Elm City Montessori School Executive Director

[Mira C Debs]

Elm City Montessori School (ECMS) is New Haven’s first public Montessori school designed to serve students ages 3- 13.  The school opened in the fall of 2014 as Connecticut’s only local charter school.

We seek a visionary Executive Director committed to Montessori as a vehicle for social justice to work with our Principal and Board in establishing Montessori as an exemplary public education model in New Haven.

The Executive Director reports to the Elm City Montessori School Board of Trustees and oversees external community relations, partnerships, school operations, budgeting, external reporting and fundraising at the school in accordance with the Connecticut State Department of Education’s Charter School standards, policies and regulations.  The ED will ethically manage all assets of Elm City Montessori School according to legal standards of the State of Connecticut.

QUALIFICATIONS

The Executive Director will have demonstrated competency in all the areas listed above, plus

• Master’s degree in fields related to education, educational policy or related field and 5+ years work experience in educational leadership
• Strong knowledge of New Haven and Connecticut education and non-profit networks
• Resides in or plans to live in New Haven’s vibrant urban community
• Fluency in Spanish preferred

 

PERIOD OF EMPLOYMENT

The Executive Director will serve 12 months.  Contract for the first year will be a one-year renewable contract.  The next & subsequent contracts will be three-year contracts with preset minimum raises.

 

Salary and Benefits

Compensation 
Competitive salary, commensurate with experience, and comprehensive benefits package 


 

Responsibilities include:

Organizational Leadership


• Oversee the organization to reflect the principles of equity, justice, and the dignity of each individual.
• Develop a culture of high expectations.
• Establish an effective leadership style, and involve members of the administration and faculty in decision-making.
• Be accessible and communicate effectively with all constituencies.
• Create a strong leadership team for the organization.
• Work with the leadership team to develop short and long-term goals organization-wide. 

• Monitor non-academic outcomes to ensure that the school is meeting its performance goals.

• Be a resource and support to the school Principal.
• Work with the Board of Trustees to ensure the development and implementation of appropriate policies for long- term organizational management.
• Coordinate all Board communication with school staff, families and community at large
• Remain current with trends and research in education, particularly those affecting charter school operation and educational leadership. 


Personnel


• In partnership with the Principal, recruit, support and retain a highly effective faculty and staff.
• Create procedures governing the hiring process at ECMS and a strategic recruiting plan for seeking candidates who will add to the school’s racial, 
cultural, and gender diversity.

• In partnership with the Principal, develop staff orientation, ongoing mentorship, meaningful evaluation and performance metrics for non-teaching staff.
• Supervises staff with responsibility in external community relations, operations & fundraising.

Community Relations & Student Recruitment

• Represent Elm City Montessori School before the public and clearly articulate the school mission to a diverse group of students, families, community members, policy makers and donors.
• Develop strong working relations with the New Haven Public School District, the CT Department of Education, other school leaders and additional constituents.
• Work cooperatively with other schools and organizations to ensure ECMS school operations 
demonstrate good practice, especially those of admission, outreach, staff recruitment and development and fundraising. 

• Produce and supervise recruitment materials, news releases and other media documents. Grant approval of media interviews to School employees.
• Act as the primary manager of all external commutations.

 

Finance and Fundraising


• Provide oversight for all funds, physical assets, and other property of Elm City Montessori School.
• Safeguarded and administer all financial systems, reporting, and tracking of the budget.
  • Work with Board Finance Committee on Elm City Montessori School’s budget.
  • Develop, implement and manage fiscal policies, procedures and systems.
  • Establish and implement a development plan to guide fundraising efforts.
  • Cultivate and maintain support from private donors and foundations.

 

Operations

• Contract with any outside personnel needed for general operations and technical support.
• Oversee and coordinate operations, renovations and upkeep of the physical plant.
• Oversee and coordinate the general organization of the school, in regards to the school’s office, the way the school tracks information, etc.
• Oversee data reporting to the state and to the federal government.
• Ensure compliance with all Federal, State, and Local laws and mandates, including those pertaining to Special Education and students with IEP’s or 504 plans. 

 

To Learn More and Apply

Please visit our website at www.elmcitymontessori.org to learn more about Elm City Montessori School. Elm City Montessori School is an equal opportunity employer and people from diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply. The application deadline is April 10, 2015. Please send resume and cover letter to [e-mail]. A July 2015 start date is preferred.