Turnaround Principal (Middle School)

Turnaround Principal

Position Profile

Position: Turnaround Principal

School: Jack Swigert Middle School

Reports To: Area Superintendent

FTE: 1.0 (8 hours per day)

Days/Year: 226

Salary Schedule: 2025–2026 Executive Professional Salary Schedule (Group B)

Paygrade: E82T

FLSA Status: Exempt

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States

Why You Will Love Working Here: At Jack Swigert Middle School, a D11 quality neighborhood school, we focus on helping students become confident, empowered learners in a unified community of support by creating an inclusive environment where all learners thrive. We are seeking a qualified, experienced principal to lead our instructional and cultural improvement work. Successful candidates will have experience in leading a secondary school through making significant changes that resulted in measurable student outcome improvements. At Swigert, we proudly serve a diverse student population who call the southeast region of D11 home. We believe that each Swigert student deserves a high-quality education experience that prepares them to be successful in high school. We look forward to meeting leaders who share our vision for preparing students for a bright future!

Before applying, we encourage you to review D11 and Swigert's websites to learn more about our students, staff and community.

Position Summary

The Turnaround Principal serves as a transformative leader responsible for driving rapid, sustainable school improvement in alignment with Colorado Springs School District 11’s mission to Inspire every mind. This role requires a leader who can diagnose systemic challenges, design and implement bold strategies, and inspire collective ownership of student achievement and school culture. Turnaround Principals lead schools identified for targeted or comprehensive improvement under the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) accountability framework. They are responsible for creating and executing a data-driven turnaround plan that addresses instructional quality, professional capacity, culture and climate, and operational efficiency. These leaders foster a culture of high expectations, equity, and collaboration—mobilizing staff, families, and the community toward a shared vision of student success. They recruit and retain high-performing staff, develop leadership capacity within the building, and ensure effective systems of teaching, learning, and support for all students.

Turnaround Principals are resilient, strategic, and student-centered leaders who can navigate complexity, make difficult decisions with empathy and clarity, and deliver measurable growth in academic outcomes and school performance.

Leaders at Colorado Springs School District 11 are collaborative, student-centered professionals who inspire excellence through vision, accountability, and care. They embody the district’s core values of integrity, equity, innovation, and service.

All leaders are expected to:

• Cultivate safe, inclusive, and equitable environments where all students and staff feel valued.
• Lead the design and delivery of rigorous, standards-aligned instructional programs.
• Use data to guide continuous improvement and close opportunity gaps.
• Manage personnel, budgets, and operations with efficiency, transparency, and integrity.
• Build partnerships with families and community organizations that strengthen student learning.
• Model lifelong learning and professional reflection to drive organizational growth.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Knowledge of:

• Instructional leadership, curriculum development, and evidence-based teaching practices.
• Strategies to support student learning, social-emotional development, and school-wide equity initiatives.
• School operations, including budgeting, scheduling, facilities management, and compliance with district, state, and federal regulations.
• Staff supervision, evaluation, professional development, and performance management processes.
• Data-driven decision-making, assessment tools, and continuous improvement frameworks.
• Family and community engagement practices and strategies to build strong partnerships.
• Ethical, legal, and professional standards for school leadership, including confidentiality and cultural responsiveness.

Skills in:

• Leading, motivating, and managing staff to achieve instructional excellence and professional growth.
• Designing and implementing programs and initiatives that improve student outcomes and school performance.
• Analyzing and interpreting data to inform school improvement strategies and resource allocation.
• Facilitating collaborative decision-making and building consensus among diverse stakeholders.
• Communicating effectively and persuasively with students, families, staff, and community partners.
• Resolving conflicts, addressing behavioral and operational challenges, and implementing solutions.
• Promoting a positive school culture that fosters equity, inclusion, innovation, and high expectations.

Ability to:

• Lead a school with vision, integrity, and a focus on student success.
• Foster a safe, inclusive, and supportive learning environment for students and staff.
• Supervise, mentor, and evaluate staff effectively while promoting professional growth.
• Implement district initiatives, strategic plans, and continuous improvement efforts successfully.
• Build strong partnerships with families, caregivers, and community members to enhance student learning and well-being.
• Apply ethical and culturally responsive leadership practices in all aspects of work.
• Manage multiple priorities, complex operations, and critical decision-making responsibilities effectively.

Education and Experience (General Minimum Requirements)

• Master’s degree in educational leadership, curriculum, or related field.
• Valid Colorado Principal License (or eligibility for licensure) issued by the Colorado Department of Education.
• Minimum of five (5) years of successful classroom or equivalent instructional experience.
• Minimum of three (3) years of administrative or leadership experience, including demonstrated success improving student outcomes.
• Proven experience leading high-poverty, high-diversity, or improvement-designated schools.
• Demonstrated expertise in strategic planning, staff development, and culturally responsive leadership.
• Preferred qualifications include a doctorate degree, completion of CDE-approved Turnaround Leadership or similar program, and/or bilingual proficiency (English/Spanish or other district-identified languages).

Working Conditions

Work is performed in a school office environment and throughout the school campus, with frequent interaction among students, staff, families, and community members. The position may require extended hours, attendance at evening events, and availability during emergencies or high-need periods.

Duties are primarily sedentary with periods of light physical activity. Typical responsibilities may require standing or walking for extended periods; lifting and carrying up to 20 pounds; climbing stairs; bending, reaching, holding, grasping, and turning objects; and using fingers to operate computer keyboards and other office equipment.

The position requires the ability to communicate effectively and to use normal or aided vision and hearing. All duties must be performed with or without reasonable accommodation.

Join Our Team!

Join Colorado Springs School District 11 as a Turnaround Principal and lead the transformation of a school community toward lasting success. Through courageous leadership, collaborative problem-solving, and a deep commitment to equity, you will help create the conditions where every student thrives and every educator excels.

Employees in this category will also receive the following for the 2025-2026 school year:

• Non-Recurring Pay: 7% of base salary in Non-Recurring Pay (distributed as 3.5% on November paycheck and 3.5% on May paycheck).
• Professional Development Fund (PDF): __EXEC Pro employees will be allocated $1,500 annually towards a Professional Development Fund (PDF) to be used for professional growth opportunities. Amount allocated will be prorated based upon date and length of hire.
• Staffing Stability Incentive (Mitchell High School Only): __EXEC Pro employees will receive the equivalent of one salary step divided over 12 pay periods (calculated as the difference between the placed step and the next step x number of hours per week x 4 weeks x 12 months).
• Pay for Performance (Mitchell High School): __EXEC Pros will receive a Pay for Performance Bonus that is paid out in the fall (utilizing criteria from the previous year).

Base Salary Setting: Employment, assignment and salary placement, is in accordance with job description requirements. A work history is required to demonstrate job title, job duties and time worked in the position. Reference the linked How Your Compensation Is Determined for more details.

Salary Setting (New Hires): Newly-employed Executive Professionals will be placed on the twenty (20) step system. Each step represents two years of experience, based upon equivalent experience. Beginning in July 2025, The maximum number of years of experience granted is 14, which is equivalent to placement on step seven (7). Steps are determined by experience listed on the application and resume.

Salary Setting (Rehires): Returning employees who have previously resigned or separated from the District will be rehired at the same step they were on at the time of resignation/separation plus any new experience gained in the same job, provided step increases were approved by the Board during the years in question.

Employees with experience in the District who have left the District and then returned to the same position shall be hired at the same pay grade (refers to the __EXEC Pro placement on salary schedule by job title) and step at time of resignation. Additional relevant experience gained after resignation may be evaluated from the employee’s application and updated resume.

See Employee Handbook (located on the D11 website) for information on salary setting for rehires (after retirement), promotions and lateral transfers.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY