Careers at KAPS

The Katherine Anne Porter School is a free public charter school located in Wimberley, Texas serving students in Wimberley and many surrounding areas including Hays, Blanco, Comal, Travis and Williamson Counties. In the 2024/2025 school year, we will serve approximately 125 8th-12th grade students. KAPS is a creative community celebrating diversity and freedom in learning. Our mission is to educate and empower our students with knowledge, skills, and practices to be successful and compassionate in school and life. We seek a Superintendent guided by our foundational values: Respect, Trust, Responsibility, Caring, Citizenship, and Environmental Stewardship.   We encourage you to learn more about the school at www.kapschool.org

We are seeking a visionary and passionate leader to serve as Superintendent. A successful leader will ensure staff, students, and their families are supported utilizing an individualized, relational approach. This individual will exemplify the qualities of compassion, open-mindedness, adaptability, inclusivity, and creative problem solving as they serve as a culture leader for the KAPS community.  They will be a strategic thinker who can develop and implement a shared vision for the district, and a collaborative leader who can build strong relationships with staff, guardians, and the community.

Overall Responsibilities:

• Leadership and Vision:
• With the boards support, develop and implement a strategic plan for the school that is student-centered, equitable, and reflective of the school’s mission and vision
• Collaboratively develop and implement strategic plans to achieve district goals.
• Collect and analyze data to inform decision-making and promote continuous improvement.
• Promote a positive and inclusive school culture that fosters student learning and staff development.
• School Culture
• Develop a clear sense of purpose that everyone in the school community (students, staff, guardians) understands and works towards.
• Create an environment where everyone feels safe, respected, and valued.
• Exemplify a belief that all students can succeed and a commitment to providing them with the support they need.
• Build strong relationships and open communication between students, staff, and guardians.
• Create a welcoming environment that celebrates differences and fosters a sense of belonging.
• Create clear and consistent communication between staff, guardians, and students.
• Support for students' social and emotional development alongside academics.
• Build strong partnerships between the school and the community.
• Instruction and Curriculum:
• Ensure a rigorous and coherent curriculum that is aligned with state and national standards.
• Support the development and implementation of effective instructional practices.
• Develop and oversee a system for monitoring student progress and program effectiveness.
• Stay up-to-date on trends in curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
• Management and Operations:
• Provide effective leadership and management for all district operations, including finance, human resources, and facilities.
• Allocate and manage resources efficiently to support student learning.
• Recruit, hire, and retain a highly qualified staff.
• Ensure a safe and healthy learning environment for all students and staff.
• Assure the filing of all legal and regulatory documents and monitor compliance with relevant laws and regulations. 
• Seek Board assistance and approval when legal counsel consultation is necessary.
• Communication and Community Relations:
• Communicate effectively with the school board, staff, guardians, and community.
• Build strong relationships with stakeholders and foster community engagement.
• Develop and implement strategies to keep the community informed about district goals and initiatives, as well as KAPS community celebrations and announcements.
• Act as a spokesperson for the district and promote its successes.

Standards for Evaluation

The KAPS board uses the following standards to support and evaluate superintendent performance.

• VISIONARY LEADERSHIP: The superintendent is an educational leader who integrates principles of cultural competency and equitable practice and promotes the success of every student by facilitating the development, articulation, implementation and stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared and supported by all. 
• POLICY AND GOVERNANCE: The superintendent works with the board to identify, prioritize and follow policies and governance procedures that maximize the goal of ensuring a high quality education for every student. The superintendent follows and enforces policies with fidelity and equity,promoting transparency, trust and organizational fairness. The superintendent values the  importance of a healthy working relationship with the board and enlists the board’s support for organizational goals.
• COMMUNICATIONS AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS: The superintendent integrates principles of cultural competency and equitable practice and promotes the success of every student by understanding, responding to, and influencing the larger political, social, economic, legal and cultural context. The superintendent establishes effective two-way communications and engagement with students, staff, guardians, media and the community as a whole, responding to community feedback and building community support for and engagement with the district.
• EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT: The superintendent integrates principles of cultural competency and equitable practice and promotes the success of every student by ensuring management of the organization, operation and resources for a safe, efficient and effective learning environment.
• CURRICULUM PLANNING / DEVELOPMENT: This standard addresses the superintendent’s skills in staying up-to-date in curriculum, teaching, learning and testing theories. It requires the superintendent to make sound recommendations for learning technologies.
• INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP: This standard addresses what is to be taught; this standard emphasizes how it should be taught.  The superintendent integrates principles of cultural competency and equitable practice and promotes the success of every student by sustaining a positive school culture and instructional program conducive to student learning and staff professional growth.
• RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: The superintendent effectively organizes and manages operational aspects of the district including finance, human resources, food services, transportation, maintenance and facilities so that students are able to attend and learn in quality environments staffed by quality professionals.
• ETHICAL LEADERSHIP: The superintendent integrates principles of cultural competency and equitable practice and promotes the success of every student by acting with integrity, fairness and in an ethical manner.

Qualifications

1. Commitment to results 

a. A systems thinker who is student focused and goal driven 

b. Identifies relevant information and translates this information into individual and organizational knowledge and learning 

c. Action oriented and innovative 

d. Translates broad goals into achievable steps 

e. Anticipates and solves problems and takes advantage of opportunities. A self-starter and team player 

2. Business savvy 

a. An individual with knowledge of and experience in management and administration 

b. Demonstrated experience in integrating and coordinating diverse areas of management 

c. Possesses knowledge and has competencies in human services, finance, personnel matters, verbal and written communications, planning and evaluation, and governance

d. Some experience in the field of philanthropy, not-for-profit management and governance, and community relations is preferred; general knowledge of fund development is also preferred 

e. A high level of interpersonal skill is required to make formal, persuasive presentations to groups and to deal effectively with people from all segments of the community 

f. Must be comfortable with diversity and respectful of a wide range of faiths, beliefs and experiences, embracing the idea that everyone at KAPS is celebrated for bringing all of who they are 

3. Leading Change 

a. Skilled at relational leadership 

b. Shares KAPS’s mission, vision, values and commitments 

c. Consistently displays compassion, models behavior, develops people, and builds teams and consensus 

d. Manages continuity, change, and transition with a contagious zeal for the work e. Proactively seeks feedback from community members and responds to opportunities for growth 

4. Relationship Skill 

a. Ability to establish robust rapport with students, staff, families, and the community b. Skilled at fostering trust and building community internally and externally 

c. Strong communication skills and competence in leading with transparency 

d. Knows how to empower and support others 

        e. Fosters enthusiasm within the community to develop partners and volunteers who embrace and support KAPS 

5. Preferred Professional Experience

1. Master's degree in Education or a related field; Doctorate in Education preferred.
2. Minimum of six years of successful experience as a school administrator or educational environment, preferably within a Texas charter high school. 
3. Three years of experience in managing budgets within the TEA system
4. A teaching certificate and school administrator certificate. 

This is not an exhaustive list of qualifications.  We encourage all interested candidates to apply.

Posting date: 

Submission deadline:  April 26, 2024 

Salary Range: $75,000—$85,000 Depending on qualifications and experience 

KAPS is an Equal Opportunity Employer. KAPS is committed to maintaining a work and learning environment free from discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, pregnancy, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital/civil union status, ancestry, place of birth, age, citizenship status, veteran status, political affiliation, genetic information or disability, as defined and required by state and federal laws. Additionally, we prohibit retaliation against individuals who oppose such discrimination and harassment or who participate in an equal opportunity investigation. 

To apply, send résumé or CV with cover letter to:

KAPS Board of Trustees 

KAPS Executive Search Committee Chair, Erin Stonehawk-Hearn

ehearn@kapschool.org

Questions may be addressed to the above contact. Please do not call the school.