High School Principal - Stronger Consulting

Envision Schools seeks an experienced and effective Principal to lead a culturally sustaining and rigorous academic community at City Arts and Leadership Academy starting late June 2025. CAL Academy is a small, personalized, and diverse public college-prep charter high school located in San Francisco.
 

WHO WE ARE

Our mission is to transform the lives of students - especially those who will be the first in their family to attend college - by preparing them for success in college, career, and life. Envision Education currently operates four small schools in San Francisco, Oakland, and Hayward, as well as a national educational consulting firm called Envision Learning Partners. Envision Education has made an explicit commitment to becoming an exemplar network of schools with an instructional and cultural vision rooted in an anti-racist and pro-Black framework. The following represents Envision Schools’ vision for 21st-century skills, character traits, and cognitive and social-emotional skills that learners need for success in college, career, and life.

• Knowledge and Love of Self and Land
• Collectivism
• Critical Thinking
• Self Determination
• Criticality
• Leadership

WHO YOU ARE

• You are equity-focused. You are unapologetic about your deeply held belief that all children can achieve. You believe that anti-racist and pro-Black practices and frameworks are essential to change the status quo for all students.
• You are collaborative. You make decisions in partnership with others, focused on what is best for the students.
• You are invested in our core values. You hold high expectations for the entire school community. You examine your own biases in your pursuit of equity for all.

THE ROLE

Instructional and School Leadership

• Ensure the highest expectations for student learning and achievement in every classroom, every day. 
• Develop and implement a rigorous teacher coaching, observation, and support cycle focused on classroom instruction. 
• Implement effective internal and external assessment systems and use data to inform decisions. Ensure strong consistency within the school program and curricular alignment with state and other rigorous standards. 
• Select, share, and model culturally responsive and pro-Black curricular and instructional practices internally and with other schools. 
• Develop and implement structures that ensure a rigorous, joyful, anti-racist, pro-Black, and inclusive school culture. 
• Lead faculty to ensure that all staff are providing well-managed and rigorous daily lessons, and reasonable and effective daily homework. 
• Work with staff to foster consistency in enforcing the Student and Family Handbook and other school-wide discipline and student culture policies. 
• Work with the Special Education Team to ensure 504 accommodations, IEP modifications, and counseling needs are met. 
• Maintain communication and relations with the families of the school, ensuring they are able to be partners in their children's academic and behavioral success. 
• Communicate regularly with families regarding student performance and academic achievement. 
• Work with staff to correspond regularly with families regarding school policies, trips, events, and milestones. 
• Work with staff to plan, coordinate, and support family meetings and special events.
• Respond to family concerns promptly and effectively.

Staff Culture 

• Attract, hire, supervise, and develop all school staff members to create a high-functioning, anti-racist, and pro-Black team focused on student success. 
• Build and maintain a positive and supportive staff culture based on trust, risk-taking, respect, reflective learning, and collaboration.
• Build a pro-Black and anti-racist staff culture by facilitating and leading critical conversations to support staff reflection, listening, growth and action planning.
• Lead the site Leadership Team, consisting of Vice Principals and Lead Teachers to effectively guide the school towards targeted goals. 
• Design, implement and lead a high quality staff professional development cycle focused on ensuring professional learning in service of high quality outcomes across student demographics. 
• Clearly articulate the school’s and network’s goals and programs, as well as Envision’s mission and vision, to internal and external stakeholders. 
• Ensure the retention of successful staff members.

Administrative and Operational Oversight

• Oversee all day-to-day school operations including setting and maintaining a balanced budget, managing state and local compliance, and ensuring a safe and smooth functioning school environment. 
• Supervise school facilities and ensure excellent facility management. 
• Lead school enrollment efforts to ensure a fully enrolled school with a waiting list.

Governance and Senior Leadership 

• Serve as a member of the Envision Principal team of the organization, clearly articulate school objectives and challenges, and help set and meet long-term and medium-term organizational goals. 
• Partner with Envision’s other principals, Education Directors, and Superintendent of Schools to determine and implement the educational vision for the organization through our network’s annual priority process and help to continually improve the educational model. 
• With CEO and the Superintendent of Schools of Envision Education, serve as representative to the charter authorizer and act as primary spokesperson and leader of the school with other outside stakeholders.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Administrative Services credential preferred.
• Master’s Degree or higher preferred.
• A Bachelor’s Degree and at least five years of teaching experience.
• Current cleared California teaching credential.
• Successful school leadership experience or targeted training with a track record of positive results.
• Demonstrated experience affecting positive organizational change and leading staff to accomplish ambitious goals in the face of challenging obstacles.
• Bilingual Spanish speakers preferred. 
• Receptiveness to feedback and desire to continuously improve to meet outcomes.

Studies have shown that women and people of the global majority are less likely to apply if they do not meet every one of the qualifications. We are interested in finding experienced and values-aligned leaders with a background in successful system-wide instructional leadership. If you are unsure whether you meet the qualifications of this position, we encourage you to apply and share your experience and questions as part of your cover letter.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

• Commensurate with experience and credentials. The starting range for this role is between $135,000 and $155,000.
• Paid sick leave.
• Paid vacation time.
• Excellent health benefits package with employer contribution to benefits.
• Optional Flexible Benefits Plan, including dependent care, medical care, parking, and commuter benefits.
• Retirement system from STRS.
• 403b Plan.
• Life Insurance at no cost to employee.

As an equal opportunity employer, we believe deeply in diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all people. Envision Education recruits, employs, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, disability, age, veteran status, and the many other characteristics that make us diverse.