High School Principal

Job Description

OFFICE OF CATHOLIC EDUCATION - DIOCESE OF HARRISBURG
JOB DESCRIPTION FOR A SECONDARY PRINCIPAL SERVING UNDER A SCHOOL PRESIDENT
Apply at https://www.hbgdiocese.org/LCprincipal

The Secondary School Principal in the Diocese of Harrisburg, in collaboration with the School President, is responsible for the spiritual and educational leadership of the school, which seeks to offer high-quality academic programs that are integrated with religious truths and values. The Principal strives to provide the opportunity for the students to be prepared for life in today's church and society through a strong basic and contemporary curriculum and through instruction and formation in the beliefs, values, and traditions of the Catholic Church.

In general, administrative tasks include:
--Organization of the school to enable appropriate religious formation and learning.
--Development of competent faculty and staff.
--Development and implementation of an appropriate curriculum.
--Provision for the safety, welfare, and care of students while they are attending school.
--Development of good school-community relationships.
--Following the guidance and direction given by the School President

The expectations for achieving the above tasks are the following:

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES
--To administer the school under the direction of the School President in accordance with Diocesan and local policies.
--To give leadership for achieving the goals of Catholic education.
--To show evidence of knowledge of the Catholic Philosophy of Education.
--To work towards the creation of a Catholic community within the school.
--To provide opportunities for prayer and sacraments to the staff and students.
--To maintain open channels for two-way communications with all school families and stakeholders.
--To show respect for individuals and fairness in dealing with others.
--To confer regularly with the School President regarding the school's operation.
--To complete all other duties as assigned by the School President or the Secretary for Education.

RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SCHOOL PRESIDENT
--Works collaboratively with the School President for the overall good and betterment of the school, faculty, staff, and students.
--Assists the School President in preparation for Board and Diocesan meetings.
--Assists the School President in the preparation of the annual budget.
--Reports directly to the School President.

RELATIONSHIP WITH THE DIOCESE
--Understands the reserved powers of the Episcopal Member as stated in the By-Laws.
--Complies with directives from the Diocese of Harrisburg.
--Maintains open lines of communication with the Diocese of Harrisburg.
--Prepares for and attends meetings at the Diocese of Harrisburg.

RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
--To be accountable to the School President and Board of Directors for all academic and athletic concerns, executing and implementing all Diocesan policies, and any directives given by the Secretary for Education.
--To assist the School President in the preparation of necessary background material for local policy formation and for long-range planning.
--To update the School President and Board of Directors on current educational trends, issues, new laws, and other in-service matters that will be useful to them.
--To confer regularly and frequently with the Chairperson of the Board of Directors.

LEADERSHIP OF FACULTY AND CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT
--To hire and assign teachers in accordance with Diocesan policies and in collaboration with the School President.
--To promote the growth of the faculty through ongoing supervision and evaluation.
--To provide orientation and ongoing in-service for the faculty according to their needs.
--To collaborate with the School President in the removal, dismissal, and firing of faculty and staff in accordance with Diocesan policies.
--To direct and involve the faculty in ongoing programs of philosophy and Mission Statement evaluation, curriculum assessment, and planning for instructional improvement.
--To assist the entire faculty in the integration of a Catholic philosophy of education into the curriculum.
--To ensure the implementation of the Diocesan Religion curriculum and a spiritual and
religious formation program for the faculty and students.
--To diversify the curriculum to serve the scope of abilities, talents, interests, and needs of students.
--To be familiar with all textbooks and instructional materials used throughout the school.
--To devise a plan for the regular replacement of textbooks and materials.
--To assist teachers in the guidance, assessment, and analysis of student achievement.
--To provide the faculty with materials and resources necessary for their assigned tasks.
--To conduct monthly faculty meetings and to provide opportunities for faculty involvement in the agenda preparation.
--To oversee the scheduling of classes and daily lesson planning by teachers.

MANAGEMENT AND RECORD-KEEPING
--To develop and communicate routine procedures for the operation of the school.
--To publish rules, regulations, schedules, and procedures and to be consistent in expectations regarding them.
--To maintain discipline throughout the school so that a learning environment prevails.
--To unify expectations for high academic standards throughout the school.
--To implement fire, tornado, health, and safety codes in the school and on the school grounds.
--To meet deadlines with official school reports and statistics as required by Diocesan and State personnel.
--To keep school files well organized.
--To construct and update professional files for each teacher.
--To oversee the keeping of accurate and current academic, attendance, and health records for every student.

PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
--To provide opportunities for regular conferences and meetings of parents and teachers.
--To provide channels for parent involvement and input in curriculum and school policies.
--To alert parents to the special needs and/or problems of their children.
--To keep parents informed, in conjunction with the School President, through regular school bulletins.
--To cooperate with and help to promote various programs for the school.

PERFORMANCE REVIEW
--To annually self-review performance as the School Principal and complete all requested performance review forms or surveys.
--To attend annual performance review meetings with the School President, the Chairperson of the Board of Directors, and the Secretary of Education.
--To conduct, in collaboration with the School President, annual performance evaluations of all faculty and staff.

QUALIFICATIONS
--A practicing Catholic whose value system and lifestyle are consistent with Catholic Church teaching, who is committed to ongoing personal spiritual development, and who is willing and able to foster a faith community among faculty members and students.
--An educator who holds a master's degree in educational administration with a Pennsylvania administrative certificate or a master's degree in education with a commitment to pursue the required courses for a Pennsylvania administrative certificate.
--An educator who has had at least five (5) current years of satisfactory Catholic school teaching and/or administrative experience.
--An educator who can present evidence of certification of religious studies comparable to the current requirements established by the Office of Catechetical Training or one who is committed to attaining such certification within the first three years of principalship.

The Department for Catholic Education reserves the right to waive whichever of the qualifications it deems individual circumstances warrant.

Apply at https://www.hbgdiocese.org/LCprincipal

About the Employer

Centered on Jesus Christ, in the Roman Catholic tradition, our mission is to form students who are intellectually astute, passionately faithful, and socially responsible.