Elementary Principal (2026-2027)

Job Title:  Elementary Principal                                                                          Wage/Hour Status: Exempt       

Reports to: Network Executive Director                                                           Pay Grade: PEI                                                                                                                                                                

Dept./School: Academics and School Leadership                                           Initiated Date: March 2026        

WHO WE ARE

La Joya Independent School District (ISD) is committed to excellence for students and our community. We have a strong, 100-year legacy in the Rio Grande Valley. The district’s vision - Educational Excellence: The Right of Every Student -  conveys our urgent focus on students.

Our work is rooted in five district priorities, which require collaboration and deep commitment to supporting one another as we serve the community. 

1. Customer Service
2. Trust & Transparency
3. High-Quality Instruction
4. Excellence in Leadership
5. Integrity & Accountability

We are focused on ensuring every student in La Joya ISD has access to a high-quality, best-fit school as we work to improve from a B-district to an A-rated district. We serve more than 22,000 students in more than 30 schools and span six municipalities, covering more than 220 square miles. 

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We are seeking a Principal that can lead an elementary school to excellence. The ideal candidate will have demonstrated impact on student outcomes, accelerating student growth, building strong community relationships, creating a culture of support and excellence, and coaching and developing staff. You must have the commitment and urgency, and strategic system leadership skills needed to quickly establish excellence and build structures to sustain that excellence over time. You will have to be skilled in adaptive change management in a very fast environment. 

WHY LA JOYA ISD

You will be joining a district that is building on a legacy of achievement while rapidly improving and creating systems to reach new heights for student outcomes. You will receive intentional, targeted support in your leadership journey and have access to the highest-quality, research-based resources and instructional materials. We are also a district focused on continuous improvement and rigorous analysis of where we need to grow and learn.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education/Certification:

• Master’s degree required; preferred in Education, Educational Leadership or related field
• Valid or eligible to receive Texas Principal Certification or MId-Management Certification
• Currently or eligible to become T-TESS certified

Experience:

• Minimum of three year’s teaching experience
• Minimum of three year’s experience as an Assistant Principal, preferred  

Special Knowledge and Skills

• Proven success in leading a school or district community toward continuous improvement in academic goals with a relentless pursuit of academic excellence for all students
• Deep knowledge of curriculum and instruction as well as evidence-based practices in multiple content areas as applicable by grade levels 
• Demonstrated leadership on district-wide committees and/or district-wide activities
• Proven experience to use and interpret data to inform decision-making processes that allow for intentional actions and lead to improved student/campus achievement 
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills (written and oral)
• Leadership, management, and organizational skills
• Experience with diverse populations
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred
• Proven success in leading a school or district community toward continuous improvement in academic goals with a relentless pursuit of academic excellence for all students 

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

Executive Leadership

1. Serve as a transformational leader working to create a best-in-class learning environment.
2. Participate in professional development and training to improve skills related to job assignment.
3. Foster collegiality and team building among staff members.
4. Provide for two-way communication with staff, students, parents, and community.
5. Demonstrate professional, ethical, and responsible behavior. Serve as a role model for all campus staff.
6. Develop and set annual campus performance objectives.
7. Lead the development of the campus improvement plan with staff, parents and community members.
8. Delegate leadership responsibilities as appropriate, ensuring strong systems of monitoring, support, and feedback for campus staff.

Instructional Leadership:

1. Promote the expectation for high-level performance from staff and students and recognize excellence and achievement.
2. Develop and monitor instructional and administrative processes to ensure that instructional practices are aligned to evidence-based practices and implemented with fidelity. 
3. Ensure high-quality instructional materials and resources are implemented with fidelity.
4. Utilize campus data for corrective action leading to improvement, as well as for recognition of success.
5. Provide professional learning to support the teaching staff in accomplishing the school’s instructional goals.
6. Evaluate and adjust educational programs and approaches to ensure rapid student acceleration.
7. Establish clear expectations for staff performance with regard to instructional strategies, classroom management, and communication with the parents, families, and community members.
8. Disaggregate and interpret data in order to assist in developing appropriate next steps for campus improvement.
9. Support teachers in analyzing data and developing action plans to improve teaching and learning.

Professional Learning Community (PLC’s)

1. Lead, implement and support Professional Learning Communities (PLC’s) that create positive relationships amongst teachers and administrators while fostering a team culture of open sharing, risk taking and shared leadership, to work effectively as a team.
2. Ensure PLCs develop and improve teacher instructional capacity.
3. Develop and lead a strong Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) for the campus.

Effective Feedback

1. Regularly consult the Instructional Leadership Team about planning, operation, supervision, and evaluation of campus education programs. Include students and community representatives when appropriate.
2. Provide coaching and meaningful feedback to teachers and staff with the intent of improving employee performance.
3. Support and evaluate teachers with regular classroom visits and providing timely formative and summative feedback to teachers.
4. Provide instructional feedback to teachers, administrators, and staff based on classroom observations and walk-throughs.
5. Coach and develop the Assistant Principal.

Culture & Climate

1. Create, cultivate and lead a culture of excellence, support, and community for all stakeholders.
2. Work with faculty and students to develop a student behavioral support system that results in positive student and staff behavior and enhances the school climate.
3. Facilitate effective and timely resolution of conflicts.
4. Identify, analyze, and apply research findings (e.g., effective school correlates) to promote school improvement.
5. Enhance students' social, emotional, behavioral, and academic achievement.
6. Act as campus behavior coordinator in accordance with state laws and regulations.
7. Ensure that school rules are uniformly applied and that student discipline is appropriate and equitable in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct and student handbook.
8. Follow all policies, practices, and procedures that create optimal learning conditions for students with special needs in alignment with IDEA
9. Conduct conferences about student and school issues with parents, students, and teachers.
10. Ensure that students are adequately supervised during non-instructional periods.

Personnel Management

1. Select, train, supervise and evaluate all staff fairly and in alignment with proper policies and procedures.
2. Ensure accurate documentation on any and all recommendations relative to assignment, retention, discipline and dismissal.
3. Observe employee performance, record observations, and conduct evaluation conferences with staff with the lens of both support and accountability for all employees.
4. Coach staff and help them identify and develop appropriate professional growth opportunities as well as accomplish improvement goals.
5. Work with campus-level planning and decision-making committees to plan professional development activities.

School or Community Relations

1. Articulate the school’s mission to the community and solicit its support in realizing the mission.
2. Communicate with parents, families, and communities on a regular and consistent basis to ensure clear and consistent messaging to parents on both campus and district information and events
3. Engage with parents, families, and community members to increase parental involvement on the campus
4. Demonstrate awareness of school and community needs and initiate activities to meet those needs using appropriate and effective techniques to encourage community and parent involvement.

Management of Fiscal, Administrative, and Facilities Functions

1. Plan daily school activities by leading the development of class schedules, teacher assignments, and extracurricular activity schedules.
2. Ensure all employees follow proper protocols to maintain accurate records (i.e. grades, attendance, other required documentation)
3. Ensure that all administrative duties and tasks delegated to the campus are completed in a timely manner to ensure alignment to state and local policies
4. Compile, maintain, and file all reports, records, and other documents required including accurate and timely reports.
5. Lead safety inspections and drills.
6. Report any and all facilities issues that present a safety concern on the campus.
7. Work with faculty and staff to compile annual budget requests based on documented program needs
8. Develop budgets based upon documented Campus Needs Assessments, estimated enrollment, personnel, and other entitlement funding streams; implement programs within budget limits; maintain fiscal control; accurately report fiscal information.
9. Manage use of school facilities. Oversee maintenance of facilities to ensure a clean, orderly, and safe campus.
10. Coordinate transportation, custodial, cafeteria, and other support services as assigned.
11. Comply with district policies, state and federal laws and regulations affecting schools.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Supervise and evaluate the performance of staff assigned to the campus, including but not limited to: assistant principal(s), teacher(s), counselor(s), librarian(s), educational support staff, instructional aides, clerical support staff, food service staff, and custodians.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Physical Demands

Typical demands of a school environment, including extensive computer use and district-wide travel for meetings and events. Lifting and carrying of books, boxes, and audiovisual equipment, light (15-20 pounds), climbing, stretching, visual acuity, walking, pulling, bending, stooping, climbing stairs, reaching, pushing, sitting, kneeling, standing, and twisting, may be required to control behavior through physical restraint.

Work Environment
Primarily school-based with regular interaction with district staff, educators, students, families, and community members. Campus visits will be required as needed and as a part of ensuring program implementation with fidelity and monitoring of service delivery models. Attendance at evening or weekend events may be required. Frequent prolonged and irregular hours.

Reading, supporting instruction, demonstrating computer skills appropriate for assignment, effective communication and interpersonal skills, ability to work well with students, concentration (detailed work), interpretive skills (policy, procedure, dates), reasoning skills, understanding verbal instructions, analyzing, differentiating, memorizing, coordinating, compiling, and computing.

Mental Demands:

Work with frequent interruptions, maintain emotional control under stress.

POSITION WORKING DAYS
217 days

COMPENSATION

Principal Excellence Initiative (PEI)

The Principal Excellence Initiative (PEI) is designed to recognize, develop, and strategically support campus leaders who drive measurable student growth and instructional excellence. Through clearly defined performance expectations aligned to our instructional framework and student outcomes, PEI ensures that principal leadership remains focused on academic achievement, talent development, and strong campus culture. This initiative reinforces accountability while providing meaningful recognition for results.

Please review the Principal Excellence Initiative details within the Compensation Plan for eligibility criteria, performance metrics, and pay structure.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive description of all work requirements and responsibilities, and management reserves the right to revise the job description or require that other responsibilities be performed when the job changes. Additionally, the minimum level of education notated as a requirement could be supplemented by commensurate experience and/or certification(s) or license(s) as determined by the hiring manager.