School Leader (School Principal)

Written By Angie Lundgren
APPLY HERE

About Rooted School Vancouver

Rooted began in 2014 as a 15-student pilot in New Orleans, founded by Jonathan Johnson, who believed schools could do more to create real economic opportunity for students and families.  

Rooted School Vancouver opened in August 2023 as the first free public-charter school in southwest Washington and currently serves 65 students in grades 9-12 across the Greater Vancouver and Portland Metro region with 15 teachers and staff.

Vision (Our Future)

Rooted School Vancouver envisions a future where every student graduates with the skills, confidence, and opportunities to pursue financial freedom. We strive to close the inequality gap by preparing empowered, self-directed learners who leave our school with a college acceptance in one hand and a career pathway and/or job in the other.

Mission (Our Daily Work)

Our mission is to provide personalized, rigorous, and career-connected learning experiences that empower students to know themselves, take ownership of their learning, and pursue ambitious goals. Through culturally responsive instruction, industry credentials, early-college access, and strong community partnerships, we equip every student with the knowledge, habits, and real-world opportunities needed to build the foundation for lifelong success and upward mobility.

Position Overview

The School Leader is the instructional leader responsible for ensuring that Rooted School Vancouver delivers a coherent, high-quality career-connected high school experience where learning, belonging, and accountability are visible for students and adults. The School Leader translates Rooted’s mission, values, and strategic priorities into instructional practice, culture, and routines, while partnering closely with the Executive Director (ED) and Director of Operations (DOO) to ensure systems support learning.

The School Leader leads as a deliberately developmental organization (DDO) leader, treating the daily work of the school as the curriculum for adult growth and ensuring that psychological safety, accountability, equity, and continuous improvement are embedded in how the school operates.

Compensation and Benefits

Rooted School Vancouver offers a comprehensive benefits package, including SEBB health benefits & retirement contributions, 30 days paid time off, in addition to 18 paid holidays and break days throughout the year. Salary: Target range around $110,000 (finalized upon budget approval; based on experience)

Who You Are

You are an equity-driven, instructionally grounded, systems-thinking leader who believes that excellent teaching, strong culture, and coherent operations are acts of love, dignity, and justice for students and families. You understand that how a school operates is inseparable from how students experience learning and belonging.


Instructional Leader

You are deeply committed to high-quality instruction and Rooted DNA. You protect instructional coherence, use data to guide decisions, and ensure instructional quality every day, including during substitute coverage, transitions, and disruptions. You value fidelity. Fidelity equals coherence between vision, systems, and daily practice

Developmental Leader & Culture Builder

You lead adult learning/professional development intentionally. You model growth, feedback, repair, and learning from error, and you balance psychological safety with accountability. You name and interrupt inequities, power imbalances, and patterns that undermine belonging or excellence, and you design systems that help adults and students grow.

Trust-Builder, Communicator & Public-Facing Leader

You build trust through clarity, consistency, and integrity. You communicate directly and compassionately with students, families, staff, partners, and the board. You ensure that public storytelling and reporting are instructionally accurate and grounded in lived experience.

Core Responsibilities

I. Strategic Resource Leadership

  • Support the ED with accurate, instructionally grounded stories and impact data for fundraising and public communication.

  • Create and maintain a fiscally sustainable staffing model aligned to instructional priorities, student needs, and academic pathways.

  • Identify curriculum and instructional budget priorities that advance student outcomes.

  • Review and monitor quarterly sub-budget updates prepared by the DOO.

  • Use staffing and role design to support adult development, including stretch with protection.

  • Ensure accurate and timely progress monitoring and reporting.

II. Academic Program, Scheduling & Data Integrity

  • Manage, coach, and develop teachers (e.g teacher supervision and evaluation) including monitoring curriculum design and implementation. Conduct observations and evaluations and coordinate PIPs as needed.

  • Serve as a visible instructional leader by setting and reinforcing priorities.

  • Make final decisions on course sectioning and student schedule reviews.

  • Drive academic data quality (grades, progress reports, credit tracking, assessments).

  • Lead learning reviews to assess impact and test instructional adjustments.

  • Ensure learning quality and continuity (curriculum decisions, substitute coverage, and instructional technology use) 

  • Establish and protect predictable routines for PLCs, coaching, and feedback.

III. Student Experience, Culture & Attendance

  • Supervise and develop the Student Success Coach. Partner direct attendance expectations and coordinate WARNS and Tier 2/3 supports; and implement a proactive early-warning system for student disengagement.

  • Own the student culture vision from articulation to daily execution.

  • Lead implementation of Career-Connected Learning (CCL): strengthen schoolwide systems for internships, industry partnerships, credential pathways, and advisory/academic integration—ensuring every student experiences high-quality CCL.

  • Lead restorative discipline and reintegration (restorative attempts, timely reintegration, equity/quality monitoring). Lead escalated student management cases and monitor systems (e.g. supported schools).

  • Models regulated leadership, including calm presence during conflict and crisis.

IV. Culturally Responsive School Leadership

  • Serve as the final voice on academic and culture-related communications.

  • Ensure communication systems support clarity, consistency, and two-way engagement.

  • Set the vision for student events, exhibitions, and showcases.

  • Lead repair and trust-building with families when harm or misalignment occurs.

  • Coordinate student placements, career pathways, and academic-aligned partnerships.

V. Special Education Instructional Leadership

  • Supervise the Special Education Advisor / Case Manager.

  • Ensure FAPE delivery, including accommodations and modifications.

  • Evaluate special educators and monitor Specially Designed Instruction (SDI).

  • Lead instructional components of IEP meetings.

How the School Leader Operates (Non-Negotiables)

  • Treats work as the curriculum for adult development.

  • Protects time for instruction, coaching, and reflection.

  • Uses learning from error as a leadership strategy.

  • Communicates expectations, feedback, and decisions directly and respectfully while sustaining positive relationships.

  • Practices psychological safety with accountability, including repair.

  • Names and interrupts inequity and power dynamics in systems and decisions.

  • Makes learning visible for students, staff, families, and the board.

Minimum Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree required (Master’s degree in Education, Educational Leadership, or a related field preferred).

  • Holds a valid Washington State teaching certificate, or demonstrates eligibility for the appropriate Washington school leadership certification/licensure and obtains such certification/licensure within six (6) months of hire.

  • At least 5 years of experience in education, including classroom teaching and instructional leadership.

  • At least 2–3 years of administrative or formal instructional leadership experience (e.g., Assistant Principal, Dean, Instructional Coach, Program Director, Department Chair with supervisory authority).

  • As a part of the interview process, candidate will have to demonstrate: 

    • artifacts leading instructional improvement and coaching teachers, 

    • coordination of MTSS using data to improve outcomes,

    • supervision of Special Education, and

    • serving historically underserved communities.

  • Ability to manage complex school systems in a fast-paced environment.

  • Comfort using data systems and instructional technology platforms.

  • Ability to pass Washington State background checks and meet employment eligibility requirements.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Rooted School Vancouver (RSV) values a diverse workplace and strongly encourages women, people of color, LGBT individuals, people with disabilities, members of ethnic minorities, foreign-born residents, and veterans to apply. Rooted School Vancouver is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will not be discriminated against because of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, citizenship status, disability, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, medical condition or any protected category prohibited by local, state or federal laws.

The following employee has been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination:

Jamilla Singleton, Executive Director

Mailing Address: 10401 NE Fourth Plain Blvd Vancouver WA 98662

Email: jsingleton@rootedschoolvancouver.org

Angie Lundgren