Headmaster

Position Description

The Headmaster serves many roles as outlined in the job description below. We recognize that one person cannot fulfill all of the duties included on his/her own, but that a candidate might lean into certain strength areas more while delegating in other areas. While not explicitly listed below as a responsibility, the culture of Clear Lake Classical encourages the administration to take opportunities to teach/lead a class as time and bandwidth allow.

The Headmaster Responsibilities Include:
Leadership of the Clear Lake Classical Administrative team (Deans, Education Council, Administrative Staff)
Directs the daily operations of CLC by providing direct oversight of the Administrative Team through regular meetings, informal touchpoints, and annual evaluations
Provides strategic leadership for the Administrative Team, including strategy development, execution support, and accountability
Fosters a culture of collaboration among the Administrative Team, providing a venue for a healthy exchange of ideas
Empowers the Administrative Team to implement changes, solve problems, and overcome challenges in their sphere of leadership by applying principles of CLC’s philosophy of education (contained in our manuals and handbooks)
Provides Administrative Team personnel with support, encouragement, accountability, and constructive feedback
Helps with student discipline at Lower and Upper School as needed
Staff Leadership
Identifies needs for hiring of personnel and collaborates with other staff and Board to recruit and retain faculty members that can fulfill the vision and purpose of CLC
Creates an atmosphere to assimilate faculty and staff members in order to minimize turnover and to ensure that new teachers are trained and ready on day 1
Extends contacts to new and renewing staff, balancing the available budget with the need for high-quality faculty and staff
Sets and promotes clear standards of excellence including cultural and behavioral expectations for all staff; models them personally; and empowers the Administrative Team to implement expectations within respective programs
Leads in the professional development of staff throughout the year and encourages faculty to pursue training in classical Christian pedagogy via leadership emphasis, time allocation, budget support
Oversees the culture and atmosphere of CLC, ensuring an ordered and loving environment with an aesthetic that distinguishes and differentiates CLC from other schools.
Monitors cultural trends in and out of classrooms, making small course corrections as needed in collaboration with the Administrative team, and supports the faculty through classroom visits, observations, and annual evaluations
Establishes and communicates clear lines of responsibility within the CLC’s organizational structure
Parent Community Leadership
Represents Clear Lake Classical at numerous parent and community functions, including but not limited to open houses, back-to-school nights, evening programs, etc
Host initial parent interviews for new families and overseas placement testing to be administered by staff. Final say on admissions decisions (in collaboration with the Ed Council)
Maintains an open line of communication and displays a willingness to meet with parents in a timely manner when requested/needed
Addresses parent concerns quickly and wisely according to our policies and procedures
Communicates with the board, staff, and parents in the case of serious student misbehavior or danger
Addresses significant issues from parents as elevated by the Administrative Team
Engages with the parent community to foster parental partnership and to promote an increased understanding of the classical Christian model of education
Board Liaison
The Headmaster is the sole employee of the board of directors
Monitors and ensures the execution of the strategic initiatives set by the CLC Board of Directors
Writes a monthly board report and attends all board meetings
Informs the board of significant school concerns, problems, and successes
Curriculum and Academic Progress
Oversees curriculum development and usage in collaboration with the Administrative Team to foresee needs and improvements. Protects the school from significant changes in curriculum that have not been carefully considered and wisely rolled out
As needed, researches and develops academic programs and curricula through attendance at educational conferences, scholarly research, and developing relationships with other classical Christian schools
Ensures administration of standardized tests. These are to be limited in number (so as not to distract from academic programs) but those that will maximize impact for our school and students. Current testing programs include: ERB(1st- 8th grades); ISASP (related to ESA eligibility); CLT (10th and 11th grades)
Reviews schoolwide testing results with the Academic Dean, discerns academic weaknesses and strengths and makes recommendations based on patterns of data
Ensures compliance with accreditation standards, including execution of yearly progress updates and preparation for site visits every 5 years
Administration
Head of the Education Council
Ensures compliance and execution of the Students First initiative in Iowa including Administration of the Education Savings Account funding from parents
Review all school-wide communications before dissemination
Maintains accurate personnel records in conjunction with the Administrative team
Approves purchase requests by faculty and staff
Oversees the development of the all-school calendar
Oversight of transportation needs for CLC
Ultimately responsible for regular school events
Approves the development of extra-curricular activities and partnerships that support the vision and purpose of CLC
Financial
Ultimately responsible for developing and maintaining annual budget and long-term planning for financial sustainability of operations. Exercises fiscal responsibility by staying within appropriate budgetary guidelines set by the Board
Promote CLC and, in collaboration with the board, be responsible for fundraising initiatives as needed
Grow the understanding and excitement for the vision and mission of Clear Lake Classical, resulting in investment from the community at large
Develop and implement plans for facility improvement to meet the needs of the school to facilitate our enrollment and offerings
Oversee fundraising and financial sustainability efforts to ensure long-term viability and relative independence from funding sources (i.e. ESA’s) that are not within our control
Focus on the growth and improvement of the CLC’s compensation plans to retain and attract faculty and staff
Oversee (in collaboration with the Board Treasurer) third-party preparation of reviewed or audited financial statements biennially
Executive Leadership
Be a vigilant steward that makes sure Clear Lake Classical does not drift from its core vision and purpose
Be an excellent team builder, team leader, and motivator; this person must inspire enthusiasm, cast the school’s vision, and be open to ideas for continuous improvement, growth, and development
Be a key promoter of the school, responsible for enrollment, retention, and fundraising success
Be a natural community leader, both on campus and off. Create further understanding, excitement, and engagement in the vision of CLC resulting in the investment of time and resources of the total community
Oversight of maintaining CLC facilities
Be a developer and implementer of future plans regarding facility improvement, and maintain healthy enrollment and offerings

What You Bring:
The following describes many of the characteristics of the ideal candidate for the Headmaster:

Education & Experience
Undergraduate Degree Required
Advanced Degree Preferred
5+ years in classical Christian education
3+ years of leadership experience
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Enjoys and manages a diverse set of responsibilities in a fast-paced environment
Servant leader who demonstrates the ability to seek advice and counsel as needed
Demonstrated success with managing and leading people. Able to recognize strengths and weaknesses in staff building on and capitalizing on the former while gracefully helping them to improve on the latter
Excellent written and oral communication and presentation skills
Personal Characteristics & Qualifications
Demonstrates dependability and a teachable spirit
Demonstrates self-awareness, thirst for learning, and openness to professional growth
Spiritual Leader
Spiritually vibrant Christian displaying Christ-centered servant leadership that integrates faith and work in a spirit of humility
Conversant in classical Christian pedagogy
Articulates a Christian worldview to students, faculty, staff, parents, and the community
Demonstrates a life of impeccable character, is respected as trustworthy, and lives the values of integrity, service, and respect for others