Chief Schools Officer (23-24)

Chief Schools Officer (CSO)

IDEA Public Schools

IDEA Public Schools is searching for a Chief Schools Officer (CSO) who will report directly to the CEO/Superintendent and sit on the Executive Team.  This position is charged with ensuring all our schools are succeeding in providing the highest quality education to achieve our mission of preparing 100% of our students for college.  The CSO will directly supervise our Area Superintendents by providing the leadership, management, coaching and development necessary for all our regions to thrive.  They will partner closely with the Chief Program Officer, Chief College Officer, and other Executive Team members to ensure alignment of expectations, implementation of our model with fidelity, and direct support to our Schools Team to achieve our ambitious goals in all our regions across Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and Ohio. 

In this role you will:

• Collaborate with our Area Superintendents, Executive Directors, Vice Presidents, the Chief Program Officer, and Chief College Officer to ensure a clear and aligned vision for academic excellence across all our schools through implementation of our programmatic model with fidelity and enthusiasm in service of achieving the highest student outcomes while they are with us and leading to 100% college matriculation upon graduation
• Set the vision and direction for our school culture to ensure our campuses and classrooms provide an engaging learning environment where all students can thrive and where they and their parents want to continue at IDEA Public Schools throughout their K-12 education
• Foster a strong staff culture across teams that inspires and engages our Team & Family, maximizes their performance, and retains them long-term to provide the stability our scholars and schools need
• Lead the communication, coordination, and collaboration across our Schools Team to ensure maximum effectiveness through regular operating mechanisms and channels
• Collaborate with other members of the Executive Team to ensure all non-academic responsibilities and goals are met, including but not limited to operations, finances, and regulatory.
• Monitor the key performance indicators (KPIs) to ensure close supervision, identification of gaps, and deployment of strategies and resources to achieve our goals
• Meet all compliance and authorizer requirements with consistency and comprehensiveness to ensure our long-term success and viability across regions.
• Oversee the annual budget process across the lines of supervision ensuring adherence to deadlines, fiscal responsibility, and cost-effective management of resources
• Serve as a key member of our Senior Leadership Team by providing regular updates to the CEO/Superintendent and Board, offering perspective, making recommendations and demonstrating the integrity and fiduciary responsibility we expect from all our staff

Require experience:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred
• Certifications: Texas Superintendency preferred, but not required
• At least 10 total years of school supervisory leadership experience, including demonstrated success as both a principal and manager of principals
• Experience managing diverse geographical and demographical student, family, and staff populations preferred

Knowledge of: 

• Current educational landscape in the states we operate, including authorizer and regulatory requirements for charter management operators to ensure compliance and long-term viability as well as the options for school choice in each of our regions to ensure we remain competitive within our markets
• Effective instructional practices that lead to high student achievement, including curriculum planning, programmatic implementation, instructional supervision, coaching, and professional development
• Effective school culture at both the campus and classroom level that engages students, inspires confidence in parents, and motivates staff to ensure the most effective learning environment
• Effective school operations that manage resources effectively, deliver high quality levels of service, and ensure well-run campuses and regional teams
• Organizational strategic planning and monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Essential components of organizational health that foster a diverse, engaging, equitable, and inclusive culture

Skill in: 

• Building and maintaining strong relationships across stakeholders, both internal and external, and fostering cross-functional collaboration
• Organization, prioritization, follow through, and attention to detail to ensure effective use of time and earn a reputation for delivering on promises
• Analytical, critical, and conceptual thinking that uses data to drive decision-making and achieve results
• Effective communication, both verbally and in writing, including ability to engage an audience, invest others in a vision, and inspire confidence along with empathetic listening

Ability to: 

• Lead other leaders by establishing a vision of excellence with high expectations and performance management systems to ensure effective execution and implementation that leads to achieving ambitious goals and delivering results
• Lead complex organizational change management that invests key stakeholders across diverse regions and perspectives to ensure strong commitment and consistent outcomes
• Effectively manage talent including recruitment, hiring, onboarding, along with the coaching, development, conflict resolution, and holding staff accountable to ensure high performance and strong retention
• Strategically solve problems with sound judgement and effective decision-making in ways that build commitment, if not consensus
• Self-reflect, along with providing, receiving, and implementing feedback that improves performance and achieves results

Compensation & Benefits 

Salary is commensurate with relevant qualifications and experience. This role is also eligible for performance pay based on organizational performance and goal attainment.  Additionally, we offer medical, dental, vision, and supplemental benefits as well as retirement plans and a generous vacation package, including five weeks of school vacation time in addition to 15 annual Personal Time Off (PTO) days. Our rewards program is contingent on annual board approval and the organization’s financial standing. You can find more information about our benefits at https://ideapublicschools.org/careers/benefits/. 

Location:   

The Chief Schools Officer must currently live in or be willing to relocate to Texas, with preference for one of our regions in Austin, El Paso, Houston, Permian Basin, San Antonio, Tarrant County, or Rio Grande Valley. 

Travel Expectations:  up to 60% of the time during the busiest parts of the year 

Supervisory Responsibilities:  will include Area Superintendents, a Chief of Staff, and may include additional national Schools Team members

Application process:
Please note that applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis until the position is filled. However, the final deadline for submitting applications is April 9th, 2023. Applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

To achieve our mission of 100% College For All, IDEA commits to being a diverse, equitable, inclusive and anti-racist organization, where we honor and include the voices, values, and beliefs of all our students, staff, alumni, families, and community members. Visit https://ideapublicschools.org/dei/ to learn about IDEA’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Anti-Racist and Anti-Bias commitment.

Learn more about IDEA

• IDEA’s Core Values
• https://ideapublicschools.org/our-approach/
• https://ideapublicschools.org/our-story/history/