Principal - IDEA Frontier College Prep (Immediate Opening)
Description
Principal Mission: IDEA Principals are systems leaders and people managers who coach and develop teachers and lead team members at their school to achieve ambitious goals with students across both elementary and middle school grades at a campus.
Supervisory Responsibilities: You will directly manage campus leadership (i.e. Assistant Principals of Instruction, Assistant Principal of Operations, and School Counselors) and supervise the Administrative Assistant. You will also oversee school staff; this includes but is not limited to teachers, co-teachers, and testing coordinators, with potential for additional supervisory responsibilities as needed.
Location
This is a full-time position located in the Rio Grande Valley. Preference will be given to candidates who live in the region, or who are willing to relocate.
Travel Expectations
Travel to campus and regional training locations.
Essential Duties
Lead School Culture Systems: Set the vision for school culture and build and maintain strong schoolwide systems to ensure that vision becomes a reality. Ensure all leaders are proficient in coaching teachers and staff to proficiency in building positive student relationships, creating effective classroom routines and procedures, reinforcing positive behaviors, and responding consistently and effectively to misbehaviors. Coach and train leaders to coach teachers and staff to proficiency in these skills. Build and maintain strong schoolwide systems for MTSS to ensure students receive the Student Support Interventions they need.
Lead Instructional Systems and Special Programs Systems: Build and maintain strong schoolwide systems to ensure APIs coach teachers to internalize their content, deliver high quality instruction, and analyze data in order to implement strategic adjustments and interventions that increase student learning. Build and maintain strong schoolwide special program systems to ensure all students with IEPs, 504 plans, and any other eligibilities (i.e. EB) receive the instruction and services they need for success. Coach and develop other leaders to do the same and drive this work through your lead team. Build and maintain strong schoolwide systems for MTSS to ensure students receive the Academic Interventions they need.
Lead Operational Systems: Build and maintain strong systems for operations to ensure your campus is safe, welcoming, and efficiently run. Coach and manage the APO to meet student enrollment and daily attendance goals. Coach and develop the APO to be an excellent systems leader and people manager so that they can drive results through their team. Build and maintain strong schoolwide systems for MTSS to ensure students receive the Attendance Interventions they need.
Lead Family Engagement Systems: Build and maintain strong systems for family engagement and communication, including both new family onboarding and ongoing family engagement. Ensure families receive regular communication from staff (especially teachers) about their student’s progress and school events, and that staff (especially teachers) engage families as key partners in the education of our students. Coach and manage other leaders to do the same so that you can drive this work through others.
Lead Staff Culture and Talent Management: Make strategic hiring, retention and promotion decisions, and coach other leaders to do the same. Build and maintain systems for fostering a strong staff culture, and coach other leaders to do the same. Build and maintain strong systems for coaching and management so that all staff members receive excellent coaching and are held accountable for meeting high expectations in service of our students.
Lead Data Systems, Drive Strategy, and Manage your Campus Budget: Plan, execute, and maintain systems that allow for schoolwide data collection, analysis, and action in order to make strategic, data-driven decisions. Set strategic campus priorities based on data as part of your annual CIP and lead your team to achieve these priorities. Plan how to use your campus discretionary funds to achieve campus priorities and driving goals. Coach and manage your APO to lead the operations team to meet their budget goals.
Ensure your Campus Remains in Compliance: Complete all required annual compliance training and ensure your staff members do the same. Build and maintain systems to ensure that staff members and the campus as a whole remains in compliance with all applicable laws and policies. Coach other leaders to do the same.
Knowledge and Skills
Make Strategic Decisions: Uses data and trends to drive decisions that impact multiple teams, while anticipating risks and planning contingencies for key initiatives. Applies strategic frameworks to clarify challenges and guide coherent action, and actively supports others in strengthening their strategic thinking and decision-making capabilities.
Manage Work and Teams: Leads cross-functional coordination to align efforts with strategic goals, optimizes resource use and minimizes silos. Builds accountability frameworks, monitors key performance indicators to guide adjustments, and mentors emerging leaders, while implementing scalable systems that enhance efficiency and team effectiveness.
Grow Self and Others: Identifies development needs across multiple groups and integrates them into broader strategic plans. Creates structures that support ongoing growth, engages in succession planning, and continuously refines development strategies based on outcomes and data. Through this work, fosters a culture where continuous learning is a core part of daily work and leadership.
Build a Culture of Trust: Builds trust and drives positive engagement across multiple groups, as reflected in strong feedback and survey results. Proactively addresses concerns, models transparency and authenticity, and fosters collaboration through open, honest communication and shared ownership.
Communicate Deliberately: Communicates a clear and compelling vision that aligns team efforts with organizational goals. Proactively identifies and addresses communication gaps across workstreams, implements solutions to enhance coordination, while anticipating and resolving stakeholder concerns before they surface.
Required Education And Experience
Bachelor’s degree is required.
Master’s degree is preferred.
At least 3 years of experience as an instructional leader achieving dramatic gains in a challenging context and 3+ years of teaching experience are preferred qualifications.
Physical Requirements
Ability to move throughout a school building, including outdoor spaces, shared indoor spaces, and classrooms, and between floors via stairs or elevator.
Ability to engage in virtual meetings and work remotely.
Ability to travel to and from campus and regional training locations.
What We Offer
Compensation & Benefits: Salaries for people entering this role typically fall between $102,000 - $121,400 commensurate with relevant experience and qualifications and in alignment with internal equity. This role is also eligible for performance pay based on organizational performance and goal attainment. Additionally, we offer medical, dental, and vision plans, disability, life insurance, parenting benefits, flexible spending account options, generous vacation time, referral bonuses, professional development, and a 403(b) plan. You can find more information about our benefits at https://ideapublicschools.org/careers/benefits/.
IDEA may offer a relocation stipend to defray the cost of moving for this role, if applicable.
Application Process
Submit your application online through Jobvite. Please note that applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis until the position is filled. Applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible.