School Principal Job Description
School principals are responsible for supervising teachers and other faculty members. Included in a job description for a school principal could be things such as evaluating progress reports and setting academic agendas for all students.
Position Description:
The school principal acts as the chief executive officer of a school, overseeing all aspects of its operation in order to meet the institution’s goal of educating children.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities of a School Principal
- Sets objectives for students to meet, and develops a plan of action for teachers to follow in helping children achieve those benchmarks
- Meets with the school superintendant and school board members in order to discuss and develop policies and procedures
- Ensures that operating expenses do not exceed the allocated budget
- Coordinates the duties of workers inside the school to ensure all operations flow seamlessly
- Develops objectives for extra-curricular activities to include the sports program
- Evaluates student progress in order to determine whether an educational plan is being effective. Makes modifications to the plan as needed
- Interviews new faculty and teachers and assigns them their individual roles once hired
- Coordinates community activities that take place on school property
Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Possesses strong leadership skills, and has the ability to supervise others
- Has excellent verbal and written communications skills, to include proficiency in public speaking
- Is able to foster a team spirit so that everyone works toward a common goal
- Able to resolve conflicts quickly and efficiently
- Is unafraid to discipline students or teachers whenever the need arises
- Understands the laws of a particular community as they relate to education
Education and Experience
Before becoming a school principal, individuals will need to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in education, followed by a teaching certificate for that particular state. After working as a teacher for five to ten years, one can then apply for a position as a school principal. Having a Master’s degree or doctorate in education can give one candidate an edge over another who has only a four-year degree.
Work Environment
School principals perform their duties inside educational facilities, where time will be divided between their office, classrooms, and other areas of the institution. As a result, a normal workday could involve a combination of sitting, standing and walking. Principals normally work day shift on weekdays, with the exception of major holidays and a week or two near Christmas. They normally work year round whenever a particular institution also holds summer school; otherwise, they may have two months off during this season.
Salary
The average salary for a school principal in the United States is around $86,970 per year. Principals are paid year round, even when school is not in session, and in order to do this, salary is pro-rated. This means that the annual salary is divided by the number of pay periods in a given year, and then that amount is issued as scheduled. As a result, principals do not have to worry about going without pay during Christmas or summer breaks.
