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Chief Academic Officer Job Posting
Chief Academic Officer
Position Announcement:  Wednesday, April 18, through Friday, May 18, 2018

An Exclusive Instructional Leadership Opportunity
The Sandusky City Schools is a vibrant, dynamic and transformation oriented school district located on the shores of Lake Erie in Sandusky, Ohio. We are home to Cedar Point, one of the best amusement parks in the world and home to the world’s best roller coasters. It is a great place to raise a family, work and attend the public schools. Sandusky City Schools has an enrollment of 3,450 students currently in nine schools serving grades Pre-K through 12th grade and is seeking a Chief Academic Officer (CAO) to provide strategic and innovative leadership focused on curriculum and instruction. The CAO is part of the Senior Leadership Team consisting of the Chief Executive Officer and Superintendent, Chief of Staff and Transformation Officer, and the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer. The Chief Academic Officer will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer and Superintendent and be responsible for implementing the district’s academic vision focused on completing the goals in the Academic Pillar of the Transformation Plan.  The successful candidate will be able to provide leadership in the following areas; (a) implementation of a district-wide, strategically aligned school improvement plan designed to dramatically improve student achievement, with evidence of past experience of advancing academic achievement on state and national assessments (b) creation and implementation of SMART goals concentrated in reading, math, and graduation rate, (c) understanding of the Ohio Decision Framework, CCIP, and the ability to analyze, interpret, communicate and implement student performance data into workable building level plans to maximize student achievement, (d) understand and implement Ohio’s Learning Standards, ( e) experience with academic pacing guides for all content areas, (f) background in planning and implementing effective professional development for staff, (g) background in training, implementing and monitoring Project Based Learning initiatives, (h) ability to interpret data from subgroups and lead differentiated instruction and intervention strategies, and (i) development and monitoring of a district level literacy team. Sandusky City Schools has a history of significant support from the community through school levies, bond issues, and financial support. Our five-year forecast has strong positive balances and our Board of Education is experienced and are collaborative partners with our administration, faculty, staff, and parents.

Academic Credentials and Professional Preparation:
The successful candidate for Chief Academic Officer at Sandusky City Schools should possess the following credentials:
• Minimum of a Master’s degree in an appropriate academic field; Doctoral degree preferred but not required
• Demonstrated evidence of advancing academic achievement in a metropolitan diverse school district
• Leadership and management experience at the building level and central office experience in curriculum, instructional design, leadership, organizational management, social emotional learning, or related executive experience working with faculty, staff, students, and parents
• Strong leadership skills with emphasis on collaborative, team building, partnership with internal and external constituents including foundations, the Ohio Department of Education, and national curriculum and leadership organizations
• Familiar with the Ohio Report Card and Learning Standards of the Ohio Department of Education

The Chief Academic Officer Team and reports:
The Chief Academic Officer will provide leadership for several divisions within the district; namely
• Instructional Coaches in reading, math, and technology
• STEAM Coordinator
• Department of Student Services and Family Supports
• Title and all federal programs
• Testing Facilitator
• Educational Management Information Systems (EMIS) Coordinator
• Monitor leadership of Regional Center for Advanced Academic Studies (a full-service gifted school serving students in grades 3rd through 6th)
• Work in collaboration with the Chief of Staff and Transformation Officer with academic support to building principals

Background Information
In March 2013, the Sandusky City Schools Board of Education and Senior Leadership Team announced the launch of the most progressive, innovative, and creative transformation plan in the history of our school district designed to dramatically and significantly advance student achievement and develop instructional based programs to ensure our students are competitive in an ever evolving global environment. The Transformation Plan consists of twelve pillars of strategic work focused on our students and families. The successful candidate will have experience in working and collaborating within all twelve pillars, but specifically be responsible for leadership for the following pillars:

• Pillar #1 Academic Improvement in Curriculum and Instruction
• Pillar #2 College and Career Readiness
• Pillar #3 Adult and Global Readiness
• Pillar #5 Student Services
• Pillar #7 Technology
• Pillar #8 Professional Development
(Please see our website www.scs-k12.net for more detailed goals with each of the pillars. Click Transformation Plan)

Key Challenges for the Chief Academic Officer
The CAO is a significant member of the Senior Leadership Team and regularly interacts with administrators, faculty, staff, civic, foundation, and community leaders, as well as parents, business and industry leaders in our region. The Sandusky City Schools enjoys a high level of local respect and administration has been very clear about the need to dramatically improve student achievement. The successful candidate will need to be able to provide systematic and transformational relevant leadership to the district and community. The CAO will need to provide strong and effective leadership in two key areas:  (A) Instructional Leadership and (B) Management, Accountability, and Transformation:

A. Instructional Leadership: The CAO will need to provide:
1. Evidence of advancing academic achievement in mid-sized to large metropolitan districts
2. Evidence of deep instructional knowledge, staff development experience and the ability to advance achievement
3. Measurable outcomes in reading, math, science, and graduation rate
4. School turnaround skills and competency
5. Differentiated instructional design and implement effective use of technology in the classroom
6. A commitment to social justice and opportunity for all students
7. Ensure textbook adoption is aligned with standards with common horizontal resources
8. Vertical instructional alignment for P- K-12
9. Professional development in evidence based instructional strategies and data analysis
10. Experienced leadership and supervision with Project Based Learning, Formative Instructional Practice, and the Ohio Improvement Process

B. Management, Accountability, and Transformation: The CAO will need to provide
1. Implement the pillars of the Transformation Plan focused on curriculum and instructional
2. Understand contemporary transformation and school reform literature
3. Lead the academic and instructional design of reconfigured elementary buildings (Pre-K-Kindergarten; Grades 1-2; and Grades 3-6)
4. Manage the staff associated with the Office of the CAO
5. Demonstrated ability to execute an improvement plan with fidelity
6. Strong and effective communication skills
7. Ability to establish effective partnerships with internal and external partners
8. Willing to commit to a five-year period of engagement
9. Experience working with the Comprehensive Continuous Improvement Planning (CCIP) and working knowledge of Ohio Department of Education’s Ohio Report Card system
10. Successful candidate should have building level administrative experience

The CAO Search Committee welcomes candidates with traditional school based experience in addition to candidates with nontraditional backgrounds with demonstrated experience resulting in measured improvement on organizational goals and objectives. We also welcome candidates who are interested in becoming superintendent of schools in our district and be considered part of our succession planning strategy.  

Interview Timeline:
Friday, May 18, 2018 by 12:00 p.m. Deadline for submitting application
Friday, May 25, 2018 Application identified for on-site interview
May 29-June 1, 2018 District Level One Interviews
June 4-June 8, 2018 District Level Two Interviews
June 11-June 15, 2018 Interview with the Chief Executive Officer
June 20, 2018 Candidate selected
June 28, 2018 Approval by the Board of Education
July 2, 2018 Proposed start date

To Apply
Inquiries, Cover Letter (identifying evidence of advancing student achievement in a metropolitan school district), Resume or Curriculum Vitae, and three Reference Letters should be sent to the following email:  [email protected]. Please write CAO Sandusky in the subject line. For more information about this opportunity, please contact Dr. Eugene T. W. Sanders, Chief Executive Officer and Superintendent at (419) 984-1000. A generous compensation and benefit package is available.