K-8 Principal - IDEA Hope (26-27)

IDEA Public Schools; Tampa (FL); On-site; USD 103,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision plans

403(b) retirement plan

Vacation time

Referral bonuses

Professional development

Job summary

IDEA Public Schools in Florida is seeking an accomplished K-8 Principal to lead a campus serving elementary and middle grades. The role demands strong systems leadership, people management, and the ability to translate a bold school vision into everyday practice across culture, instruction, operations, and family engagement.

You will supervise diverse staff, manage budget with accountability, ensure compliance and high expectations, and coach other leaders to achieve rapid, dramatic gains.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree is required; Master’s preferred.
• Principal certificate is preferred.
• 3+ years in education required; instructional leadership experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead School Culture Systems: set vision and build schoolwide systems.
• Lead Instructional Systems: ensure high-quality instruction and data-driven interventions.
• Lead Operational Systems: supervise operations and enrollment goals.
• Lead Family Engagement Systems: establish strong family communication and partnerships.
• Lead Staff Culture and Talent Management: hire, retain, promote, and coach leaders.
• Strategically Manage campus budget and ensure compliance with laws and policies.

Skills

Leadership

Instructional leadership

People management

Budget management

Family engagement

School culture

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Principal certificate

Tools

Budget tools

Job description

IDEA K-8 Principal

Role Mission

Principals serve as systems leaders and people managers, guiding and nurturing educators while leading a dedicated team that spans both elementary and middle school grades within a K-8 campus. They are dedicated to fostering excellence and continuous growth, cultivating these principles among both their staff and students. Their unwavering commitment is to lead their schools in realizing IDEA’s mission of providing College for All Children.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• You will oversee elementary and middle school staff on a K-8 campus. This includes but is not limited to teachers, co‑teachers, counselors, testing coordinators, administrative assistant, Assistant Principal of Instruction, and Assistant Principal of Operations with potential for additional supervisory responsibilities as needed.
• This is a School of Hope grant funded position and funding may be extended. A grant‑funded position has no guarantee of ongoing and indefinite employment. All duties and responsibilities tied to this position are allowable and allocable to the grant.

Location

• This is a full‑time on‑site position. Preference will be given to candidates who live in the region, or who are willing to relocate.

What You’ll Do

• Lead School Culture Systems: You will set the vision for school culture and build and maintain strong schoolwide systems to ensure that vision becomes a reality. You will ensure all teachers are proficient in building positive student relationships, creating effective classroom routines and procedures, reinforcing positive behaviors, and responding consistently and effectively to misbehaviors. You will coach and train teachers to master these skills, and you will coach and develop other leaders to do the same so that you can drive this work through your lead team.
• Lead Instructional Systems: You will build and maintain strong schoolwide systems to ensure all teachers internalize their content, deliver high quality first instruction, and analyze data in order to implement strategic adjustments and interventions that increase student learning. You will coach and develop other instructional leaders to do the same and drive this work through your instructional lead team.
• Lead Operational Systems: You will build and maintain strong systems for school operations to ensure your campus is safe, welcoming, and efficiently run. You will coach and manage the assistant principal of operations to meet student enrollment and daily attendance goals. You will also coach and develop the assistant principal of operations to be an excellent systems leader and people manager so that they can drive results through their operations team.
• Lead Family Engagement Systems: You will build and maintain strong systems for family engagement and communication, including both new family onboarding and ongoing family engagement. You will ensure families receive regular communication about their child’s progress and school events, and that staff engage them as key partners in the education of their child. You will coach and manage other leaders to do the same so that you can drive this work through others.
• Lead Staff Culture and Talent Management: You will make strategic hiring, retention and promotion decisions, and coach other leaders to do the same. You will build and maintain systems for fostering a strong staff culture, and coach other leaders to do the same. You will build and maintain strong systems for coaching and management so that all staff members receive excellent coaching and are held accountable for meeting high expectations in service of our students.
• Strategically Manage your Campus Budget: You will plan how to use your campus discretionary funds to achieve your campus priorities and driving goals. You will work with your assistant principal of operations, business clerk and admin assistant to ensure your campus discretionary budget is managed strategically throughout the year. You will also coach and manage your assistant principal of operations to lead the operations team to meet their budget goals.
• Ensure your Campus Remains in Compliance: You will complete all required annual compliance training and ensure your staff members do the same. You will build and maintain systems to ensure that staff members and the campus as a whole remains in compliance with all applicable laws and policies. You will coach and develop other leaders to do the same so that you can drive this work through others.

What You Bring

We look for Team and Family who embody the following values and characteristics:

• Strong desire to ensure all students go to and through college
• Demonstrated instructional leadership experience with proven results
• Commitment to continuously improving every single day
• Ability to navigate complex situations with positivity and assertiveness
• Awareness of personal strengths and areas of improvement
• Experience leading a school to dramatic gains in a challenging context
• Plan all actions of leader and teachers to achieve rapid, dramatic gains
• Influence others to contribute to rapid, dramatic gains

Required Experience

• Education: Bachelor’s degree is required. Master’s degree is preferred.
• Certifications: None are required. Principal certificate is preferred.
• Experience: A minimum of 3 years in education is required. Preferred qualifications include at least 3 years of experience as an instructional leader achieving dramatic gains in a challenging context and 3+ years of teaching experience.

Physical Requirements

• Must be able to sit for extended periods of time without being able to leave the work area.
• Must be able to work in a confined space or to crawl or move about on hands and knees.
• Must be able to lift and carry or otherwise move 20 pounds (regularly/occasionally).
• Physical ability to work around small children including sitting, standing, running and climbing stairs.
• Must be able to lift and carry small children up to 40 pounds in case of emergency.
• Must be able to work in indoor and outdoor environments, including in times of excessive heat or cold.

What We Offer

Compensation & Benefits

Salaries for people entering this role typically fall between $103,000 and $130,000, commensurate with relevant experience and qualifications and in alignment with internal equity. This role is also eligible for a performance bonus based on organizational performance and goal attainment.

Additionally, we offer medical, dental, and vision plans, disability, life insurance, parenting benefits, flexible spending account options, generous vacation time, referral bonuses, professional development, and a 403(b) plan. Employer paid 403(b) retirement matching of up to 4% of your annual compensation. You can find more information about our benefits at https://ideapublicschools.org/careers/benefits/.