JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

Primary School Principal

Position:  Primary School Principal	Location:  Round Rock, TX
Reports to:  Head of School	FLSA Status:  Exempt
School Year:  2018-2019	Start date:  June 2018

MISSION STATEMENT

   

Meridian School will provide an invigorating educational environment that develops responsible citizens who can artfully navigate our complex world and enjoy a good life with others. Each student will engage in diverse investigations, disciplined inquiry, and integrated service learning to cultivate intercultural awareness, creativity and mental acuity.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The primary school principal is responsible for the overall quality of the day-to-day operations of Meridian Primary School (Grades K-5). Meridian School, a public, charter school, is subject to many of the same State accountability measures as traditional public schools. As a charter school, we are given flexibility to innovate. Meridian has been authorized to offer its students the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program for all K-12 students via the IB Primary Years Program (PYP), grades K-5; the IB Middle Years Program (MYP), grades 6-10; and the IB Diploma Program (DP), grades 11-12. Our new primary school principal will inherit an extremely fine-tuned PYP program. Our philosophy has been that, "If we teach IB with fidelity, stellar State student accountability scores will come." And they have. Meridian has consistently earned distinction in all of the State assessed subjects, English/ELA, social studies, science, and mathematics.  Our new primary school principal will inherit thoroughly trained IB educators, highly motivated students, and very supportive parents. The Primary School Principal reports to the Head of School and also serves as an integral member of the Meridian School Executive Leadership Team which is responsible for setting the overall direction and strategy for all Meridian School programming. This is an ideal opportunity for a dynamic and visionary organizational leader with significant people management experience to play a critical role in expanding and shaping a premier K-12 charter school committed to "developing responsible citizens who can artfully navigate our complex world and enjoy a good life with others."

• Master's degree in educational administration or related educational field from an accredited college or university 
• Valid Mid-Management certification or Principal Certificate preferred
   

EXPERIENCE

• Prior experience (3-5 years) as a primary school principal or assistant principal (in a Texas public or charter school preferred)
• Prior experience as a PYP principal and/or PYP coordinator preferred
• Experience with curriculum writing and inquiry-based instruction, IB experience a plus
• Experience (3-5 years) as a classroom teacher

QUALIFICATIONS

Qualified candidates should exhibit the following skills and traits:

RESPONSIBILITIES

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive description of all work requirements and responsibilities. Additionally, the minimum level of education noted as a requirement could be supplemented by commensurate experience and/or certification(s) as determined by the Head of School.

HOW TO APPLY

Applicants should email Rick Fernández, Head of School, [email protected], the following:

The résumé should include:

Candidates who are invited for an interview will be asked to submit the following before the interview:

SALARY & BENEFITS

Salary is based on years of experience, degree of education, and level of  expertise. Meridian School participates in the Texas Retirement System (TRS). A competitive benefits package is offered, as well as a generous vacation package.

 

ABOUT MERIDIAN SCHOOL

SCHOOL HISTORY

Meridian is a public, tuition-free charter school funded through state and federal dollars similar to traditional schools. Meridian is the vehicle realized by several Williamson County families who worked together with the goal of offering an education that would bring a love of learning to the classroom for their children. 

A group of parents interested in educational choice fo r their s tudents and community came together to create a school using the International Bac calaureate framework and curriculum for Williamson County. The Founders and charter  B oard Members consisted of people interested in non-traditional public education. This g roup was especially determined to provide a global, transportable education creating life-long learners .

 

Located in Round Rock, on I-35 (just south of Harley Davidson), Meridian serves all students living in Williamson County. As a charter school, Meridian is a school of 'choice' offering an inquiry-based curriculum for grades K-12.

 

The intent of the Meridian charter was to become a continuum school for the International Baccalaureate Program, offering the Primary Years Program (PYP K-5), the Middle Years Program (MYP 6-10) and the Diploma Program (DP 11-12). It takes approximately three years to implement and become authorized for each program. As of May 2017, Meridian is proud to be an authorized International Baccalaureate Continuum school, offering the PYP, MYP, and DP programs.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

Meridian School is located in Round Rock, TX, which is a part of the  Greater Austin, Texas metropolitan area.  (The following information is from Wikipedia).

Located about 20 miles (32 km) north of downtown Austin, Round Rock shares a common border with  Austin  at  Texas State Highway 45 . In August 2008,  Money   magazine named Round Rock as the seventh-best American small city in which to live. [5] Round Rock was the only Texas city to make the Top 10. In a CNN article dated July 1, 2009, Round Rock was listed as the second fastest-growing city in the country, with

a population growth of 8.2% in the preceding year. [6] Round Rock has a strong public education system. [7]   Round Rock is perhaps best known as the international headquarters of  Dell Technologies , which employs approximately 16,000 people at its Round Rock facilities. [8]  The presence of Dell along with other major employers, [9] a strong economic development program, favorable tax rates, and major retailers such as  IKEA  and a  Premium Outlet Mall , and the mixed use  La Frontera  center, have changed Round Rock from a sleepy  bedroom community [10] into its own self-contained "super suburb." [11]

SCHOOL BOARD

The members of the Board of Directors are selected in accordance with the founding documents of Meridian School. The Board consists of seven positions. Members serve a three-year term with the opportunity for renewal. One parent may serve on the Meridian Board at any given time. The Meridian School board is charged with upholding the Charter (contract) that we have with the State of Texas. The responsibility is described succinctly in the formation documents: 'The Governing Board shall manage the Company's business and affairs.'

KEY FEATURES

STUDENTS

Meridian now has 1,600 students in grades K-12, with approximately 850 in grades K-5. An additional 1,600 students remain on the waitlist.

58 different languages are spoken by families at Meridian, including: Bengali, Cantonese, Hindi, Latvian, Hebrew, German, Greek, Farsi, Czech, Irish, Spanish, Somali, French, Portuguese, Norwegian, Kashmiri, Urdu and Tamil.

FACULTY & STAFF

Meridian employs over 140 outstanding faculty and staff members, with 39% of teachers holding advanced degrees.

Meridian seeks dedicated, certified teachers with classroom experience in their fields, as well as a willingness to get involved in the extracurricular life of the school. Additionally, IB trained and multi-lingual professionals are preferred, though not required.

Being a charter district rather than a traditional district allows Meridian teachers to spend time teaching state requirements in a manner that best prepares students for their future, rather than teaching specifically to standardized tests.

CURRICULUM

Meridian is committed to teaching IB with fidelity. We encourage students to ask thought-provoking questi ons, develop research skills, reflect critically, and to be lifelong l earners. All Meridian students will l earn a second language to prepare them  to  work with others around the globe. We encourage action and service so that their education extends beyond the classroom. 

Our Miss ion Statement (below) is directly tied to our belief in the International Baccalaureate Learner Profile. "Meridian students are inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced and reflective."

MISSION STATEMENT

Meridian School will provide an invigorating educational environment that develops responsible citizens who can artfully navigate our complex world and enjoy a good life with others. Each student will engage in diverse investigations, disciplined inquiry, and integrated service learning to cultivate intercultural awareness, creativity and mental acuity.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Meridian's calendar is unique in that Wednesday afternoons are reserved for staff professional development. The students' school day ends at 1:30 on Wednesdays to allow teachers time to collaborate and further their knowledge of the curriculum.

In addition to Summer Break, each quarter ends with time for rest and reflection: Fall (October) Break, Thanksgiving Break, and Spring Break each consist of a week off for students and staff. Two weeks are given for Winter Break. This "balanced" calendar was created to provide families and teachers time to travel and/or explore personal interests.

Teacher salaries align with those of the local ISD.  In addition to step or cost of living yearly increases, educators receive a salary bonus after five years of service.

FACILITIES & FINANCES

The building located at 2555 N. IH-35, Round Rock, Texas was initially leased by Meridian until 2014 when the funds were available to purchase the building. To accommodate the growing student population, the facility underwent several phases of renovation, and in 2015 Meridian sold $30 million in municipal bonds to fund the refinancing of the existing facility and to purchase and renovate the adjacent building at 2550 N. Mays. Meridian owns and occupies almost 15 acres with 200,000 square feet of interior space, including a scratch kitchen, a playground, a certified wildlife habitat, and is currently working to add an outdoor classroom and chicken coops.

_________________________________________