Headmaster

Position Description

Morning Star Academy is a classical Christian school offering instruction from preschool through 12th grade, with 215 students currently enrolled. Founded in 1994, our mission is to teach truth, train disciples, and equip students to transform their communities for God’s glory. Morning Star’s immediate community is Bettendorf, IA, one of the Quad Cities nestled on the banks of the Mississippi River—a few hours from both Des Moines and Chicago. We draw students from Christian families in Iowa and Illinois, from cities and from rural areas too.

Morning Star has a robust curricular program, high faculty retention, and enthusiastic volunteer engagement from parents and grandparents. Our people are a great gift, and our faculty consistently pursue professional development while fostering their students’ success. Morning Star is poised for growth and will rely on the Headmaster to lead a campaign for a new or renovated facility.

Position Overview

The Headmaster’s primary duties are to uphold the vision, implement the mission, enforce the policies, embrace the values, and achieve the goals of Morning Star Academy. The Headmaster reports to the Board of Directors for all academic, personnel, business, and fundraising matters according to the policies and procedures established by the Board. This person is expected to pursue the best possible academic and spiritual training for the students of Morning Star Academy.

Academic / Professional Qualifications

• Master’s degree required, preferably from a Christian institution.
• Five years’ leadership experience in an educational setting, preferably in a classical Christian school.
• Demonstrated ability to build teams, enhance their performance and lead through change.
• Demonstrated understanding of the distinctive elements of the classical Christian model of education preferred, or demonstrated ability to learn and engage with various teaching methods.

Responsibilities 

Financial / Legal:

• Undertake specific fundraising tasks to meet the goals of the strategic plan.
• Develop and maintain annual fundraising opportunities.
• Develop a culture of giving that cultivates people and resources and promotes lifelong community engagement at Morning Star Academy.
• Provide financial management by helping establish an annual budget, and ensure that expenses and income are tracked and managed.
• Oversee financial aid program and, with the Board of Directors, set annual tuition schedule.
• Ensure that school policies and practices are compliant with federal, state, and local laws.

Operations:

• Oversee the day-to-day operations of Morning Star Academy and implement the policies of the Board of Directors.
• Keep school handbooks, employee manuals, and all printed documents up to date.
• Enforce school conduct policies in a fair and consistent manner.
• Oversee the development of the academic calendar and maintain and communicate the scheduling of school events.
• Oversee the management of school facilities, equipment, and property.

Academic:

• Oversee curriculum development, collaborating with the administration team; ensure that an appropriate scope and sequence of curriculum is in place.
• Oversee annual and college entrance standardized testing with the administration team.
• Conduct enrollment conferences and oversee the admission of new students.
• Responsible, with administrative staff, for maintaining current and accurate student files and records for all students; develop college transcripts with ACT/SAT scores and respond to student application material for colleges and universities.
• Oversee re-accreditation with Christian Schools International on a five-year basis.

Staff Development:

• Ensure classroom instruction is supervised, regular teacher evaluations occur, and feedback is documented to record teaching performance.
• Focus on the development of passion for teaching which leads to passion for learning.
• Ensure that the staff uniformly enforces the school’s academic and student conduct policies.
• Hire new staff and execute yearly contract process.
• Recruit and retain experienced faculty and staff.
• Facilitate staff and faculty development through mentoring and connection to development opportunities.
• Plan and conduct staff meetings and in-services.

Board of Directors Interaction:

• Maintain a proactive and collaborative relationship with the Board, participating in all regular and special Board meetings as an ex officio member.
• Work with the Board on its long-term strategic plan, and set short-term objectives that reflect the school’s strategic plan.

Community Relations:

• Proactively represent Morning Star Academy to the local community and local churches.
• Serve as the spokesperson of Morning Star Academy to the news media as needed.
• Foster a strong and vibrant community of staff, students, and families.
• Engage in co-curricular and other school events.

Other duties as assigned.

Spiritual Expectations

The Headmaster’s personal faith in Jesus Christ and love for God’s Word will permeate all aspects of his or her life. He or she will maintain a high standard of personal and professional integrity, pursuing excellence at Morning Star Academy through stewardship and service. The Headmaster will be a person of prayer, and the fruit of the Holy Spirit will be evident as the Headmaster confidently seeks God’s will. He or she will commit to pray for the school and lead others in prayer.

To Apply: Please submit a letter of interest and c.v./resume to [email protected].