Elementary Principal

Elementary Principal

Elementary Principal

Reports to: Network Executive Director

Pay Grade: PEI

Dept./School: Academics and School Leadership

Initiated Date: March 2026

Who We Are

La Joya Independent School District (ISD) is committed to excellence for students and our community. We have a strong, 100-year legacy in the Rio Grande Valley. The district's vision - Educational Excellence: The Right of Every Student - conveys our urgent focus on students.

Our work is rooted in five district priorities, which require collaboration and deep commitment to supporting one another as we serve the community.

1. Customer Service
2. Trust & Transparency
3. High-Quality Instruction
4. Excellence in Leadership
5. Integrity & Accountability

We are focused on ensuring every student in La Joya ISD has access to a high-quality, best-fit school as we work to improve from a B-district to an A-rated district. We serve more than 22,000 students in more than 30 schools and span six municipalities, covering more than 220 square miles.

Who We Are Looking For

We are seeking a Principal that can lead an elementary school to excellence. The ideal candidate will have demonstrated impact on student outcomes, accelerating student growth, building strong community relationships, creating a culture of support and excellence, and coaching and developing staff. You must have the commitment and urgency, and strategic system leadership skills needed to quickly establish excellence and build structures to sustain that excellence over time. You will have to be skilled in adaptive change management in a very fast environment.

Why La Joya ISD

You will be joining a district that is building on a legacy of achievement while rapidly improving and creating systems to reach new heights for student outcomes. You will receive intentional, targeted support in your leadership journey and have access to the highest-quality, research-based resources and instructional materials. We are also a district focused on continuous improvement and rigorous analysis of where we need to grow and learn.

Qualifications

Education/Certification:

• Master's degree required; preferred in Education, Educational Leadership or related field
• Valid or eligible to receive Texas Principal Certification or Mid-Management Certification
• TTESS (Texas Teacher Evaluation & Support System) and ILD/AEL Certified

Experience:

• Minimum of three year's teaching experience
• Minimum of three year's experience as an Assistant Principal, preferred

Special Knowledge and Skills:

• Proven success in leading a school or district community toward continuous improvement in academic goals with a relentless pursuit of academic excellence for all students
• Deep knowledge of curriculum and instruction as well as evidence-based practices in multiple content areas as applicable by grade levels
• Demonstrated leadership on district-wide committees and/or district-wide activities
• Proven experience to use and interpret data to inform decision-making processes that allow for intentional actions and lead to improved student/campus achievement
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills (written and oral)
• Leadership, management, and organizational skills
• Experience with diverse populations
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred
• Proven success in leading a school or district community toward continuous improvement in academic goals with a relentless pursuit of academic excellence for all students

Major Responsibilities and Duties

Executive Leadership

1. Serve as a transformational leader working to create a best-in-class learning environment.
2. Participate in professional development and training to improve skills related to job assignment.
3. Foster collegiality and team building among staff members.
4. Provide for two-way communication with staff, students, parents, and community.
5. Demonstrate professional, ethical, and responsible behavior. Serve as a role model for all campus staff.
6. Develop and set annual campus performance objectives.
7. Lead the development of the campus improvement plan with staff, parents and community members.
8. Delegate leadership responsibilities as appropriate, ensuring strong systems of monitoring, support, and feedback for campus staff.

Instructional Leadership:

1. Promote the expectation for high-level performance from staff and students and recognize excellence and achievement.
2. Develop and monitor instructional and administrative processes to ensure that instructional practices are aligned to evidence-based practices and implemented with fidelity.
3. Ensure high-quality instructional materials and resources are implemented with fidelity.
4. Utilize campus data for corrective action leading to improvement, as well as for recognition of success.
5. Provide professional learning to support the teaching staff in accomplishing the school's instructional goals.
6. Evaluate and adjust educational programs and approaches to ensure rapid student acceleration.
7. Establish clear expectations for staff performance with regard to instructional strategies, classroom management, and communication with the parents, families, and community members.
8. Disaggregate and interpret data in order to assist in developing appropriate next steps for campus improvement.
9. Support teachers in analyzing data and developing action plans to improve teaching and learning.

Professional Learning Community (PLC's)

1. Lead, implement and support Professional Learning Communities (PLC's) that create positive relationships amongst teachers and administrators while fostering a team culture of open sharing, risk taking and shared leadership, to work effectively as a team.
2. Ensure PLCs develop and improve teacher instructional capacity.
3. Develop and lead a strong Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) for the campus.

Effective Feedback

1. Regularly consult the Instructional Leadership Team about planning, operation, supervision, and evaluation of campus education programs. Include students and community representatives when appropriate.
2. Provide coaching and meaningful feedback to teachers and staff with the intent of improving employee performance.
3. Support and evaluate teachers with regular classroom visits and providing timely formative and summative feedback to teachers.
4. Provide instructional feedback to teachers, administrators, and staff based on classroom observations and walk-throughs.
5. Coach and develop the Assistant Principal.

Culture & Climate

1. Create, cultivate and lead a culture of excellence, support, and community for all stakeholders.
2. Work with faculty and students to develop a student behavioral support system that results in positive student and staff behavior and enhances the school climate.
3. Facilitate effective and timely resolution of conflicts.
4. Identify, analyze, and apply research findings (e.g., effective school correlates) to promote school improvement.
5. Enhance students' social, emotional, behavioral, and academic achievement.
6. Act as campus behavior coordinator in accordance with state laws and regulations.
7. Ensure that school rules are uniformly applied and that student discipline is appropriate and equitable in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct and student handbook.
8. Follow all policies, practices, and procedures that create optimal learning conditions for students with special needs in alignment with IDEA
9. Conduct conferences about student and school issues with parents, students, and teachers
10. Ensure that students are adequately supervised during non-instructional periods.

Personnel Management

1. Select, train, supervise and evaluate all staff fairly and in alignment with proper policies and procedures.
2. Ensure accurate documentation on any and all recommendations relative to assignment, retention, discipline and dismissal.
3. Observe employee performance, record observations, and conduct evaluation conferences with staff with the lens of both support and accountability for all employees.
4. Coach staff and help them identify and develop appropriate professional growth opportunities as well as accomplish improvement goals.
5. Work with campus-level planning and decision-making committees to plan professional development activities.

School or Community Relations

1. Articulate the school's mission to the community and solicit its support in realizing the mission.
2. Communicate with parents, families, and communities on a regular and consistent basis to ensure clear and consistent messaging to parents on both campus and district information and events