Principal (Steffen Middle School) - Vacancy ID: 200540

Job Posting Close Date:       April 1, 2024, by 11:59 PM

Position:                               PRINCIPAL
 
Location:                              Steffen Middle School

Starting Date:                       July 1, 2024

Steffen Middle School is a comprehensive middle school serving students in grades 6 through 8 in the Mequon-Thiensville School District. Steffen serves approximately 415 students. The district’s total enrollment is 3,500 students including one other middle school within in a community that embraces world-class learning opportunities and rich athletic, arts, and co-curricular offerings.

At Steffen, relationships are foundational to the collaborative efforts between families and the faculty. Research demonstrates that other than birth to three, adolescents between the ages of 10-14 grow at an accelerated pace intellectually, socially, and emotionally. Ensuring all students have opportunities to refine and nurture their interpersonal skills, engage in intellectual discourse, and experience challenging coursework to see the world from a larger perspective than their own is our life's passion. Cultivating a student-centered environment is a collective commitment made each and every day by the professional educators at Steffen Middle School.

The Middle School Principal plays a pivotal role in shaping the educational experience of our students during a critical period of their development. We are seeking a visionary leader who is passionate about supporting students, responsive to the needs of staff and students alike, and dedicated to creating a nurturing and inclusive learning environment. If you embody these qualities and are ready to make a positive impact on the lives of our students, we encourage you to apply for this exciting opportunity!

Job Summary: 

The Middle School Principal will work to provide the clear establishment of a shared vision for the school based upon the district mission, vision, and goals as well as the high standards and values of the larger school community. The Principal will provide instructional leadership to promote continuous improvement and ensure the alignment and relevance of improvement efforts; establish and enforce the highest professional standards of conduct; enhance morale and promote operational efficiency.

Required Education and Experience:

• At least three years of experience as a teacher

• Master’s Degree in School Administration

• Wisconsin administrator license as a school principal

• Effective listener and speaker with the ability to positively interact with all stakeholders

• Effective advocate who engages others in continuous improvement processes

• Ability to develop and lead effective professional learning

• Ability to build the leadership capacity of all specialists and professional staff

Preferred Education and Experience:

• Three or more years of successful teaching in the middle school grades

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Ability to define the middle school’s mission.

• Ability to create transformational change.

• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and handle urgent and unexpected situations.

• Ability to provide leadership to and coordinate several different working groups.

• Disposition modeling persistence, perseverance, and patience.

• Effective written and oral communication skills and ability to work well with others.

• Valid Wisconsin driver’s license

Physical Requirements:

• The employee is required to stand, walk, and reach with hands and arms.

• Exerting up to 10 pounds of force on a regular basis

• Occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds

• Moderate dexterity in operating machinery, tools, or office equipment

• Normal visual acuity and field of vision, hearing, and speaking abilities

Reports To: 

• Superintendent of Schools

Essential Functions:

Leadership
The Middle School Principal will:

• Develop with staff, annual educational goals which reflect the educational objectives of the District.

• Make a positive impact in the development of District and middle level philosophies, objectives, initiatives and methods.

• Establish and maintain an effective learning climate in the school.

• Provide for staff involvement in the decision-making process.

• Develop a process for obtaining feedback on their own performance from staff.

• Provide instructional leadership that assists teachers in developing effective pedagogical skills that result in improved student learning and behavior.

Student Management and Supervision
The Middle School Principal will:

• Promote an active and constructive dialogue with students and parents concerning student achievement, district initiatives, and vision.

• Interpret and analyze student achievement data and make recommendations for improvement based on data results.

• Coordinate the placement, promotion, and retention of all students at each grade level.

• Establish and maintain high standards for student conduct and enforce appropriate disciplinary actions as warranted.

• Communicate with the Student Services Coordinator to monitor that IDEA and 504 requirements are satisfied as well as timely completion and execution of annual IEPs for all special education students.

• Ensure inclusion of all students with disabilities in regular education classes as outlined by state and federal mandates.

• Direct the building staff in the process of maintaining the integrity and accuracy of the student information system, which includes attendance, student records, grades, and enrollment information.

• Promote student opportunities that provide achievement experiences, character development, service commitments, and resolution of student issues.

• Collaborate with colleagues to cultivate leadership skills in all students.

• Collaborate with students, staff, families, and the community to develop and support co-curricular activities and fundraising events.

Staff Management, Supervision, and Evaluation
The Middle School Principal will:

• Conduct regularly scheduled meetings with staff to promote the school vision, student learning, staff professional development, and efficient building operations.

• Conduct the teacher supervision/evaluation process in a timely and meaningful manner so teacher strengths and areas for growth are identified.

• Identify remediation needs of teachers and work with administrators and coordinators in the development and supervision of remediation plan requirements.

• Ensure appropriate transaction of staff discipline including recommendation for nonrenewal/termination through consistent supervisory practices, documentation, and testimony.

• Project professional staffing needs and participate in the recruitment, interviews, and recommendation of staff for employment.

• Manage support staff work schedules and conduct supervision and evaluation of support staff on a regular and timely basis.

• Monitor and authorize staff absences for both personal and school business reasons.

• Promote a collaborative labor/management relationship through a fair and consistent administration of district expectations (i.e. mission, vision, goals, handbooks, policies, laws).

Financial and Business Services 
The Middle School Principal will:

• Supervise building staff in the budget development and budget management procedures as directed by the district administration and School Board.

• Provide leadership in the development of recommendations for annual and long-term capital improvement and building equipment replacement/addition plan.

• Monitor and confirm the appropriateness of requisitions for equipment and supplies submitted by building staff.

• Maintain an accurate and current inventory of all books, equipment, furniture, and supplies assigned to the building.

• Assist the Director of Business Services in managing the school’s bus transportation and food service operations.

• Supervise, operate, and maintain school activity accounts within generally accepted accounting principles and guidelines established by the district.

• Work within and outside the school community to creatively find, develop, and allocate resources to support and enhance the school vision and continuous improvement plan.

Curriculum and Instructional Services
The Middle School Principal will:

• Promote state academic standards and district curriculum standards and ensure teachers are providing appropriate and effective instruction based on these standards and recognized assessments of the state and district standards.

• Promote teacher efforts of instructional differentiation and the use of multiple and varied student assessments to ensure they are meeting the needs of all students in an inclusive classroom environment.

• Promote and support the district's new teacher/mentor program to help ensure the success and retention of newly hired professional staff.

• Pursue personal professional development goals while sharing with staff the ideas, skills, and knowledge gained through those efforts.

• Facilitate the implementation and integration of technology in both the administrative and instructional functions of school operations.

• Provide oversight to the development and implementation of the master class schedule.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

Other Duties:

• Please note, this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice. 

Supervisory Responsibilities: 

• Instructional staff

• Non-instructional staff

• Provides guidance to the administrative team, instructional staff, non-instructional staff, and students

Terms of Employment:

• Twelve-month year (260/261)

• Salary to be established by the Board of Education

FLSA Classification: 

• Exempt

Evaluation:

• The performance of this job will be evaluated in accordance with the provision of School Board Policy and carried out by the Superintendent of Schools.

To review the Middle School Principal Leadership Profile, please visit our website: https://www.mtsd.k12.wi.us/departments/human-resources/employment

 

Applicants should submit a cover letter, resume, and at least three letters of reference along with their WECAN application.

The Board of Education does not discriminate on the basis of any characteristic protected under State or Federal law including, but not limited to, race, color, age, sex, creed or religion, handicap or disability, marital status, citizenship status, veteran status, membership in the national guard, State defense or reserves, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, arrest record, conviction record, use or non-use of lawful products off the District’s premises during non-working hours, or any other characteristic protected by law in its employment practices. This policy prohibits any form of discrimination as defined by State or Federal law including, not limited to, Title II, Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1965, Title IX of the Education Amendment Act of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Age Act.