2026-2027 Elementary School Principal

Montgomery-Public-Schools; Birmingham (AL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement benefits

Job summary

Montgomery Public Schools seeks an Elementary School Principal to serve as the instructional leader, shaping school culture and ensuring high student achievement. You will hire, develop, and evaluate staff, guide literacy and SEL programs, and collaborate with system leadership to implement charter-aligned instruction.

The role emphasizes data-driven improvement, community engagement, and sustainable school growth with a focus on underserved communities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s or Doctorate is a plus.
• Administrative/supervisory experience and classroom teaching.
• Experience in inquiry- and/or project-based interdisciplinary learning.
• Clear communication skills across verbal, written and presentations.
• Current authorization to work in the United States; licensed for Principal role.

Responsibilities

• Lead the school’s instructional program aligned with its charter and mission.
• Guide curricula and social-emotional programs; foster school culture and well-being.
• Recruit, supervise, and evaluate instructional and non-instructional staff.
• Develop professional development plans and mentor staff through cycles of improvement.
• Implement data-based decision making; monitor student achievement and engagement.
• Build partnerships with parents, community, and local schools to sustain enrollment and funding.
• Oversee budgets and financial management; ensure alignment with program goals.
• Collaborate to set student achievement goals and provide guidance to staff.
• Onboard new students and families; train principals to support network goals.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Relationship building

Technology in leadership

Budget management

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s or Doctorate (preferred)

Job description

POSITION TITLE: Elementary School Principal

JOB GOAL: The Principal is the instructional leader of the school and holds primary responsibility for shaping and sustaining the school’s culture, while ensuring the well-being and high-level, academic achievement of all students. The Principal will guide the vision and develop and manage the school’s academic and social-emotional programs. In addition, the Principal will hire, support, develop, and evaluate instructional staff.

REPORTS TO: Head of Schools and CAO

Responsibilities:

• Guide the implementation of the academic and social-emotional curricula, school policies, systems, and structures collaboratively with system leadership
• Demonstrate knowledge and success in implementing foundational literacy programs and analyzing early reading diagnostic data
• Develop a relationship with prospective parents, students, and the local community, including helping to ensure enrollment levels will sustain appropriate financing for the school.
• Connect the school community with the larger educational community, including other charter, public and independent schools in the greater metropolitan area.
• Identify partners (companies, “artists-in-residence”, non-profits, leaders, etc.) that have the potential to amplify the success of the school.
• Plan professional development including summer institute for new staff tailored toward i3’s focus and initiatives
• Develop, implement and lead the school’s academic program in a manner consistent with its charter
• Guide the implementation of i3’s high-quality, standards-based academic and social-emotional curricula.
• Help develop and implement instructional programs, structures, and decision-making processes that support the school’s charter.
• Recruit, hire, supervise, and support instructional and non-instructional staff.
• Lead the faculty in a cycle of ongoing improvement through Cognia and Alabama Continuous Improvement Plans.
• Create and implement effective systems that provide ongoing formative feedback to teachers for their professional growth, and conduct yearly evaluations of all instructional staff.
• Deliver coaching and evaluations to produce verifiable changes in classroom instruction and teacher effectiveness
• Plan, implement, and support professional development programs for instructional staff as part of the school’s overall professional development plan.
• Nurture and promote teacher leadership in support of the school’s mission and continued growth and sustainability.
• Develop a sustainable bench of teacher leaders who can carry forward the school improvement mission, ensuring campus quality is maintained through staff and leadership transitions
• Collaborate with the faculty to establish clear student achievement goals and provide guidance to all instructional staff as they strive to support and fulfill the goals outlined in the school’s charter.
• Onboarding of new students and parents
• Train Assistant Principal(s) to support the mission and vision of the network
• Assume responsibility for monitoring student learning: Supervise and delegate the collection and analysis of multiple sources of data and use the results to continually improve learning and engagement among all students.
• Implement and maintain high standards for school culture built upon the school’s stated values.
• Oversee and delegate the design and implementation of extracurricular and summer programs, and assure the alignment of the programs with the school’s academic mission.
• Create budgets and monitor spending
• Other duties as assigned by the Head of Schools and/or CAO

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required. Masters and Doctorate degrees are a plus, but not required.
• A track record of administrative/supervisory experience and classroom teaching experience.
• Demonstrated ability to model shared leadership.
• Experience in inquiry-based and/or project-based interdisciplinary learning models.
• Understanding of curriculum selection and implementation.
• Evidence of success in impacting student achievement.
• Demonstrated desire and ability to work in a start‑up school environment.
• Clear and compelling communication skills, including verbal, written, and presentation.
• A demonstrated ability to build relationships with a diverse group of constituents.
• A demonstrated ability to leverage technology in a leadership position.
• Experience in school-based budget preparation and management.
• Experience with actively involving parents/community in all phases of the school program.
• Professional Certificate to serve in the role of Principal.
• A demonstrated belief that all children can achieve at the highest levels.
• A demonstrated passion for working or serving in underserved communities.
• Demonstrated knowledge and ability to work effectively with individuals and groups from a variety of cultures and backgrounds.
• Have current authorization to work in the United States.

This ideal candidate for this role will possess the following characteristics:

• Sense of urgency for goal achievement.
• Results focus on Idea generation.
• Innovative and creative problem solving Rapport and relationship building focused on achieving results and Engage commitment of others.
• Problem solving orientation.
• Risk taking.
• Action-oriented and somewhat collaborative decision-making.
• Quick decision making in response to changing conditions.
• Authoritative leadership based on generalist expertise, knowledge of systems.
• Directive leadership to assure business results are achieved.
• Delegation of details as necessary, with follow-up on timeliness and quality
• Accountability for results.

Competitive salary and eligible Retirement Systems of Alabama health insurance and benefits.

i3 Academy is committed to providing equal opportunity for employment for all employees and applicants as part of its recruitment, employment, retention, promotion, and termination practices as these decisions are based on merit. No person shall be subject to discrimination within the organization, including any education program or activity, or denied benefits or compensation on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, belief, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or any personal characteristic(s).