Summary

As Head of School at La Crescent Montessori & STEM School, you will enter a beautiful, small community of talented teachers, enthusiastic students, and dedicated families. You work in conjunction with a director of operations to ensure all administrative duties at La Crescent Montessori promote our mission and vision. And, you must be excited about nature, Montessori, creativity, fun, and rigor.

Description

Head of School

Institution Description:

LMSS is a longstanding high quality charter school in the heart of the Coulee Region. We support student achievement through rigorous academics, Montessori curriculum, STEM experiences, and environmental education. As the HOS at LMSS, you will guide strong, autonomous teachers through new adventures, successes, and challenges as we continue to grow and elevate our programs. Our families are advocates for our school and often volunteer and serve on committees. Our students are fun-loving, creative, adventurous, and independent. 

 

LMSS is authorized by Osprey Wilds and is a member of the Minnesota Association of Charter Schools. Please see the school website for more information: http://www.lacrescentmontessori.com/ 

 

Mission and Vision:

The Vision of La Crescent Montessori & STEM School is to develop self-assured, lifelong learners who are compassionate, globally minded, and empowered to positively impact the world.

 

The mission of La Crescent Montessori & STEM School is to prepare outstanding Montessori environments with integrated STEM education and rigorous academics, which foster independence, self-assurance, collaboration, and connections to the global community and provide experiences that promote curiosity, inquiry and engagement. LMSS' approach is guided by the principles of AMS Montessori education.  

 

Job Description

Head of School (HOS) is an administrative and academic role operating under the policy direction of the Board of Directors, providing overall administrative oversight for the school with a primary focus on Instructional Leadership, demonstrating a pursuit of student academic achievement at the La Crescent Montessori and STEM School (LMSS) based upon the school’s mission and vision.

 

Salary and Benefits

 

  • Salary is negotiable based on experience and education; range is approximately $45,000-$65,000

  • Benefits include PTO, TRA, free tuition at LMSS for children, Health Reimbursement Account, no cost telehealth

  • Montessori Training reimbursement up to $20,000

 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

 

General

  • Responsible for the overall administrative and educational success of La

Crescent Montessori and STEM School, academic staff, and students

  • Single point of contact and accountability for all activities and areas not

otherwise explicitly delegated elsewhere (ex., Leasor, MDE, Authorizer)

  • Work with standing and ad hoc committees to fulfill the needs of the school

  • Coordinate all internal and external communications as the primary representative

of LMSS  (in conjunction with the Director of Operations, DO)

  • Coordinate with vendors and service providers in all ways necessary to ensure

the proper delivery of goods and services (in conjunction with DO)

  • Plans and maintains a yearly HOS professional development plan (in conjunction with the Board of Directors)

  • Other duties as assigned

 

Instructional Leadership

  • Promote and implement the Montessori educational philosophy

  • Promote and implement STEM pedagogy and curriculum

  • Work hands-on with teachers and support staff to oversee and implement a

formal approach to curriculum development and documentation

  • Plan and lead Professional Learning Community activities to promote collaboration among academic staff as a component of an overarching strategy to drive academic success

  • Collaborates with staff to achieve contractual goals

  • Contract for ancillary academic services as needed

 

Community Leadership

  • Cultivate effective relationships with members and organizations of the community

  • Attend and represent LMSS at school events and activities

 

Personnel

  • Manage, supervise, and discipline all academic and support personnel

  • Responsible for the hiring and/or dismissal of any employee who works for the school, other than the DO, following the Hiring Policy and “At Will” employment law

  • Will advertise open positions in accordance with the hiring and/or dismissal policy, conduct interviews, and fill staff positions

  • Continuously monitor and review academic staff performance and their professional development plans, and provide support and mentorship to ensure that LMSS strives to deliver the highest level of educational excellence

  • Coordinate evaluations of all other administrative team members

  • Coordinate substitute teaching by maintaining and continuously recruiting

available candidates and serving as a Substitute Teacher in emergency situations

  • Oversight of all Special Education activities within the school, including serving as District Representative at IEP meetings and supporting Special Education staff and classroom teachers to ensure timely and proper completion of all requirements

 

Enrollment

  • Represent LMSS as the primary point of contact for all prospective families

while overseeing and coordinating all enrollment activities (in conjunction with the DO)

  • Distribute and collect all parent and student satisfaction surveys (in conjunction with the DO)

  • Responsible for planning and implementing recruiting techniques and opportunities

  • Maintenance and assurance of security of all student records, including basic

contact information, as well as academic records (in conjunction with DO).

  • Manage and track individual student progress toward graduation.  i.e., graduation credits, assessment results, etc. 

Regulations

  • Ensure that the school is in compliance with all applicable governmental laws

and regulations

  • Submit all required reporting, including, without limitation, the annual report, reports to the Minnesota Department of Education and the charter authorizer in a timely manner

  • Coordinate School Crisis Management Plan (in conjunction with DO)

Finance

  • Operate within approved budgets while executing financial policies as set by

the Board of Directors

  • Assist the DO with financial planning, assessment,

and other areas, as requested

  • Apply for and maintain grants

 

Board

  • Serve as Ex Officio member of the board

  • Attend all scheduled board meetings and functions

  • Work with the board and the authorizer to create and implement contractual goals 

  • Participate in and contribute to board committees as appropriate

Qualifications

 

  • An interest in the practice of the Montessori educational philosophy

  • Bachelor’s degree in education or relevant field of study

  • Preferred experience includes a master's degree in a related field or an administrative license 

  • Active Montessori Certification or to be obtained within 4 years

  • Excellent organizational, communication, and leadership skills 

If you’re interested in hearing more about the position and setting up an interview, please contact Jeff Newman at jeff@lacrescentmontessori.com 

 

Interviews will begin at the end of March and run until filled. The position begins July 1, 2024.