Founding Middle School Principal - Career Academy

Job Title: Founding Middle School Principal - Career Academy

Wage/Hour Status: Exempt

Reports to: Network Executive Director

Pay Grade: Principal Excellence Initiative Dept. School Academics and School Leadership 2026

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 districts 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.

Customer Service, Trust & Transparency, High-Quality Instruction, Excellence in Leadership, 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.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Founding Principal will open and lead a new middle school campus designed to integrate strong academic instruction with Career and Technical Education (CTE) career exploration and workforce awareness. This leader will design systems, structures, programming, and culture from the ground up. The campus will prepare students for high school pathways endorsements and future workforce opportunities while maintaining rigorous Tier 1 academic instruction in reading, writing, mathematics, and science.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We are seeking a transformational leader capable of creating a model middle school where students complete 8th grade with strong academic readiness, career awareness, an understanding of postsecondary pathways, and a positive engaging school culture. The ideal candidate demonstrates proven results in improving student achievement, experience coaching adults, and developing leadership teams, and the ability to build a campus culture from the ground up. This leader must possess strong change management and school launch planning skills, understand college, career, and military readiness expectations, and effectively align middle school learning experiences with high school pathways.

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: Masters degree required, preferred in Education, Educational Leadership, or related field
• Certification: Valid or eligible to receive Texas Principal Certification or Mid-Management Certification
• Experience: Minimum of three years teaching experience, minimum of one years experience as an Assistant Principal, and minimum of three years experience as a Principal, preferred
• Experience implementing CTE, college readiness, STEM, or pathway programs, preferred
• Experience launching a program, academy, or initiative, strongly 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 in middle school, preferred
• Understanding and experience with middle school coursework and preparation for the high-school environment
• Demonstrated ability to design and launch new initiatives, think creatively, and problem-solve in complex environments
• Demonstrated leadership on district-wide committees and/or district-wide activities
• Understanding of high school endorsements and career pathways
• Ability to build master schedules, including intervention and exploratory courses
• Proven experience using and interpreting 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

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

Founding Campus Leadership 2026-2027

During the 2026-2027 planning year, the Founding Principal will collaborate with community stakeholders and district leaders to create an innovative Career and Technical Education (CTE) learning program rooted in best practices, district goals, and local needs. The Founding Principal will participate in a New School Design Fellowship and be responsible for project management of the opening of the new campus.

Establish campus mission and visionDesign a 6-8 grade CTE exploratory program aligned with the LJISD high school endorsementsDevelop a robust set of supplemental student experiences to achieve the schools mission, including career days, guest speakers, and career exploration opportunitiesCreate the schools operating procedures, including master schedule, hiring, teacher development, student culture and behavior, academic and intervention systems, in alignment with the schools mission and visionRecruit and onboard the schools founding staffRecruit and provide inspirational orientation and onboarding to the schools founding students and familiesBuild partnerships with feeder high schools, business, industry, and postsecondary institutions

Founding Campus Leadership 2027 and Beyond

In the 2027-2028 school year, the Founding Principal will step into the campus principal role and be fully responsible for the student learning experience and outcomes of JD Salinas Career Academy.

Executive Leadership

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

Instructional Leadership

• Promote the expectation for high-level performance from staff and students and recognize excellence and achievement
• Develop and monitor instructional and administrative processes to ensure that instructional practices are aligned to evidence-based practices and implemented with fidelity
• Ensure high-quality instructional materials and resources are implemented with fidelity
• Closely monitor student growth and achievement data in alignment with district strategic plan and Texas Accountability System (STAAR) to ensure the campus tracks towards and achieves a positive state rating
• Utilize campus data for corrective action leading to improvement as well as for recognition of success
• Provide professional learning to support the teaching staff in accomplishing the schools instructional goals
• Evaluate and adjust educational programs and approaches to ensure rapid student acceleration
• Establish clear expectations for staff performance with regard to instructional strategies, classroom management, and communication with the parents, families, and community members
• Disaggregate and interpret data in order to assist in developing appropriate next steps for campus improvement
• Support teachers in analyzing data and developing action plans to improve teaching and learning

Middle School Leadership

• Ensure every student is on path to high-school readiness, fully aware of and ready to choose rigorous academic and CTE pathways
• Lead and support robust arts, athletics, and extracurricular programming, including supervision, evaluation, and feedback of directors, coaches, and sponsors
• Lead and nurture a quality counseling and advising program, ensuring support for students academically, behaviorally, and with high school planning
• Create a campus environment and system that ensures strong daily attendance and minimal chronic absenteeism on campus, connecting students and families to resources and support as necessary
• Serve as the executive dynamic leader required for the middle school environment, leading with vision, integrity, and strategy

Professional Learning Community (PLC) Leadership

• Lead, implement, and support Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) 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
• Ensure PLCs develop and improve teacher instructional capacity
• Develop and lead a strong Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) for the campus

Effective Feedback

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

Culture & Climate

• Create, cultivate, and lead a culture of excellence, support, and community for all stakeholders
• 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
• Facilitate effective and timely resolution of conflicts
• Identify, analyze, and apply research findings (e.g., effective school correlates) to promote school improvement
• Enhance students social, emotional, behavioral, and academic achievement
• Act as campus behavior coordinator in accordance with state laws and regulations
• 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
• Follow all policies, practices, and procedures that create optimal learning conditions for students with special needs in alignment with IDEA

Personnel Management

• Select, train, supervise, and evaluate all staff fairly and in alignment with proper policies and procedures
• Ensure accurate documentation on any and all recommendations relative to assignment, retention, discipline, and dismissal
• Observe employee performance, record observations, and conduct evaluation conferences with staff with the lens of both support and accountability for all employees
• Coach staff and help them identify and develop appropriate