Middle School Principal - 2025/2026

The Danbury Public Schools serves a diverse community of over 12,000 learners across preK-12 programs Citywide. We are seeking a highly qualified, innovative and entrepreneurial instructional leader to serve as Principal of the Westside Middle School Academy (for STEM/Global Studies). The Academy is a full-day intradistrict magnet school serving students in grades 6-8. The school provides a challenging environment that encourages both academic achievement and a love of learning as students explore science, global studies and technology through daily, hands-on immersion experiences.


PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop, revise and enhance an annual School Improvement Plan that integrates a data-driven, equity focused, and multi-tiered approach to student achievement and attainment of District goals. Requires close collaboration with the Chief of Schools and the Central Office Leadership Team to inform localized decision making that drives student achievement.
• Provides leadership to enhance all aspects of student achievement and student-centered instruction with attention on school climate and culture and a focus on the social and emotional learning of middle school students impacted by the pandemic and school closures.
• Prepares an annual school based budget that serves the goals of the School Improvement Plan while recognizing funding constraints, and that is characterized by creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. Collaboration with the Chief Finance Officer and Assistant Finance Director required.
• Participates in the screening and selection of well qualified, diverse staff members who share the District and School vision for academic achievement. Provides critical evaluation and feedback to all staff members in keeping with the District's evaluation plans.
• Collaborates closely with District Education Leaders who are focused on achievement for English Language Learners and Special Education students in particular, to develop individualized plans that best leverage resources and meet District goals within the Westside community.
• Monitors the evaluation and planning process (PPT) and 504 process to provide appropriate instruction for students with special needs by working in collaboration with the Assistant Principal, the Middle School Special Education Supervisor and Central Office Special Education team.
• Collaborates with District educational leaders dedicated to ELL learning to develop, oversee and monitor achievement in those in-building programs that serve the unique needs of English Language Learners.
• Connects deeply with all members of the larger Westside community, to build relationships and connections that serve the School Improvement Plan goals.
• Insures the safety and well being of students in the physical space, by monitoring the maintenance of the physical grounds and overseeing the safety and security personnel assigned to the building.
• Provides leadership to the vision of both the STEM and Global Studies Academy & creating innovative project based learning experiences that are student centered and reflect the themes of each program.
• Supervises the preparation and maintenance of school records and reports as required by the Superintendent of Schools or his/her designee.
• Performs additional administrative duties as delegated by the Superintendent of Schools or his designee.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Current Connecticut Certification – Intermediate Administrator (092).
• 3-5 years of exemplary administrative experience as a secondary Principal preferred.
• Experience supporting a diverse student population required, with experience in educational leadership in an urban district preferred.
• Deep experience working with multiple instruments of student assessment at the secondary level, and the ability to effectively diagnose areas for improvement using a data-driven model is required. Working knowledge of Data-Wise Principles a plus.
• Commitment to implementation of Scientific Research Based Interventions (SRBI) across all levels.
• Superior communication skills and the demonstrated capacity to work well with other people.
• Demonstrated high standards of ethics, honesty and integrity.
• Demonstrated success in improving community engagement in an urban, multi-lingual environment is a plus.
• Effective problem solving skills.
• School leadership experience with demonstrated success in creating high performance among students and staff. Experience building effective building teams along with exceptional coaching skills.
• A track record of success in increasing student achievement in prior position.
• Experience analyzing student achievement results to inform instructional changes.
• A willingness to have crucial conversations around school improvement.

WORK YEAR
This is a full-year position, with a 225 day work year as further described in the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Danbury School Administrators Association (DSAA) and the Danbury Board of Education, which can be found on our website.

SALARY
As provided by the Collective Bargaining Agreement, annual salary between $166,691 and $184,442, dependent upon experience.

Application Procedure:
Apply Online, including required attachments.
http://www.danbury.k12.ct.us