Principal, Turnaround

Principal, Turnaround

Denton Independent School District Rivera Elementary - Denton, Texas

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Job : 5928433

Final date to receive applications: Sep 30, 2026 11:59 PM (Central Standard Time)

Posted: Sep 15, 2026 5:00 AM (UTC)

Starting Date: Immediately

Reports to: Area Superintendent

Wage/Hour Status: Exempt

Dept./School: Assigned Campus

Pay Family: Professional/Administrators

PC Assignment: Principal, Turnaround

Pay Grade:08

PC Assignment Code: 58011

Minimum Salary: $111,292

Insight: Principal

Additional Stipend: $12,000

Duty Days: 230 days per school year

This position is designated as a Turnaround Principal assignment and may be reassigned at the discretion of district leadership based on campus needs and accountability requirements.

Primary

Purpose:

Provide strategic leadership to effectively implement district policies, instructional programs, and campus operations. Foster a culture of academic excellence, equity, and student success by guiding instructional practices, managing personnel and resources, and strengthening school-community partnerships. Maintain a safe, supportive, and engaging learning environment that meets the diverse needs of all students.

In addition to the responsibilities above, the Turnaround Principal leads the rapid improvement of a historically low-performing campus through urgent, data-driven, and results-oriented leadership. This includes establishing and communicating a clear, coherent turnaround vision; implementing research-based school improvement strategies with fidelity; aligning campus goals, instructional priorities, and operational systems to accelerate student achievement and improve campus accountability outcomes; and building staff capacity to produce measurable, sustained gains for all learners.

Qualifications:

Education and Certification

• Master’s degree
• Valid Texas Administrator’s Certificate issued by State Board for Educator Certification
• Certified Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS) appraiser

Experience

• Three (3) years of successful experience as a campus principal
• Demonstrated success improving student achievement or leading school improvement efforts
• Experience supervising and developing teachers and instructional leaders
• Experience working in high-needs or underperforming school settings (preferred)
• Experience in leading successful turnaround or school improvement initiatives (preferred)

Knowledge and Skills

• Deep understanding of school improvement frameworks, data-driven instruction, and effective turnaround practices.
• Knowledge of Texas A–F accountability, state intervention requirements, and campus improvement planning under TEC/TEA guidelines.
• Comprehensive knowledge of curriculum and instruction, and best educational practices.
• Advanced verbal and written communication skills, emphasizing clarity and professionalism.
• Advanced interpersonal skills to foster positive relationships with staff, community, and other stakeholders.
• Ability to lead urgent change while building staff capacity, maintaining morale, and supporting instructional excellence.
• Advanced organizational and multitasking abilities.
• Ability to evaluate instructional program and teaching effectiveness.
• Ability to manage budget and personnel.
• Advanced ability to align scheduling, staffing, and resource allocation to school improvement goals.
• Ability to implement policy and procedures.
• Ability to interpret data.
• Skill in analyzing campus performance data to identify root causes, establish priorities, and drive rapid improvement cycles.

Key Responsibilities:

Instructional Leadership

• Serve as campus instructional leader.
• Develop and evaluate educational programs to ensure compliance with state and school board curriculum standards.
• Work with special program coordinators/directors such as special education, bilingual, curriculum, gifted and talented, English as a second language, and textbooks to ensure proper campus participation in these programs.
• Develop and coordinate educational programs through meetings with staff, teachers, and the Campus Leadership Team (CLT) and review staff and teacher performance and activities.
• Monitor student performance on local, state, and national examinations.
• Identify, analyze, and apply research findings (e.g., district performance data and effective school correlates) to facilitate school improvement.
• Use student outcome data (formative, summative, diagnostic) to establish measurable campus goals and monitor progress toward accelerated achievement.
• Ensure…