HEAD OF SCHOOL Meridian Public Charter School

POSITION The Head of School for Meridian Public Charter School will lead a unique public charter school in Northwest Washington, DC that serves 560 students in grades Pre-K to 8. Meridian was established in 1999 by a group of community members who believed that a community-based public charter school could improve the lives of students in the District of Columbia. The mission of Meridian is to instill within our students a passion for learning and to build self-confidence and self-respect through academic achievement. Meridian seeks to give each child the foundation of basic skills they need to succeed in todays world, while at the same time stimulating each child to learn, explore and develop their own special talents. Meridian begins enrolling students at the Early Childhood level (3 years old) and continues to educate students through 8th grade. Meridians student population is: 87% low-income, 62% African-American, 36% as Hispanic, 2% Asian and White, 33% ELL, and 15% Special Education. In September 2012, Meridian moved into the newly renovated 58,900-square-foot 1890s-era Harrison school building in the heart of the U Street Northwest neighborhood. The $16 million renovation project included state-of-the-art instructional spaces, an enclosed playground, and a 12,000 square-foot addition with a cafeteria, multipurpose room, and Mac media lab. The candidate selected for leadership will be a proven educator with the expertise to oversee a $10+ million dollar school operation; bring evidence-based, child-centered instructional practices to improve student outcomes; support a culture of high expectations and continual progress among staff and students; and ensure that Meridian becomes the cornerstone of educational achievement in the community. Applicants may learn more about Meridian by visiting the schools website: http://www.mpcs-dc.org. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE HEAD OF SCHOOL The Head of School reports to the Board of Trustees and is responsible for the entire operation, and success, of the school. The Head of School will directly manage a leadership team comprised of academic, student support, operations, human resources, and financial administrators, but s/he is ultimately responsible for the entire staff. Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to: 1. Leadership and School Culture. The Head of School holds the responsibility, accountability, and authority for the schools overall performance and success in achieving key targets and goals. The position is also responsible for ensuring the schools long-term sustainability. The Head of School must demonstrate a deep understanding of issues affecting education; formulate strategic plans and goals; set priorities in the context of community, student and staff needs; and ensure an overall culture of high expectations, openness, and collaboration in accordance with the schools mission and goals. The Head of School must put in place the people and the systems that will nurture, support and strengthen the schools mission. Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to: 1

Be accountable for continuous improvement on each element of the Public Charter School Boards (PCSB) Performance Management Framework; Continuously diagnose the gaps between the schools current performance versus where it aspires to be, and ensure that strategies and practices are implemented to understand and close these gaps; Lead a dynamic professional learning community comprised of 26 faculty, 25 instructional assistants, and 27 staff that embraces accountability and outstanding student results; With the support of key staff, implement and administer the assessment system and equip staff to use student performance data to set achievement targets, strengthen instruction and improve student outcomes; Partner with the Board of Trustees to facilitate academic prioritization and strategic planning.

2. Organizational Management. The Head of School holds ultimate responsibility for all of the schools finances, fundraising goals, operations and human resources. This individual must ensure that Meridian remains in strong financial standing and that the school is in compliance with various laws, regulations, and requirements. S/he must delegate and empower at appropriate organizational levels; secure and allocate human and material resources; develop and manage the school budget; maintain accurate fiscal records. Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Manage the schools $10+ budget and financial accounting systems, including annual budgeting process, cash flow, and financial reporting for internal and external audiences; Manage human resources and personnel policies; recruit, hire, and strategically assign, and retain exceptional teachers and staff; Work cooperatively with leadership to coach, supervise and evaluate staff through informal classroom visits, regular classroom observations, pre and post observation conferences, lesson plan review, and a written evaluation for each instructional staff member; Proactively maintain the school facility; Ensure that the annual fundraising target is met; Develop and maintain relationships with philanthropic, business, and public sectors to increase awareness of the school and increase its donor base within a competitive nonprofit (specifically charter school) funding environment; Ensure the schools compliance with the Public Charter School Board (PCSB), Office of the State Superintendent (OSSE), Middles States Accreditation (MSA), all federal and local laws, contractual obligations, and donor restrictions.

3. Communications and Community Relations. The Head of School is the primary external champion for Meridian and must represent and advocate for the school in various settings. The Head of School is also responsible for ensuring accuracy and consistency in the schools messages, both internally and externally. Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Represent the school as a leader of DCs education community in all advocacy efforts (e.g., legislative efforts to sustain charter school funding levels) as well as a community leader to maintain support from the Ward 1 community;

Develop and maintain effective relationships with the Public Charter School Board, local leadership, school faculty and staff, students, parents, community members, partner businesses and organizations and current and prospective supporters; Ensure an aggressive student recruitment and retention plan that achieves student enrollment goals; Ensure a comprehensive family engagement plan and program.

QUALIFICATIONS The Head of School must be an experienced and proven leader with the following qualifications: Professional Skills and Experience Extensive school-level or district level leadership experience with a record of improving student achievement; An advanced degree with strong academic preparation (degrees in K-12 school administration, curriculum & instruction, or a related field are preferred but not required); A talented data-driven manager, with a performance- and results-driven approach to school leadership and student outcomes; Experience coaching a school staff to excellence and a commitment to continuous improvement; Comfort synthesizing and prioritizing data to solve problems and develop strategies to achieve ambitious academic goals; Strong problem-solving, critical thinking and analytic skills; Outstanding oral and written communication skills and a strong comfort level in public forums; Ability to establish a team-building, facilitative rapport with peers, staff, students, parents and external stakeholders; Experience with managing fiscal and human resources in a school capacity; Successful track record of cultivating financial and in-kind support from public and private sources; Comfort with financial statements; Experience with local, state, and federal compliance; A solid understanding of charter schools, and the national education conversation; and A demonstrated passion for advancing educational opportunities in low-income communities.

Interpersonal Skills An entrepreneurial, fearless spirit motivated by aggressive goals and fiercely committed to high expectations for all; Collaborative leader with outstanding communication skills; Strategic thinker and planner with an impeccable ability for priority setting and goal attainment;

Ability to establish strong, trusting and authentic relationships with a wide variety of individuals, including parents and students, community members, teachers and staff, funders, political officials, the business community; Inspirational, ambitious, no-nonsense, likeable, trustworthy, thick-skinned.

TO APPLY: Please email a letter of interest and resume to: executivesearch@thetensquaregroup.com Please use Meridian Head of School as the subject line of the email. Meridian is an equal opportunity employer. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, or age in hiring, administration of admissions, programs, and scholarships.