Anticipated Opening

ABOUT OUR DISTRICT:

The Syracuse City School District is Building our Future by ensuring that all students have the opportunity to achieve at a high level. Teaching and learning are our core business and we know that education is essential to improve future life opportunities for our students. We also recognize that strong leaders and teachers together have a profound impact on student achievement. With this in mind, we are seeking educators who are ready to partner with us and our community in ensuring a bright future for all students. The Syracuse City School District represents 34 schools and 4 alternative education programs and serves over 21,000 students in grades Pre K-12. 78% of SCSD students qualify for free or reduced lunch price, and approximately 20% are served by the Office of Special Education.  77% of the students in the school district are students of color.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

The district is committed to ensuring that there is an effective school leader at the helm of every school and a high quality teacher in every classroom.  Syracuse principals provide transformational leadership to planning and managing one of the district's schools. This includes: implementing a school instructional model which focuses on high student achievement; building a positive school climate that supports the whole student; leveraging research and data to drive instructional practice; and building a high-performing staff and leadership team to achieve the school's vision and goals. The principal will collaborate with parents, community members, the SCSD central office, consultants, as well as other internal/external resources and stakeholders to implement new educational programs, capital improvements, systems reform, tools and other resources to accelerate student achievement.

WHO WE WANT:

Successful SCSD employees are passionately committed to urban education and all in for Syracuse students. They:

• Believe strongly that all students can learn at high levels;
• Demonstrate commitment to serving urban students, schools or communities, and to closing the achievement gap;
• Demonstrate willingness to put the interests of students above all others;
• Actively contribute to a culture of high expectations in schools and the district;
• Adapt seamlessly to the complexities of the urban school environment; and
• Follow current trends in education policy and research.

REPORTS TO: Assistant Superintendent 

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

A  Principal will be expected to fulfill the following responsibilities:

• Results Orientation
  • Promote a widely shared institutional belief that every child deserves and can have expert instruction and that all team members must be advocates for students
  • Set high performance goals for self and others despite instability and obstacles to success
  • Create a sense of urgency and take immediate action to ensure early successes
  • Establish and enforce high standards for excellence with students, teachers, staff, and other stakeholders
  • Align school resources and prioritize activities to achieve maximum results based on vision and goals
  • Relentlessly focus school activities on student achievement
• Action Orientation
  • Effectively plan and take action to achieve goals and objectives without direction
  • Consistently identify potential issues and obstacles and proactively take action to create and implement solutions
  • Formulate and execute on action plans despite ambiguity, obstacles or resistance
  • Impact and Influence
  • Establish a culture of learning and achievement
  • Act consistently to influence others' thinking and behavior to achieve results
  • Communicate a clear vision of success and benefits to engage all stakeholders (e.g. families, students, teachers, community members)
  • Identify and engage stakeholders to drive consensus, build trust and facilitate change
  • Anticipate and respond to stakeholder concerns and identify and engage key influencers and community resources necessary for success
  • Influence others to take action and demand change
• Develop and Lead High Performing Teams
  • Effectively build and organize adult teams to mirror vision and produce maximum results
  • Understand strengths and areas of growth for both team and individuals
  • Effectively delegate to others and engage team in shared decision-making when appropriate
  • Encourage learning and consistently provide instruction, expectations, feedback and other developmental activities to encourage leadership and build capacity
  • Consistently inspire excellence and promote high morale
• Strategic Planning and Problem Solving
  • Quickly recognize patterns and trends related to school performance
  • Analyze complex information to formulate strategic vision and develop action plans 
  • Identify appropriate metrics and use qualitative and quantitative data to assess performance and drive goals and decision-making. 
  • Recognize cause and effect between instructional activities and results 
  • Develop right balance of strategic and tactical plans to achieve immediate success while maintaining long-term vision 
  • Develop effective processes to achieve desired results
• The Principal will perform other duties assigned by the Superintendent of Schools or his/her designee.

EDUCATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Possession of a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership or related field
• Minimum of three years administrative experience in education
• Adaptable to the complexities of the urban school environment
• Strong belief that all students can learn at high levels and focus on building this culture school-wide
• Proven experience leading urban schools to accelerate student academic and learning performance
• Establishes a safe school culture that is conducive to student needs and student learning
• Familiar with school-level best practices to build and sustain change
• Deep knowledge of current trends and best practices in education policy and research, including comprehensive assessment systems and data-driven instruction
• Experienced in successful design and delivery of educator professional development 
• Proven success in conducting rigorous evaluations of educator and school staff performance
• Proven experience managing school budgets and finance
• Training and or experience with Culturally Relevant Education (preferred)
• Prior demonstration of exemplary attendance is expected of any candidate for hire.

CERTIFICATE REQUIREMENTS:

• New York State Certificate in Education Administration (School Building Leader)

SALARY/SALARY RANGE:

• Per the Unit 2 contractual agreement.