Substitute Administrator

Syracuse City School District; City of Syracuse (NY); On-site; USD 59,000 - 79,000; Part time

Job summary

The Syracuse City School District is seeking a Substitute Administrator to lead school improvement efforts, collaborate with the district and school leaders, and support instructional excellence across sites in Syracuse, NY.

The role emphasizes high expectations, leadership of teams, strategic planning, and engagement with families and the community to advance student achievement and equity in urban education.

Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Educational Leadership or related field.
• New York State School Building Leader Certification required.
• Minimum of 3 years of education administration experience.

Responsibilities

• Fulfill responsibilities of substitute administrator reporting to an Assistant Superintendent.
• Lead school improvement efforts and implement instructional models to raise student achievement.
• Develop and lead high-performing teams and strategic planning.
• Engage with parents, community and district stakeholders to accelerate improvement.
• Address equity and closing achievement gaps.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Urban education

Education

Master's Degree in Educational Leadership

NY State School Building Leader Certification

Job description

ABOUT OUR DISTRICT:

The Syracuse City School District is undergoing a new phase of innovation and transformation with the goal of ensuring that all students graduate high school with the skills needed to be ready for college and career. For Syracuse, all means all - including students who fall behind or have been considered "hard to serve" for a host of reasons. The School Board and Syracuse community have charged the Superintendent with improving student achievement, and he is seeking a dedicated and diverse team of school leaders and teachers to partner with him in moving the district toward its goals. The Syracuse City School District represents 34 schools and 4 alternative education programs, serving 21,000+ students Pre‑K‑12 of whom 77% qualify for free or reduced‑price lunch, 18% are served by the Office of Special Education and 78% are students of color.

Job Overview:

The district is committed to ensuring that there is an effective school leader at the helm of every school and a high quality teacher in every classroom. Syracuse principals and administrators provide transformational leadership to planning and managing one of the district's schools. This includes: implementing a school instructional model which focuses on high student achievement; building a positive school climate that supports the whole student; leveraging research and data to drive instructional practice; and building a high‑performing staff and leadership team to achieve the school's vision and goals. The principal/administrator collaborates with parents, community members, the SCSD central office, consultants, as well as other internal/external resources and stakeholders to implement new educational programs, capital improvements, systems reform, tools and other resources to accelerate student achievement. Substitute administrators will fulfill these same duties in the absence of the school principal or other administrators.

Who We Want:

Successful SCSD employees are passionately committed to urban education and all in for Syracuse students. They:

• Believe strongly that all students can learn at high levels;
• Demonstrate commitment to serving urban students, schools or communities, and to closing the achievement gap;
• Demonstrate willingness to put the interests of students above all others;
• Actively contribute to a culture of high expectations in schools and the district;
• Adapt seamlessly to the complexities of the urban school environment; and
• Follow current trends in education policy and research.

Specific Duties:

Reporting to an Assistant Superintendent, a Substitute Administrator will be expected to fulfill the following responsibilities:

Results Orientation

• Promote a widely shared institutional belief that every child deserves and can have expert instruction and that all team members must be advocates for students
• Set high performance goals for self and others despite instability and obstacles to success
• Create a sense of urgency and take immediate action to ensure early successes
• Establish and enforce high standards for excellence with students, teachers, staff, and other stakeholders
• Align school resources and prioritize activities to achieve maximum results based on vision and goals
• Relentlessly focus school activities on student achievement

Action Orientation

• Effectively plan and take action to achieve goals and objectives without direction
• Consistently identify potential issues and obstacles and proactively take action to create and implement solutions
• Formulate and execute on action plans despite ambiguity, obstacles or resistance

Impact and Influence

• Establish a culture of learning and achievement
• Act consistently to influence others' thinking and behavior to achieve results
• Communicate a clear vision of success and benefits to engage all stakeholders (e.g. families, students, teachers, community members)
• Identify and engage stakeholders to drive consensus, build trust and facilitate change
• Anticipate and respond to stakeholder concerns and identify and engage key influencers and community resources necessary for success
• Influence others to take action and demand change

Develop and Lead High Performing Teams

• Effectively build and organize adult teams to mirror vision and produce maximum results
• Understand strengths and areas of growth for both team and individuals
• Effectively delegate to others and engage team in shared decision‑making when appropriate
• Encourage learning and consistently providing instruction, expectations, feedback and other developmental activities to encourage leadership and build capacity
• Consistently inspire excellence and promote high morale

Strategic Planning and Problem Solving

• Quickly recognize patterns and trends related to school performance
• Analyze complex information to formulate strategic vision and develop action plans
• Identify appropriate metrics and use qualitative and quantitative data to assess performance and drive goals and decision‑making.
• Recognize cause and effect between instructional activities and results
• Develop right balance of strategic and tactical plans to achieve immediate success while maintaining long‑term vision
• Develop effective processes to achieve desired results

The Substitute Administrator will be expected to perform other duties assigned by the Superintendent of Schools or his/her designee.

Qualifications:

• Master's Degree in Educational Leadership or related field
• Minimum of 3 years of education administration experience
• Urban education experience (preferred)
• Record of implementing school-level best practices to build and sustain change
• New York State School Building Leader Certification
• Preference will be given to those internal candidates who have participated in the Syracuse Aspiring Leadership Academy (SALA).
• The successful candidate will be required to pass a fingerprint‑based background check, at the cost of $101.75 to the candidate.
• City Residents are encouraged to apply!

Salary/Salary Range:

• SCSD Sub Administrators earn $50 per hour.