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City Schools follows the following process when a change of leadership occurs. Principal/school leader appointments normally occur in the following ways:
Traditional
Principal selection occurs when a vacancy is identified for the upcoming school year. A candidate must have an Admin II endorsement from the Maryland State Department of Education and complete the full principal selection process.
Interim/ Managing Assistant Principal Selection
Interim/Managing Assistant Principal selection occurs when a principal opening happens unexpectedly during the school year or in the summer shortly before the start of the school year. Candidates complete a partial selection process before being named Interim or Managing Assistant Principal. If they are interested in becoming the school's principal, they complete the rest of the process later.
Difference between Interim and Managing Assistant Principal: Interim principals must have an Admin II endorsement from the Maryland State Department of Education. Managing Assistant Principals can have an Admin I endorsement.
Charter/Contract School Principal Selection
Charter school operators run their own principal selection process in accordance with contractual obligations. Final principal recommendations are submitted to the Office of Human Capital to vet candidate credentials in accordance with MSDE guidelines, then forwarded to the CEO and Board of School Commissioners for approval.
This webpage will be updated regularly when leadership changes for either category are approved by the Board of School Commissioners.
We're hiring for these positions
Each time we start the principal selection process or announce a school leader, we’ll post an update on the news and announcements webpage.
Current openings:
- Baltimore Polytechnic Institute
- Thomas Johnson Elementary/Middle School
- Tunbridge Public Charter School
Information about principal job openings
Traditional Principal Selection
This section contains the steps of the principal selection process when a vacancy is identified for the upcoming school year:
- Community Notification
- Principal Selection
- Announcement
Note: Before any principal candidate is considered, they must participate in the selection process of the Office of Human Capital.
Community Notification
The vacancy is posted and the work begins- Staff, families, students, and the community are notified of the principal transition. This will be in writing and in person. Parents and family members will receive written and a robocall notification of a meeting to discuss the principal selection process and needs of the school in its next leader.
- Vacancy is announced on the City Schools website.
- School community meeting, led by the principal supervisor (ILED), to discuss the principal selection process and needs of the school in its next leader.
Principal selection
Application, interviews, and CEO recommendationPrincipal candidates apply and complete the Office of Human Capital selection process. Click here to learn more about the candidate process.
1. School Family Council (SFC) panel interview – Up to 5 members of the SFC and the SFC chair will interview finalists in partnership with school staff and a high school student (where applicable). SFC interview panel members will be selected based on participation and attendance at SFC meetings and to ensure representation across grade bands, special populations, and demographics. The panel will rank the candidates in order of preference and share that ranking with the principal supervisor (ILED).
2. CEO and Schools team interviews – The principal supervisor (ILED) and/or Chief of Schools will interview principal candidates and recommend candidate(s) for the CEO’s consideration. The CEO will interview finalists and make a decision. While the CEO reviews all of the community recommendations, the CEO ultimately selects and presents the final recommendation to the Board of School Commissioners.
3. The CEO sends a principal recommendation for each school to the Board of School Commissioners for their approval.
Announcement
Inform the community that a new leader is appointedCity Schools will announce candidates approved by the board on the district website and to the school community in writing.
Interim Principal/Managing Assistant Principal Selection
There are times when a sitting principal unexpectedly resigns or otherwise departs from a school before the end of the school year or immediately before the start of the school year. When this occurs, City Schools will appoint an interim or acting principal or managing assistant principal until the complete selection process can be conducted.
- Community Notification: Staff, families, students, and the community are notified of the principal transition. This will be in writing and in person (where possible, if over the summer). If the timing of the departure does not permit for the full principal selection process to be conducted in advance, the community will be notified that an interim principal or managing assistant principal will be selected.
- Selection: Candidates will be selected by the CEO, Chief of Schools, and/or principal supervisor (ILED). The CEO sends an interim principal or managing assistant principal recommendation for the school to the Board of School Commissioners for their approval.
- Announcement: The district will announce candidates approved by the board on the district website and to the school community in writing. The principal supervisor (ILED) will notify the school community of opportunities to meet and engage with the interim principal or managing assistant principal during the transition.
Candidates may serve as an interim principal or managing assistant principal for up to one year at a given school. During that year, the school leader must complete the full principal selection process described in the above section to become the principal.
