curriculum in a safe, positive, and rigorous learning environment that allows students to thrive both academically and socially. Our educators believe in expecting the best from every student and in the power of building strong relationships with students and families, creating a community that supports the achievement of all. To learn more about Veritas Prep and the close-knit academic community of teachers and scholars in Springfield and Holyoke, visit www.veritasprepma.org.
