Founding Head of School

Founding Head of School

Department: Learning Academy of Northwest Georgia

Job Summary:

The Learning Foundation of Georgia is seeking a dynamic, entrepreneurial, and visionary leader to serve as our Founding Head of School. This is a unique and exciting opportunity to build a new PK-12 charter lab school from the ground up, establishing its foundational culture, academic rigor, and long-term success. Our charter school will integrate the timeless principles of classical education alongside a dual-immersion (English & Spanish) and “Finnish” or outdoor-focused curriculum. Uniquely, the school will partner with the Dalton State College School of Education (DSC SOE) to provide learning opportunities for their students and faculty. The DSC SOE is working to integrate this model into their own teacher preparation curriculum while supporting curriculum development for the charter.

Initially, this individual will play a pivotal role in the design and launch of the new charter lab school. Upon the school's opening, this position will transition to Head of School, fully responsible for all operational management, curriculum development, student success, faculty leadership, and parent engagement. We are looking for someone with a forward-thinking, self-reflective, and team-oriented mindset, deeply committed to continuous assessment, iterative improvement, and driving innovative solutions to ensure the school's enduring impact.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Strategic Vision & Growth

• Champion and articulate a compelling, long-range vision for the lab school's academic excellence, sustainable growth, and unique identity as a charter institution.
• Lead the strategic planning and implementation for the school's design, launch, and ongoing operations, ensuring alignment with the initial vision and future aspirations.
• Propose to the Board for approval all study programs, curriculum guides, and significant changes to textbooks and scheduling, ensuring these align with the school's evolving vision and pedagogical innovation.
• Proactively identify and address potential challenges, presenting well-researched recommendations to the Board for informed decision-making that supports long-term stability and success.
• Cultivate and manage the annual operating budget with an entrepreneurial lens, identifying efficiencies and opportunities for investment that propel the school's mission forward.
• Provide the Board with clear explanations of proposed procedures, especially those that deviate from current policy or require significant financial expenditure, ensuring strategic resource allocation for future growth.

Community & Stakeholder Engagement

• Attend all Board and committee meetings, providing insightful input on policies and ensuring their effective implementation for the school's sustained benefit.
• Engage strategically with all stakeholders, including the Board, parents, and community members, to garner support, build partnerships, and communicate the school's unique educational methods, achievements, and future directions.
• Offer recommendations to the Board regarding student transportation, ensuring compliance with legal requirements and safety standards while supporting the school's accessibility and reach.

Collaboration with Dalton State College (DSC) School of Education (SoE)

• Collaborate with SoE faculty to design and facilitate meaningful application activities and research projects that advance educational innovation within both the lab school and the broader SoE.
• Host teacher candidates and student teachers, actively shaping the next generation of educators through practical, vision-driven mentorship.
• Available to teach / co-teach at least one course per year/semester in the School of Education, contributing to the academic community and integrating real-world lab school insights; expectations during school design and launch will be determined in consultation with the Board.

Talent & Culture Development

• Recruit, onboard, and inspire a team of highly qualified and passionate teachers and staff who are committed to the school's entrepreneurial spirit and long-term vision.
• Collaborate with staff to continuously update curriculum guides and courses of study, ensuring compliance while fostering innovation and responsiveness to student needs.
• Provide timely, constructive feedback and personalized professional development opportunities to teachers and staff, nurturing their growth and ensuring they embody the school's pedagogical approach.
• Monitor and assess performance, providing strategic insights and proposing actions to the Board when necessary to maintain a high-performing and motivated team.
• Provide meaningful professional development for all teachers, enabling them to serve as exceptional mentor teachers for teacher candidates and student teachers.

Operational Leadership & Innovation

• Lead the school's executive team, ensuring high-quality, day-to-day management of all operations. This includes overseeing support services such as transportation, bookkeeping, and custodial services to meet the high standards expected for a smooth, efficient, and scalable school operation.
• Assign responsibilities with a clear understanding that the Head of School remains ultimately accountable, fostering a culture of ownership and strategic delegation.

Strategic Resource Development

• Collaborate actively with the Board to aggressively pursue fundraising and "friend-raising" opportunities for the lab/charter school, securing resources essential for its long-term vision and innovative programs.
• Partner with the Board and other external stakeholders to write grants, securing vital funding for lab school endeavors, research initiatives, and future programmatic expansion.
• Maintain comprehensive records, including financial accounts, business and property records, personnel, school population, and scholastic records, ensuring transparency and accountability for all resources.
• Act as custodian of all records, contracts, securities, and other important documents, safeguarding the school's assets and institutional knowledge.
• Provide clear instructions and regulations governing the use and care of school properties, optimizing their utility and longevity.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Entrepreneurial Acumen: Demonstrated ability to conceptualize, launch, and scale new initiatives within resource constraints, adapting quickly to challenges.
• Visionary Leadership: Exceptional capacity to define, articulate, and implement a clear, inspiring, and achievable long-range vision for educational excellence.
• Extensive knowledge/expertise in teaching, multiple pedagogies, and best practices in Classical education, bilingual education, and/or Finnish education.
• Proficiency in computer systems and job-related software programs.
• Deep understanding of professionalism and ethical conduct.
• Superior skill in strategic decision-making and innovative problem-solving.
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills, capable of inspiring diverse audiences.
• Comprehensive knowledge of the principles and procedures of school system administration, especially within a charter school context.
• Strong understanding of supervision and management best practices.
• Ability to interact courteously and diplomatically with students, school system employees, media, civic officials, and the surrounding community.
• Ability to consistently adhere to and enforce guidelines while also identifying opportunities for strategic innovation.
• Proven ability to oversee and administer a complex educational institution.
• Skill in making compelling presentations and speaking before diverse groups.
• Ability to develop, organize, and maintain cutting-edge educational programs and services.
• Ability to establish and foster effective working relationships with employees, students, community groups, and other stakeholders.
• Ability to motivate, lead, direct, and supervise staff involved in various school system activities.
• Ability to strategically select, develop, organize, and effectively utilize administrative and supervisory staff.
• Strong analytical abilities and strategic thinking skills.
• Ability to establish and implement clear, effective rules, policies, regulations, and procedures, while remaining flexible for innovation.
• Ability to pass an extensive background check.

Supervisory Controls

This position holds primary responsibility for the lab school's development, adherence to charter school policies, and all curricular decisions. This position is supervised by the Dean, School of Education. Adherence to the following will be critical:

• GA Standards of Excellence and concurrent curriculum.
• GaPSC policies for certification and ethics.
• Georgia Charter School policies.
• DoE policies with regard to Georgia public charter schools.
• Dalton Public Schools policies governing charter schools.

Complexity/Scope of Work

This is a dynamic and evolving position that demands an entrepreneurial approach. As the Founding Head of School, this role will first focus on the intricate process of developing and launching the school. Following this critical startup phase, the position will transition to leading and nurturing the established school, requiring continuous adaptation, strategic foresight, and a commitment to its long-range success.

Contacts

Contacts will initially be focused on ensuring the successful development and smooth launch of the charter lab school, involving the DSC SoE, parents, children, prospective teachers and staff, the Board, and key community members. Subsequently, contacts will primarily be maintained to ensure the smooth, innovative, and sustained operation of the school, fostering ongoing relationships for continued growth.

Physical Demands/Work Environment

To effectively lead and manage, some bending and walking around the school are expected. Work will often be conducted sitting at a computer or sitting or standing for meetings and presentations.

Supervisory and Management Responsibility

This position will supervise/manage all lab school personnel, fostering a collaborative and high-performing team dedicated to the school's mission.

Minimum Qualifications

• EdS degree or equivalent education and experience.
• Extensive teaching experience across various grades.
• At least five years of increasing responsibility in administrative experience, ideally demonstrating leadership in new initiatives or significant program growth.
• Must possess a visionary, reflective, collaborative, and distinctly entrepreneurial mindset.
• Must be able to effectively collaborate with multiple stakeholders, adeptly navigating and integrating diverse (and sometimes contradictory) expectations or needs.

Preferred Qualifications

• Teaching experience in multiple grade levels or ability levels.
• Bi-literate, i.e., proficient in speaking, reading, and writing in both English and Spanish
• Terminal degree or equivalent work experience, demonstrating a commitment to advanced educational thought.
• Demonstrated experience with charter schools, particularly in a startup or growth phase.
• Ability to qualify for a Georgia certificate in Leadership at either an L-6 or L-7 level.
• Familiarity with lab schools and their unique models.
• Experience with Classical and/or bilingual curriculum.
• Successful fundraising and grant writing experience, with a track record of securing resources for educational initiatives.

This position works 12 months.