Wildflower Schools; Albuquerque, NM; Founding Teacher Leader; PK-3rd Grade

Overview

Wildflower Schools Founding Teacher Leader, Albuquerque or the Permian Basin, New Mexico (PK-3rd Grade).

As a Founding Teacher Leader, you will design, lead, and teach at a new primary/lower elementary charter school site in Albuquerque or the Permian Basin, New Mexico, in partnership with other Teacher Leaders and in collaboration with the Administrative Partner and other charter-wide support roles. You will report to the charter school’s Board of Directors. Each site will launch with three co-founders — two primary Teacher Leaders for a classroom of 3-6 year olds and one lower elementary Teacher Leader serving 1st-3rd grade — who collectively design, launch, and operate a Montessori microcharter school with support from the broader Wildflower Schools network.

Over a 2-year School Startup Journey, you will engage in a phased process that prepares you to design, launch, and operate a new Wildflower public school. This encompasses the development and approval of a new Wildflower charter application and alignment with the charter vision and operational plan.

• Discovery and Model Design — Get to know Wildflower through self-reflection and conversations with Wildflower Partners and community members.
• Identify and engage a professional network of advocates, experts, and community collaborators who will serve as your Steering Committee during the charter application and authorization process.
• Engage families from the district you intend to serve to inform ongoing school design and deepen your commitment to bringing a Wildflower school to that community.
• Participate in Wildflower’s Charter Entrepreneurs Cohort to design and solicit feedback on a charter school model rooted in high-fidelity Montessori practices and Wildflower principles, and coordinate with potential Montessori certification timelines if needed.
• Engage in in-depth learning experiences to equip you to design and launch a successful charter school, including learning from other high-performing schools and organizations.
• Translate your school vision and operational plan into a comprehensive charter application, including curriculum/instruction, governance, family engagement, staffing, finance, and facilities with support from Wildflower Schools and Excellent Schools New Mexico.
• Achieve charter approval and move into Planning and School Startup; set up strong systems for operations, governance, finance, legal, and compliance.
• Recruit and onboard your Founding Board of Directors and work with the Board to hire a charter-wide Administrative Partner.
• Secure, renovate, and license a physical space; prepare a Montessori learning environment aligned with your vision and regulatory requirements.
• Enroll students and families in alignment with year-one metrics; hire and train site-based staff such as assistants and paraprofessionals.
• Affiliate your microsite with the Wildflower Network and become an employee of the charter entity.
• Co-lead and co-teach a mixed-age Montessori classroom; attend authorizer and state compliance trainings; participate in charter-wide professional learning events.
• Collaborate with the founding charter team and board to anticipate and serve students’ needs; maintain accurate records and ensure compliance; maintain a healthy, well-functioning facility that meets licensing requirements.

• Co-lead and co-teach a mixed-age Montessori classroom.
• Attend trainings to ensure charter compliance and participate in charter-wide professional learning.
• Collaborate with the founding charter team and board to anticipate and serve all students’ needs; ensure records and compliance; maintain a healthy facility.

• Completion of an AMI, AMS or other MACTE accredited primary or elementary Montessori training program. While preference will be given to Montessori-certified candidates, training scholarships are available for emerging Teacher Leaders who are not yet Montessori trained.
• Bachelor’s degree required. A New Mexico state teaching license is required to be hired by the board of directors but is not required to begin the startup journey with Wildflower.
• Deep commitment to…