Elementary Regional School Superintendent (SY25-26)

Boston Public Schools seeks an Elementary Regional School Superintendent.

Reports to: Chief of Schools

Boston Public Schools serves 48,000 children in 119 schools. We fundamentally believe that schools are the unit of change where our school leadership teams and educators create rigorous, supportive, and safe environments for every child to reach their full potential. Our work as a district is to ensure this is possible at every one of our schools.

Position Overview:

The Elementary Regional School Superintendent (ERSS) will design and lead a professional learning community of ~15 preK-8 schools to be innovative, high performing learning environments that provide the highest quality learning opportunities for every child. With the support of an Operational Leader and a regional team, the ERSS oversees and ensures the continuous improvement and development of all school leadership and instructional leadership teams to drive results for students. In partnership with the regional team and the Schools Department the ERSS identifies, designs, and leads collaborative professional development opportunities across the region.

The ERSS leads the development and monitoring of each school’s QSP in three critical areas (MTSS and literacy instruction, culture and climate and attendance) and identifies interventions or areas to augment learning. The ERSS is the ultimate supervisor of these school leaders by conducting the performance management. The ERSS is ultimately responsible for outcomes in these ~15 schools. The ERSS is then responsible for coordinating the strategy, deployment of resources, and support to schools within the portfolio. The ERSS will lead Boston Public Schools to truly be an organization focused on providing differentiated service to schools, focused ongoing learning, and guided at all times with an equity agenda.

Duties and Responsibilities

Leadership:

• In collaboration with Chief of Schools, set the vision for school leadership in learning network elementary schools
• Collaborate with BPS central office departments to design the process for the annual school planning and approval process (Quality School Plan - QSP): Universal Expectations,QSPs, autonomies, and goals  for each school in the portfolio
• Set the goals and expectations for school leaders performance, growth and development
• Set the vision for school leader professional development
• Set the vision and expectations for central office support to schools (tools, resources, and liaisons) with Department Heads
• Build the next level of learning for school leaders at Boston Public Schools, designing the new support structure that will empower school leaders with the skills, tools, and conditions to thrive
• Align the overall strategy for the portfolio of elementary schools to ensure college, career, and life success for all BPS students.

Support:

• Design the scope and sequence of school leader professional development (focus on tools, resources, peers)
• Lead a regional team to support and accelerate improvement within the portfolio
• Facilitate adult learning, enabling direct learning and collaborative opportunities for growth
• Support schools in diagnosing needs, designing, and implementing annual QSP, including staffing, budget, and operational plan, ensuring that staffing, student-grouping plans, scheduling, and organizational structures are appropriate to meet desired student outcomes
• Conduct quarterly school visits to monitor the fidelity of implementation of QSP plans (checking for quality of implementation, opportunities, etc.)
• Monitor instructional leadership of school leaders with particular focus on instruction, supervision, intervention, and data-driven decision-making
• Provide expertise and coaching if, when monitoring school performance, concerns arise
• Provide differentiated expertise and coaching for new principals
• Ensure and support communication with school communities, neighborhoods, and stakeholder engagement, working with the Office of Family and Community Advancement to assist in building partnerships with families and the community that support student learning
• Act as primary liaison to regional schools to advocate for and support BPS strategy and initiatives
• Support school leaders in engaging with BPS families and community members 

Accountability:

• Ensure innovative and effective instructional practices consistent with EQL observation tool to improve student achievement for all subgroups
• Hold schools accountable for school performance and student outcomes
• Provide support and hold the regional team and school leaders accountable for fidelity of QSP implementation 
• Ensure school leader effectiveness in meeting standards, goals, and implementing plan
• Provide support and hold school leaders accountable for supervision and evaluation of staff
• Provide support to and hold regional team accountable for designing and executive effective collaborative learning opportunities focused on the three QSP priorities
• Ensure that all schools in portfolio have professional development plans, coaching and feedback systems, and accountability systems aligned to building competency and progress meeting Universal Expectations 
• Ensure that schools access resources especially focused on the three QSP priorities 
• Ensure that each school is making measurable progress toward Universal Expectations.

Skills and Competencies:

• Knowledge of rigorous, standards-based instruction looks for all students and how to lead school leaders and teachers to design schools that make that possible.
• Experience with urban schools that demonstrates a track record of successfully leading transformational change for students.
• Ability to interpret and make meaning of qualitative and quantitative data.
• Ability to know what school and student progress looks like, and ability to diagnose and prescribe what to do when progress is not present.
• Belief in the ability of adults and students to improve.
• Ability to hold school leaders accountable for delivering results for students.
• Ability to manage time and competing priorities effectively to prioritize personal work and work across schools and learning networks.
• Ability to navigate systems, build positive relationships with ease, and inspire school teams to build a vision and deliver on it.
• Have experience and believe in engaging stakeholders in schools, ready to support school leaders and teams in building their school communities to support this work.
• Lead by example and represent schools, self, and Boston Public Schools.

Qualifications-Required:

• Considerable experience as a principal that includes a demonstrated track record of rapid student growth in a diverse, urban setting
• Understands and knows the neighborhood and community of the region
• Track record of holding educators or teams of educators accountable for results
• Expertise and deep knowledge in urban school leadership, school improvement strategies, and district improvement strategies
• Record of success in managing people and teams, coaching leaders to improve and excel, and building a positive and collaborative adult culture.
• Ability to constantly evaluate the needs of schools and provide leadership and recommendations of ways to best modify existing systems to meet changing needs of a growing organization
• Valid certification for Superintendent/Assistant Superintendent or eligible to obtain one within first year of employment
• Master's degree from an accredited college or university with coursework in educational administration, education, and curriculum development
• Current authorization to work in the United States - Candidates must have such authorization by their first day of employment

Qualifications-Preferred:

• Specialist or doctorate degree preferred
• Familiarity with Boston and/or the Boston Public Schools
• Experience as a supervisor of school leaders strongly preferred
• Experience as a leader in a Central Office
• BPS strongly prefers linguistic diversity, and candidates who speak another language bring added value to the classroom, school, and district culture and diversity. BPS is particularly interested in candidates fluent in one of BPS's official languages: Spanish, Creole (Cape Verdean), Creole (Haitian), Chinese, Vietnamese, Portuguese, & Somali.

Terms: Managerial, F101.

The Boston Public Schools, in accordance with its nondiscrimination policies, does not discriminate in its programs, facilities, or employment or educational opportunities on the basis of race, color, age, criminal record (inquiries only), disability, homelessness, sex/gender, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, genetics or military status, and does not tolerate any form of retaliation, or bias-based intimidation, threat or harassment that demeans individuals’ dignity or interferes with their ability to learn or work

Salary : $196,320