Reports to: Superintendent

Employment Type: Full-time, working 205 days per year

Who We Are

South San Francisco Unified School District (SSFUSD) is a diverse, vibrant TK-12 community located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our 15 elementary, middle, and high schools serve nearly 8,000 students in Daly City, San Bruno, and South San Francisco. We also have robust preschool and adult ed programs, allowing us to serve community members of all ages.

We take pride in our diversity, and our commitment to all of our children. SSFUSD refuses to accept that the educational outcomes of students in our district are overwhelmingly predictable based on students’ race, socioeconomics, ethnicity or learning differences. We remain committed to working each day to examine systemic, institutional, and individual biases in order to dismantle systems of inequities and enable all students to thrive.

With this in mind, our community worked together for the last year and a half to develop a shared, student-centered vision for our district. Adopted in February 2024, our Vision and 5-Year Strategic Plan lays out our updated mission, core values, our promise to all students (our “Portrait of a Graduate”), and five strategic priorities to help us bring this promise to life.

We are united in our commitment to this vision, and are looking for mission-aligned educators to join us in bringing this vision to life.

The Role

SSFUSD is seeking a dynamic, equity-focused, and inclusive educator to lead South San Francisco High School.

South San Francisco High School (SSFHS) is one of our district’s two comprehensive high schools. Slightly more than half of our high school students attend SSFHS, and the school offers a broad range of academic, extracurricular, and cultural opportunities for our students to learn, thrive, navigate their future with purpose, and make an impact on their community.

As the principal, you will work with your students, families, community, and staff to co-create a school vision aligned with our new district-wide strategic plan. You will have the full support of the district as well as our philanthropic partner, the Bay Ed Fund, to realize that vision.

As Principal, your responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Vision, Strategy & Leadership

• Model the district’s core values (“CARE”: Community is our strength, Authentic relationships matter, Resilience propels us forward, Equity is our north star)
• Lead efforts at your school to bring SSFUSD’s Portrait of a Graduate to life for all students
• Advance our district’s five strategic priorities
• Engage actively as part of SSFUSD’s Central Administrative Team (CAT)
• Set the school’s annual goals and plan to achieve them, in alignment with our district-wide strategic plan
• Exercise decisive leadership in critical situations
• Perform other related duties as assigned

Exceptional Instruction & Empowered Educators

• Establish and maintain a culture of student-centered, exceptional instruction at your school
• Hire, supervise, develop, retain, and evaluate school staff in service of achieving school goals and our district-wide mission and vision
• Visit classrooms at least weekly to observe instruction and student engagement, and offer feedback and coaching to staff to recognize excellence and identify opportunities for improvement
• Monitor and evaluate student progress, and use data to analyze program and classroom effectiveness, and identify opportunities for growth and improvement
• Plan and lead professional learning for your staff that advances your school’s goals and culture of exceptional instruction
• Coordinate and facilitate staff meetings, instructional leadership team (ILT) meetings, IEP meetings (as needed), and others; plan agendas and prepare materials and minutes as needed.

Engaged Students and Supportive School Culture

• Ensure the health, safety and welfare of students, and maintain a safe, supportive, inclusive school culture and climate.
• Regularly engage with a diverse range of students to understand their experience, and encourage them to identify ways to continue improving the school environment and student experience.
• Collaborate with the Assistant Principal, counselor, families, educators, and students regarding behavioral incidents; address issues in accordance with District policies and Education Code, including through restorative practices and alternatives to suspension.
• Supervise and attend student activities and events (including during evenings or weekends); direct the planning and coordinating of promotion or graduation ceremonies.

Purposeful Partnerships with Families & Community

• Collaborate and communicate with families, community members, and partner agencies to build strong relationships and partnerships that support student success
• Engage parents / guardians as partners in their children's education and in the direction of the school, with particular attention to engaging families who have historically been under-represented
• Coordinate, facilitate, and promote attendance and engagement at important community meetings, including School Site Council (SSC), English Learner Advisory Council (ELAC), and PTA; plan or co-plan agendas and prepare minutes as needed

Equity-Centered School Systems & Operations

• Allocate the school’s resources to achieve school and district-wide goals (e.g., set and manage school budget, develop master schedule, determine staff assignments/responsibilities)
• Coordinate and serve as communications link between site and District personnel; update staff on revised policies and procedures and implement changes; conduct articulation activities with elementary feeder schools and the District high schools.
• Direct the preparation and maintenance of required records and reports about student attendance, welfare, discipline, safety and academic achievement.
• Organize, administer and direct operations of your site; ensure proper management and inventory of material, equipment, buildings and grounds; ensure the ordering and maintenance of adequate supplies of instructional and related materials.
• And others (see below)

Qualifications

Knowledge, skills and abilities

• Belief that all students can achieve, and commitment to SSFUSD’s mission and vision
• A dedication to learn, grow, and develop as a professional
• Deep knowledge of California State Common Core Standards
• Ability to set a vision, and develop and implement short- and long-range goals and objectives
• Ability to establish clear lines of responsibility and delegate authority appropriately
• Excellent communication skills (oral and written), including engaging others with patience, tact, and courtesy
• Ability to promote positive morale among students and staff, and establish and maintain cooperative and effective working relationships with others
• Ability to motivate and manage student behavior. Experience with restorative practices and alternatives to suspension strongly preferred
• Ability to set and manage time and priorities to accomplish goals within a busy school day / year
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and work with discretion when needed
• Ability to operate computer technology, related software, and other office equipment, and flexibly learn new applications and systems as needed
• Ability to meet District standards of professional and ethical conduct as outlined in Governing Board Policies and Administrative Regulations

Experience

• Two years experience as a principal or assistant principal. 2 years as a principal at this grade range strongly preferred.
• Four years of classroom teaching experience

Education & Credentials

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. Masters degree preferred.
• Valid California or Out-of-State Teaching Credential
• Valid California Administrative Services Credential (or current enrollment in a California Approved Administrative Credentialing Program, with credential expected by July 2024)
• Valid California Driver’s License

Application Requirements

• Updated resume
• Cover letter outlining why you are interested in this role at SSFUSD
• Transcripts of your graduate degrees if applicable. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable for application purposes only.
• Credential outlined in job description or letter of appeasement from your credentialing program confirming that you are expected to earn your credential by July 2024. Credential documentation should include document number assigned by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC).
• Contact information for three professional references

• Please note that if you are extended an offer from SSFUSD, you will also need to complete the following prior to beginning work, including training:
• Provide clearance of Tuberculosis (TB) test, as mandated by California Education code.
• Submit fingerprints for California Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation clearance.

Other Responsibilities

Seeing to perform activities. Hearing and speaking to exchange information. Dexterity of hands and fingers to operate a keyboard. Sitting and standing for extended periods of time. Walking, twisting, stooping, crouching, kneeling, bending over, grasping, reaching overhead, pushing, pulling and moving, lifting and/or carrying 0-50 pounds to waist height.

• Note: This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of duties, responsibilities, and activities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.

Working Conditions

• ENVIRONMENT: Office environment with some travel between District sites. Drive a vehicle to conduct work. May be required to use a personal vehicle.
• HAZARDS: Driving a vehicle during adverse weather conditions.

Non-Discrimination Policy

South San Francisco Unified School District programs, activities, and employment shall be free from unlawful discrimination, including discrimination against an individual or group based on race, color, ancestry, nationality, national origin, immigration status, ethnic group identification, ethnicity, age, religion, marital status, pregnancy, parental status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, or genetic information; a perception of one or more of such characteristics; or association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics. (Board Policy 0410)