What are the responsibilities and job description for the Principal - Floyd Elementary 25-26 (2526.009) position at Gadsden City?
TITLE: Principal
STATUS: Exempt
QUALIFICATIONS:
- A master’s degree or higher, with a major in educational administration.
- A valid Alabama teacher’s certificate in the field of school administration.
- At least three years’ successful experience as a classroom teacher at the appropriate level.
- Such alternatives to the above qualifications as the Board may require.
REPORTS TO: Superintendent
SUPERVISES: All personnel serving in assigned school
JOB GOAL: To effectively and efficiently administer the school in an effort to maximize the educational benefits which will accrue to those who receive services provided by the school.
PERFORMANCE RESPONSIBILITIES:
I. Instructional:
A. Evaluation
- Implements the present Board adopted staff evaluation plan.
- Arranges for staff development plans to be carried out in an efficient manner by observing, arranging conferences, selecting materials, and making recommendations for improvement to the staff members.
- Analyzes and makes staff recommendations in areas where staff development is needed.
- Actively participates in cooperative evaluation of the school curriculum and seeks to make same compatible with systemwide goals.
B. Curriculum Development
- Studies, makes recommendations, coordinates, interprets, and implements approved curriculum.
- Assumes the leadership for helping identify basic needs of the school community.
- Involves parents, teachers, and students in developing the school curriculum.
- Provides for formulation of curriculum objectives.
(a) Identifies with staff important social, political, and economic trends in the community and nation.
(b) Views the curriculum as a whole (conceptual skills).
(c) Provides for continuity in the program, scope, and sequence.
(d) Plans, conducts follow-up on extra curricular activities.
(e) Seeks to find means of stimulating and motivating the members of the faculty and staff to contribute their best efforts to attain the curriculum objectives.
(f) Keeps lines of communication open between school and community.
(g) Encourages faculty and staff to seek and utilize innovative instructional methods.
(h) Coordinates the work of all instructional supervisors in his/her school.
(i) Assists in selecting materials, resources, and equipment for instructional programs.
C. In-Service
- Upgrades and perfects his/her competencies by establishing direct lines of communication with the Central Office staff and the instructional staff.
- Plans and develops instructional experiences with the professional staff based on identified needs.
- Secures help as indicated by the individual staff member.
- Encourages and promotes the growth of positive attitudes towards the profession through personal and interpersonal team experiences.
- Assists in planning and conducting in-service programs for all personnel.
II. Administration and Organization:
- Prepares and/or supervises the preparation of all required reports, records, and inventories.
- Plans with staff, prepares, and submits the school’s annual budget.
- Monitors all collections and expenditures of funds.
- Coordinates or supervises such support services as maintenance, security, food services, recreational programs, financial and accounting functions, library activities, and the like.
- Prepares various schedules for maximum use of time and space.
- Participates in principals’ meetings and such other meetings as are required or appropriate.
- Assists with the development, distribution, and interpretation of a faculty and staff handbook.
III. Personnel:
- Interviews and recommends to the Superintendent persons to be employed.
- Orients newly assigned staff members and assists in their development, as appropriate.
- Evaluates progress of faculty and staff and makes recommendations to the Superintendent.
- Supervises and coordinates all services provided to the school by the local post-secondary institutions.
- Coordinates leave for all school personnel and secures needed substitutes.
- Interprets and implements policies as developed by the local board of education.
- Conducts staff meetings.
IV. Student Activities and Services:
- Supervises school activities.
- Participates in designing programs to meet specific needs of the school.
- Supports school sponsored activities, functions, and athletic events.
- Seeks appropriate assistance with student related problems.
- Demonstrates a genuine interest in young people, their activities, and problems.
- Has a thorough understanding of the growth and development of youth.
- Fosters a school climate in which students can develop good citizenship through self-discipline, self-direction, and cooperative participation.
- Involves students and teachers in developing and implementing school standards.
- Is firm, fair, and consistent concerning discipline and maintains respect for the dignity of the individual.
- Is aware of the importance of guidance and utilizes appropriate techniques.
- Establishes guides and records for student conduct and discipline.
V. Community Relations:
The principal establishes and maintains favorable relationships with local community groups and individuals to foster understanding and solicit support for overall school objectives and programs; communicates board policies and administrative directives; discusses and resolves individual student problems.
VI. Personal Characteristics:
- Acts with initiative and self-confidence
- Leads effectively
- Treats all people with respect and goodwill
- Uses good judgment
- Shows poise, courage, and self-control
- Appears healthy and vibrant
- Speaks and writes clearly and well
- Looks neat and attractive
- Is punctual and reliable
- Has a positive attitude
VII. Performs other responsibilities as assigned by the superintendent.
EVALUATION: Performance of this job will be evaluated annually in accordance with provisions of the Board’s policy on Evaluation of Administrative Personnel.
SPECIFIC DUTIES OF PRINCIPALS
Principals possess the following powers and will discharge the following duties:
- They are responsible for the organization, administration, and operation of their respective schools and all activities therein.
- They are responsible for the educational advancement and growth within the school of which they have charge.
- They exercise supervisory functions within their schools, including supervision of classroom and other activities.
- They are responsible for the care and safekeeping of their respective school buildings and grounds and all furniture, books, apparatus, equipment, supplies, and other property.
- They will enforce all rules and regulations of the board of education and of the superintendent of schools in their respective schools.
- They have power to establish special regulations for their respective schools, provided such special regulations are not inconsistent with the policies, rules, and regulations adopted by the Board. Such special regulations should be derived cooperatively through the joint efforts of the principal and the faculty.
- School lunchrooms in the various schools are the direct responsibility of each principal. Principals should see that school lunchrooms offer a balanced lunch which will assist in meeting the nutritional requirements of children.
- The principal or his authorized representative should be present in his respective school building at least 30 minutes before the time for opening school and in cold or rainy weather, or if pupils wish to study, admit pupils to the buildings.
- If, and when, it becomes necessary for a principal to be away from his building as much as two hours on a school day, permission must be received from the superintendent’s office.
- As needed, principals will hold faculty meetings in their respective schools during the school term, requiring all teachers to attend. Careful plans should be made in advance for these meetings.
- Principals are expected to attend all principals’ meetings called by the administration.
- Principals should report in writing to the superintendent all cases of negligence, inefficiency, willful violations of the school rules, and insubordination to authority on the part of teachers and other employees under their supervision.
- Principals of all schools should see that regular fire drills are held throughout the year.
- Principals will not dismiss their schools for a day, or part of a day, without authority from the administration, except in cases of emergency, and then immediate notice of such dismissal shall be furnished the superintendent.
- Principals will not admit pupils from other school districts except in accordance with Board policy and with approval of the superintendent.
- Principals will see that no one is allowed to read or distribute any advertisement in the school or on the school premises. No agents of books or apparatus, or other persons not connected with the schools will be permitted to occupy the time of teachers or pupils during school hours. No collections or contributions will be allowed to be taken, or tickets sold for any reasons not connected with the purposes of the school and approved by the superintendent.
- No principal or organization is authorized to build, add to, or make any installations or alterations in any of the school buildings, lunchrooms, or any of the school grounds without authorization from the superintendent of education or his authorized representative. In the event of any authorization, plans for same must be submitted to the business manager and the work must be supervised by him.
- Principals of schools to which children are brought by school buses or other school directed transportation will be responsible for the coordination of supervision for the loading and unloading of the buses. The children must be supervised while waiting for the school day to begin and at the close of school. It is a cooperative enterprise between the staff and principal, but the principal is ultimately responsible for the safety and welfare of all students.
- Principals will assist in interpreting the schools to the public and in creating good will for public education in the community.
- Principals are expected to make requisitions for instructional and janitorial supplies on proper forms.
- Principals are responsible for submitting accurate reports to the Central Office at specified times. Among these reports are: monthly attendance, annual attendance, textbook, payroll, age-grade and grade-progress, financial, lunchroom, etc.
- Principals are responsible for the keeping of accurate, up-to-date pupil records. They are also responsible for the furnishing of pupils’ transcripts upon request to other schools or colleges.
- Principals are responsible for evaluating all employees and for making recommendations to the superintendent concerning the retention or termination of employees for the next year.
- Principals shall perform other duties as may be assigned to them by the superintendent.
GENERAL QUALIFICATIONS OF PRINCIPALS
To be considered for a principalship, a teacher must hold a master’s degree and must have completed the requirements for a valid certificate in educational administration. Because improvement in learning and instruction is a primary responsibility of the principal, only the very competent teacher should be considered for a principalship. Among the important human qualities are leadership, intelligence, unselfishness, self-control, patience, thoughtfulness, consideration, courtesy, friendliness, and a love of children and zeal to serve them. In general, principalships are filled by promotion from within the system, but there is no regulation forbidding appointment from outside the system. Teachers interested in promotions into principalships or supervisory positions are required to submit a letter of request for consideration and an official transcript of college credits earned for inclusion in their personnel folder.
The principal is considered by the board of education to be the administrative head of the school to which he is assigned. He is directly responsible to the superintendent for the organization and operation of his school. In order to expedite educational matters most effectively, to relieve the superintendent of detailed matters, and to follow the best practices of administrative procedure, principals are encouraged to work directly with other Central Office personnel both in complying with the requests emanating from the Central Office and in seeking approval for contemplated innovations.
This administrative procedure, however, does not preclude discussion between the principal and the superintendent in professional or personal matters, or even in administrative or instructional affairs. Moreover, the superintendent may sometimes choose to call in a principal or other staff member for a conference.
