Superintendent

                 Lawrence Family Development Charter School

                                                                                                      www.lfdcs.org

                                                                          Strengthening families…building community

                                                                                    SUPERINTENDENT – CHIEF EXECUTIVE
                                       

MISSION & OVERVIEW:

The Lawrence Family Development Charter School (LFDCS) was one of the very first public K-8 charter schools in Massachusetts, receiving its initial charter in 1995. It has as Its mission: “Strong families, working in partnership with the school as advocates for academic achievement, creating an environment where every child has the opportunity to acquire the foundation skills and habits of mind that foster life-long learning, citizenship participation and personal fulfillment.”

The mission and vision established at Lawrence Family Development Charter School’s founding in 1995 is unchanged and serves the Lawrence community by educating thousands of public school students from Kindergarten-1 to grade 8. LFDCS focuses on effective teaching and academic rigor, setting high expectations for all, mobilizing authentic parent engagement, maintaining a commitment to language acquisition and delivering academic fluency/literacy in both English and Spanish which are supported by valued partnerships in the arts and sciences.

LFDCS is currently completing its twenty-ninth year of operation. Based on its Mission and the Key Design Elements, which operate its charter and set its accountability goals, LFDCS maintains the philosophy of its founders. The governance structure, via the Board of Trustees, exemplifies the mission of the school by ensuring that the Board’s make-up consists of a parent majority and that parents are involved at every level of the school’s accountability.

LFDCS is structured in three divisions, the Academy (K1, K2, grades 1 & 2), the Lower School (grades 3 & 4), and the Upper School (grades 5-8), each with its own head of school. The School Principal leads, manages and supervises the heads of each of the three divisions of LFDCS. The Superintendent is the executive officer of the School.

THE KEY DESIGN ELEMENTS OF LFDCS:
LFDCS is faithful to its mission and implements the key design elements outlined in its charter and has substantially met the goals in its accountability plan

Parent Engagement: Parents are engaged as “advocates for their children” as an essential element of its history. Parents are regularly involved with the life of the school by following its policies of attendance, homework participation, in “Right from the Start” trainings, responding to parent surveys and attend requisite parent conferences for report cards three times a year. Parents accept leadership roles on the School Site Council, the ELL/Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) and the Board of Trustees. They have a strong voice in establishing policies and serving on various panels to educate other LFDCS parents.

Parent engagement includes regular Parent-Teacher Conferences, in the K1 “Right from the Start” program, Kindergarten-1 home visits, engaging with LFDCS partnerships, and many other events such as the “Open Doors” program of orientation to high school and high school fairs.

Dual Language: LFDCS designed its school with a dual-language mission to respond to the wishes of the founding parents that language and culture be taught. All students from grades K-1 through grade 8 have Spanish classes each day. The faculty of the Spanish language department build instruction to mirror the ELA goals, making curriculum goals in Spanish classes similar to curriculum goals of ELA classes. Spanish language classes focus on reading, writing and speaking skills. In addition, LFDCS succeeds in building strong relationships with English learner families. LFDCS has systems and staff in place to communicate effectively with those who may have language barriers. LFDCCS has created culturally responsive family engagement activities and collaborates with community organizations to support English learners.

Effective Teaching: LFDCS hires certified teachers who also hold high expectations for all students. SEI endorsement is required of all teachers after their first year of employment. LFDCS supports effective teaching through grade-level planning and school-wide lesson plan templates using standards-based instruction. Instructional delivery is organized in grade-level units, and lesson plans are tiered to meet the needs of all students. To enhance teacher induction and support, LFDCS has seven days of in-service for instructional staff, employs an RTI Assessment Coordinator, Teacher Coach/Mentor, Coordinator/Leadership Academy Coach, a Paraprofessional Coach, and a Digital Instructor. In-service agendas are determined and evaluated based on feedback from the instructional staff. LFDCS prioritizes certification for its teachers, and in some cases, teachers are hired as highly qualified. During this most recent charter term, due to a covid-related teacher shortage, LFDCS hired emergency-licensed teachers and provided MTEL Prep and SEI prep courses to prepare teachers or paraprofessionals to pass the MTELs and receive initial or provisional licensure and/or SEI endorsement.

Partnerships: LFDCS recognizes that community partners bring additional learning, enrichment and opportunities to our students and have
been consistent in inviting partners who support growth and achievement. Partnerships from area colleges create student support opportunities and provide a pipeline for new staff. The extended day enrichment programs and STEM initiatives are enhanced by a number of community partnerships.

Governance and Leadership Structure: Governance supports the vision and mission of LFDCS. A thirteen-member board comprised of six community stakeholders and seven parents of students enrolled at the school. A Parent Representative Trustee serves on both the Board Trustees and on the School Site Council to regularly inform Board Trustees of parents’ views of all aspects of curriculum, programs, student academic growth and any need for new policies.

Enrollment & Growth over the Next Five Years: Current enrollment in K1-8 is 900 students. Admission to LFDCS for prospective students and families is by lottery. LFDCS was approved to expand its enrollment from 800 students to 1,000 students beginning in FY 2022-2023 by adding sixty new students in K-1, K-2 and Grade 1, and adding an additional twenty new students at the K-1 level each year until the maximum enrollment
of 1,000 students is met by 2029.

LFDCS SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH:
LFDCS is in search of its next Superintendent. Its former Superintendent, who served in this leadership role since the founding of LFDCS, departed recently to accept a Superintendent’s role in a large public school system in Massachusetts. LFDCS at present is led by its Interim Superintendent.

Lawrence Family Development Charter School seeks a visionary and passionate leader to serve as its Superintendent. The role of the Superintendent is to oversee all aspects of the school - both instructional and non-instructional. This opportunity is as unique and exciting as LFDCS, the leading public charter school in Lawrence, MA.

The Superintendent position is a critical leadership role calling for a dynamic leader who will oversee all three divisions of the school: Academy (K1, K2, grades1 & 2), the Lower School; (grades 3 & 4) and the Upper School (grades 5-8). The Superintendent has the ultimate responsibility for keeping the school focused on its mission: “Strong families, working in partnership with the school as advocates for academic achievement, creating an environment where every child has the opportunity to acquire the foundation skills and habits of mind that foster life-long learning, citizenship participation and personal fulfillment.”

Desired Competencies:
The Superintendent candidate should possess an understanding and appreciation for the citizenry and demographics of the City of Lawrence as well as its general history. The Superintendent must be highly capable of providing strong organizational and instructional leadership and lead the heads of school in developing and implementing strategic programming initiatives under the direction of the Board of Trustees. The Superintendent must be focused on ensuring the highest levels of success for the school through deepening the engagement with parents, families, students, faculty and staff, community resources and the Board of Trustees.

JOB DESCRIPTION AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Superintendent will be the chief executive officer of Lawrence Family Development Charter School (the “School”). The position is responsible for all aspects of programs and services to fulfill the goals and mission of the School that are carried out through the administrative responsibility to:

• Develop and strengthen the mission and vision of the School to fulfill the goals of the founders of the School and the requirements of public education in Massachusetts.
• Align the mission and vision with the strategies necessary for implementation through the appropriate deployment of resources.
• Develop policies and programs which reflect best practices in education to ensure student achievement and present these for consideration by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”).
• Implement policies and programs, as directed by the Board with respect to the School and as suggested by other key stakeholders.
• Recommend staff positions in administration, teaching and support areas to meet the goals established for the School in its charter, its re-chartering and the directives of the Board.
• Oversee staff positions in administration, teaching and support areas.
• Select and supervise the Principal who is the chief educational leader of the School, responsible for supervising charter school staff and programs.
• Identify and secure all necessary resources to carry out the mission of programs and facilities including personnel, budgets, property, partnerships, and funding, both public and private.
• Serve as the official contact and responsible administrator to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (“DESE”), DESE’s Charter School Office and all legal oversight bodies established by state and federal legislation.
• Ensure that administrative services and programs meet all financial and legal requirements of state and federal regulations and contracted obligations.
• Oversee and facilitate the acquisition and build out of additional School space, and hiring of additional staff, to accommodate the expansion of the student census to 1,000.
• Communicate and coordinate with the Lawrence Family Development, Inc. (LFD) Executive Director regarding performance under the Management Services Agreement between LFD and the School.
• Provide leadership for School Accountability Plans by monitoring compliance with DESE accountability mandates, facilitating educational contracted services, and assisting with school operations of curriculum, instruction, assessment, evaluation, professional development, and state reporting.
• Lead the process to prepare documents for charter related matters, such as, mid-charter reviews, re-chartering, coordinated program reviews, tiered focus monitoring, and annual reports.
• Work with outside legal counsel to guide the organization's compliance with public entities and non-profit interactions and operations.
• Participate in strategic planning of infrastructure, operations, and finance.

EXPERIENCE/QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master's Degree or Doctorate
• Minimum five years’ experience as a classroom teacher
• Minimum five years’ experience in senior education administration
• Proven leadership ability
• Strong communication skills - oral and written.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:

• Salary Range: Commensurate with Experience
• LFDCS offers a generous benefits package

TO APPLY: The LFDCS Search Committee consisting of representatives of the Board of Trustees, Faculty Members & Parents will review applications for this position.

Please submit a cover letter, philosophy of education summary, resume, credentials & licensures, three references with
affiliations and email contacts. Please forward all documents via email to: Jose Tejada, Secretary, Board of Trustees,
jtejada1260@yahoo.com no later than January 30, 2025.

No references will be contacted without your prior knowledge. Finalists will be required to submit to personal interviews with
the Committee. It is the goal of the Search Committee to recommend to the Board of Trustees the ideal individual for the role of Superintendent by mid-March 2025

Lawrence Family Development Charter School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, marital status, citizenship, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.