Principal - IDEA Walzem Academy (Immediate Opening)

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. Principals focus on excellence and continuous improvement, and they expect and foster these values in staff and students. Principals lead their schools to ensure IDEA’s mission of College for All Children becomes reality.

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 San Antonio. 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.

Responsibilities

• 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 build positive student relationships, create effective classroom routines and procedures, reinforce positive behaviors, and respond consistently 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 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 other eligibilities (e.g., EB) receive the instruction and services they need. Coach and develop other leaders to 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 to 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 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 engage families as key partners in education. Coach and manage other leaders to 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 all staff receive excellent coaching and are held accountable for meeting high expectations.
• Lead Data Systems, Drive Strategy, and Manage your Campus Budget: Plan, execute, and maintain systems for schoolwide data collection, analysis, and action 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 the use of campus discretionary funds to achieve priorities and drive goals. Work with your APO, BC, and AA to ensure your campus discretionary budget is managed strategically. 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 staff members do the same. Build and maintain systems to ensure staff and the campus remain in compliance with all applicable laws and policies. Coach other leaders to do the same.
• Additional duties as assigned.

Skills

• Make Strategic Decisions: Use data and trends to drive decisions impacting multiple teams while anticipating risks and planning contingencies. Apply strategic frameworks to clarify challenges and guide coherent action. Support others in strengthening their strategic thinking and decision-making.
• Manage Work and Teams: Lead cross-functional coordination to align efforts with strategic goals, optimizing resource use and minimizing silos. Build accountability frameworks, monitor key performance indicators, and mentor emerging leaders. Implement scalable systems to enhance efficiency and team effectiveness.
• Grow Self and Others: Identify development needs across multiple groups and integrate them into broader strategic plans. Create structures supporting ongoing growth, engage in succession planning, and refine development strategies based on outcomes. Foster a culture where continuous learning is core to daily work and leadership.
• Build a Culture of Trust: Build trust and drive positive engagement across multiple groups, reflected in strong feedback and survey results. Proactively address concerns, model transparency and authenticity, and foster collaboration through open communication and shared ownership.
• Communicate Deliberately: Communicate a clear and compelling vision aligning team efforts with organizational goals. Proactively identify and address communication gaps, implementing solutions to enhance coordination. Anticipate and resolve stakeholder concerns before they surface.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree is required.
• Master’s degree is preferred.
• Preferred qualifications include at least 3 years of experience as an instructional leader achieving dramatic gains in a challenging context and 3+ years of teaching experience.

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.

Benefits

• Salaries for people entering this role typically fall between $108,100 and $128,600, commensurate with relevant experience and qualifications, and in alignment with internal equity.
• Eligible for performance pay based on organizational performance and goal attainment.
• Medical, dental, and vision plans.
• Disability and life insurance.
• Parenting benefits.
• Flexible spending account options.
• Generous vacation time.
• Referral bonuses.
• Professional development.
• 403(b) plan.
• Relocation stipend to defray the cost of moving for this role, if applicable.

You can find more information about our benefits at https://ideapublicschools.org/careers/benefits/.