ORGANIZATION 

Valley Charter Schools (VCS) is a TK-8 charter organization serving students in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. Founded in 2010 by parents and educators, VCS was established to create an exceptional public school focused on academic excellence, diversity, and community. Today, VCS consists of two schools: Valley Charter Elementary (grades TK-5), with an enrollment of approximately 300 students, and Valley Charter Middle (grades 6-8), with an enrollment of approximately 270 students. VCS operates on a $10 million annual budget with over 75 full- and part-time staff.

Valley Charter Elementary School (VCES) serves a diverse student population of 296 students across grades TK-5. VCES has a strong school culture, effective operations, and coherent systems and structures that drive high levels of student achievement. The school’s design emphasizes constructivist, project-based learning, social-emotional development, and authentic collaboration. As a result, VCES students consistently outperform district and state benchmarks while making significant progress in closing achievement gaps for traditionally underserved populations.

To learn more about Valley Charter Schools, please visit  

OPPORTUNITY 

VCES seeks an emotionally intelligent, visionary, and experienced school leader to guide our committed and talented staff while building upon the school’s current strengths. The next Principal will advance the school’s mission by maintaining an inclusive school culture, fostering high student achievement, and ensuring operational excellence. 

Critical priorities include:

• Maintaining a vision of academic excellence aligned with the school’s design elements and project-based philosophy.
• Supporting teachers in their continued professional development as they refine the curriculum to best meet the needs of students. Ensuring strong student achievement metrics while closing equity gaps for multilingual learners and students with disabilities.
• Managing the complexities of special education programming within budget constraints.
• Preparing for the school’s charter renewal in the 2027-2028 school year.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Principal will report to the Executive Director and supervise all VCES staff. 

Key Responsibilities of the Principal include:

Instructional Leadership

• Develop and execute a clear academic vision aligned with standards and project-based learning.
• Oversee professional development to elevate instructional practices and student outcomes.
• Use data to drive continuous improvement and inform decision-making.

Culture and Community

• Foster an inclusive and supportive school culture that prioritizes equity, belonging, and collaboration.
• Engage families and community members in meaningful partnerships that strengthen the school.
• Promote social-emotional learning and self-advocacy as foundational principles.

Operational Management

• Ensure operational compliance with laws, regulations, and charter renewal requirements.
• Oversee the school’s budget to ensure financial sustainability.
• Maintain a clean, safe, and welcoming campus environment.

Talent Development

• Recruit, develop, and retain high-performing staff aligned with the school’s mission.
• Implement systems for staff evaluation, coaching, and professional growth.
• Foster a collaborative and supportive workplace culture.

Strategic Leadership

• Lead the school’s strategic planning process in collaboration with the Executive Director.
• Build awareness and support within the broader charter community, including funders and partners.
• Drive student recruitment and retention efforts to maintain robust enrollment.
• Apply rigorous analytical thinking, ethical decision-making, and sound judgment in addressing complex challenges, balancing the needs of students, staff, and the broader school community.

PRIORITIES

A successful first year in this role for the new Principal will include:

• Develop trusting relationships with families and students in order to maintain current levels of constituent investment and engagement.
• Establish a vision for special education staffing and programming that accommodates the growing number of students with disabilities at VCES.
• Establish a plan to continue to address the achievement gap between all students and our students with disabilities and our multilingual learners.
• Ensure the high quality implementation of iconic VCES whole school experiences.

Requirements

In order to fulfill these responsibilities, the ideal Principal candidate will have:

• High emotional intelligence, sound judgement and a flexible, creative, service-oriented approach to leadership.
• A proven track record of building and maintaining high expectations for student achievement in diverse communities.
• Successful management experience, including experience managing growth, change, and collaborative systems and structures.
• Success experience managing school-level operations.
• Expertise in project-based learning, reading/writing workshops, and/or phonics instruction.
• Familiarity with best practices in special education practices, programming, and compliance. 
• Familiarity with the Los Angeles Charter School landscape.
• Bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish (preferred).

Minimum Qualifications:

• An accomplished leader with 2-5+ years of success in a school leadership position as a school administrator, preferably a Principal.
• Demonstrated commitment to Valley Charter School’s mission of providing a holistic, exceptional education that fosters intellectual curiosity, collaboration, respect, and a passion for excellence in a diverse student community.
• Valid teaching and administrative credentials or equivalent experience.
• Classroom teaching and school leadership experience in diverse student populations.
• Demonstrated commitment to equity and academic excellence.

Benefits

This position offers a competitive salary range of $120,000 - $145,000, and robust benefits including medical, dental, and vision. In this role, participation in the CALSTRS retirement plan is required. More details can be provided upon request.

TO APPLY

Please submit a resume online at Charter Schools is an equal opportunity employer and an organization that values diversity. Recruiting staff to create an inclusive organization is a priority, and we encourage applicants from all backgrounds. Candidates are evaluated solely on their qualifications to perform the work required.