2026-27 - Substitute Principal/Assistant Principal

North Thurston Public Schools; Lacey (WA); On-site; USD 104,000 - 137,000; Full time

Job summary

North Thurston Public Schools in Lacey, WA is seeking a Substitute Principal/Assistant Principal for the 2026-27 school year. The role requires directing a high school administration, leading school improvement efforts, and ensuring safe, supportive learning environments for students and staff.

The position emphasizes data-driven planning, alignment of curriculum and assessments with state standards, and collaboration with families and the community to close achievement gaps.

Qualifications

• Valid Washington State School Administrative credentials.
• Five (5) successful years of teaching experience.
• Prior experience as a secondary administrator.
• Ability to react in emergency situations to include intervention and, as necessary and consistent with District policy, de-escalation, and restraint of students.

Responsibilities

• Create a safe, productive school culture focused on continuous improvement of teaching and learning.
• Promote school safety and identity safety for students and staff.
• Lead data-driven plans to increase student achievement using multiple data sources.
• Assist instructional staff with curriculum, instruction, and assessment alignment to state and local goals.
• Monitor and evaluate instruction and assessment practices using established frameworks.
• Manage staff and fiscal resources to support student achievement and legal responsibilities.
• Engage families and communities to promote student learning and partnership models.
• Address achievement gaps and monitor growth in student learning.
• Participate in governance and district initiatives.

Job description

2026-27 - Substitute Principal/Assistant Principal

North Thurston Public Schools SUBSTITUTE - Lacey, Washington Open in Google Maps

Job Details

Job ID: 5584800
Application Deadline: Posted until filled
Posted: Mar 12, 2026 7:00 AM (UTC)

Starting Date: To Be Determined

Job Description

HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL

STANDARD POSITION DESCRIPTION

Classification: Principal Location: Assigned School

Reports to: Superintendent or Superintendent Designee FLSA Status: Exempt

Bargaining Unit: Principals

This is a standard position description to be used for certificated administrative positions with similar duties and responsibilities. Administrators assigned to the position description may or may not be assigned all the duties identified herein.

This job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.

Part I: Position Summary: As principal, serves as the school and educational leader responsible for development, implementation, supervision, and evaluation of a comprehensive program of educational and student services. Administers the program in accordance with board policies, statutory requirements, administrative rules and regulations, and consistent with collective bargaining agreements. Serves as an advocate for the staff, school, and school community as appropriate.

Part II: Supervision and Controls over the Work: Works under the general supervision of the Superintendent and/or Superintendent Designee, who is responsible for carrying out the guidance and direction of the Board of Directors. Utilizes the strategic plan, district goals, district policy, and approved school improvement plan to guide personal leadership and the school staff's work. An annual evaluation will be based on this job description, goals specific to the school or the position, student achievement data, appropriate leadership frameworks, and the principal's performance.

Part III: Major Duties and Responsibilities:

• Creating a school culture that promotes the ongoing improvement of teaching and learning for students and staff: Develops and sustains focus on a shared mission and clear vision for improvement of learning and teaching. Engages stakeholders in essential conversations for ongoing improvement. Facilitates collaborative processes with stakeholders leading toward continuous improvement. Promotes and distributes leadership. Creates and sustains a school culture that values and responds to the characteristics and needs of each learner.
• Providing for school safety: Effectively engages the entire community to develop a more nuanced/expanded understanding of what it means to be safe. Provides for physical, social, intellectual, and emotional safety in order for effective teaching and learning to take place. Creates and protects identity safety.
• Leads the development, implementation, and evaluation of a data-driven plan for increasing student achievement, including the use of multiple student data elements: Recognizes and seeks out multiple data sources. Analyzes and interprets multiple data sources to inform school-level improvement efforts. Creates and implements data-driven plans for improved teaching and learning. Provides evidence of student growth that results from the school improvement planning process.
• Assisting instructional staff with alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment with state and local district learning goals: Assists staff in aligning curriculum to state and district learning goals. Assists staff in aligning instructional practices to state standards and district learning goals. Assists staff in aligning assessment practices to state standards and district learning goals.
• Monitoring, assisting, and evaluating effective instruction and assessment practices:An effective leader is knowledgeable about and deeply involved in the design and implementation of the instructional program. Prioritizes effective teaching by visiting classrooms regularly and working with teachers on instructional issues. Develops a working knowledge and ability to lead district initiatives. Participates in professional development regarding district initiatives. Uses Danielson framework to monitor and support effective instruction and assessment practices. Uses Danielson framework to evaluate instruction and assessment. Assists staff in developing required student growth plans and identifying valid, reliable sources of evidence of effectiveness. Provides evidence of student growth of selected teachers.
• Managing both staff and fiscal resources to support student achievement and legal responsibilities: Manages self, human, and fiscal resources in transparent ways such that the capacity of the school community to make complicated decisions grows. The management of hiring, assignments, evaluations, ongoing professional development, and the fulfillment of legal responsibilities is required. Decisions are made about human and fiscal resources that result in improved teaching and learning.
• Partnering with families and communities to promote student learning: Understands the greater community and works to establish a genuine partnership model between home and school. Partners with families to promote student learning. Aligns school and community efforts and values as a work in progress that must be nurtured, sustained, and monitored, and is able to influence others to adopt the same understanding. Incorporates strategies that engage all families, particularly those that historically have been underserved. Engages with communities to promote learning.
• Demonstrating commitment to closing opportunity and achievement gaps: Assesses data and identifies barriers. Creates plans to dismantle barriers and increase achievement. Implements and monitors plans to shrink achievement gaps. Provides evidence of growth in student learning.
• Leadership and Governance:

• Consistently demonstrates high moral, ethical, and professional standards of performance and personal integrity, which includes addressing problems and issues in an open, honest, and timely manner. Ensures proper conduct which goes beyond the practice of avoiding what is wrong and instead focusing on choosing to do what is right. Serves as a champion for the school and the district, avoiding actual or perceived behavior personally or among the staff which may cast a negative impression on the school, the District, or the Board.
• Models and promotes trust, enthusiasm, rapport, respect and openness among faculty, staff, students, and members of the community. Celebrates successes and recognizes the achievements of others.
• Creates a professional environment by assuring that personal and staff interactions with others in the school, community, and board are conducted with utmost respect and professionalism.
• Honors the ideas of others even when in disagreement with those ideas. Works collaboratively to resolve disagreements and seek mutually respectful solutions.
• Actively participates in meetings, workshops and conferences that involve decisions affecting the district and/or the school. Advocates for the school needs by providing input to the district's decision-making process. Respects, supports, and implements decisions once made, and acts to ensure that staff are equally supportive.
• Participates in school academic, athletic, and co-curricular activities to supervise and advocate for the school.
• Required to follow board policies; stay abreast of updates/changes.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Part IV: Minimum Qualifications:

• Valid Washington State School Administrative credentials.
• Five (5) successful years of teaching experience.
• Prior experience as a secondary administrator.
• Ability to react in emergency situations to include intervention and, as necessary and consistent with District policy, de-escalation, and restraint of students.

Part V: Desired Qualifications:

• Ability to create a safe, orderly, positive school climate for students and staff.
• Ability to foster growth, creativity, and flexibility using a variety of techniques.
• Ability to facilitate resolution of complex interpersonal issues.
• Demonstrated successful experience in shared decision making, program development, staff supervision and evaluation.
• Knowledge and skill in fiscal management, staff development, and human relations.
• Ability to work with District initiatives regarding Washington state standards and state assessments.
• Ability to evaluate teachers using the Danielson Framework for Teaching.
• Knowledge and demonstrative skills in the use of technology for teaching and learning.
• Managerial skills in planning, organizing, delegating, and listening.
• Ability to gain and demonstrate knowledge of District policy and state laws that govern budget procedures and expenditures.
• Knowledge about laws, rules and regulations governing the operation of public schools, including school reform legislation.
• Knowledge of innovations in education; alternative instructional strategies, alternative assessment methods; blended instructional support; inclusion for special needs students, instruction based on student performance and decision making, peer tutoring, cooperative learning.

Part VI: Physical and Environmental Requirements of the Position:

The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The employee must lift and/or move 25 to 50 pounds, and may assist, move, or restrain students with greater weight when required to intervene in student safety issues.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, lift, carry, move about, hear, and speak. Employee may be required to perform extensive work at a computer display terminal.

Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee occasionally works in outside weather conditions. The employee is occasionally exposed to wet and/or humid conditions, fumes, or airborne particles, toxic or caustic chemicals. The individual may be exposed to blood or other potentially infectious materials during their duties. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate but can be loud on occasion.

Insurance Benefits

Employees who are anticipated to work 630 hours during the school year (September 1 through August 31) are eligible for medical, dental, vision, long-term disability, and basic life insurance benefits.

North Thurston Public Schools benefits are administered by the Washington State Healthcare Authority under the School Employees Benefits Board (SEBB). Click on the link https://www.hca.wa.gov/employee-retiree-benefits/school-employees for information on available benefit options.

Retirement and Deferred Compensation

Eligible employees are required to be a member of the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems Plan. For eligibility information, check on the link to theDepartment of Retirement Systems ' website.

Employees also can participate in tax-deferred 403(b) and 457 Deferred Compensation Plans (DCP). These are supplemental retirement savings programs that allow you control over the amount of pre-tax salary dollars you defer as well as the flexibility to choose between multiple investment options.

Click on the link https://www.drs.wa.gov/plan/dcp/ for information on the 457 plan (DCP) with the Department of Retirement Systems.

To enroll in an eligible 403(b) plan, employees must consult with their financial planner who is an approved vendor.

THIS IS A UNION POSITION

Equal Opportunity Employer

North Thurston School District does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following employees have been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination: Civil Rights Coordinator and Title IX Officer: [e-mail] , 360-412-4453; Section 504 Coordinator at 360-412-4465, [e-mail] Address for both: 305 College St. NE. Lacey, WA 98516.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Effective June 11, 1992, pursuant to Public Law 92544 all new employees must complete a satisfactory fingerprint and sexual misconduct background check. All employment is considered temporary until receipt of satisfactory check. Proof that the fingerprinting process has begun must be supplied to Human Resources prior to the first day of employment.

Position Type: Substitute

Salary: $653.15 to $653.15 Per Day

Job Categories:

• Administration > Assistant Principal/Dean/Head
• Administration > Principal/Dean/Head of School
• Substitute > Substitute

Job Requirements

• Citizenship, residency or work visa required

Contact Information

• Email: [e-mail]

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