St. James Catholic School seeks a faithful and experienced educational leader to serve as Principal in this next chapter of clarity, stability, and growth.

St. James Catholic School, the longest running Catholic school in Madison, has a 120+ year history from the time it was founded to serve the German immigrant population, up to today, where we serve just over 100 students, many still from immigrant families. It serves as the only school in the newly formed Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, making it ripe for growth to form and deepen the faith of hundreds of school-aged students that sit in our pews every weekend.

Our mission is to form disciples of Jesus, teaching from a Catholic worldview, instilling the virtues of Love of God and Neighbor, rooted in our core values of “Believing the Best of Others,” “Seeking to Understand and Committing,” and “Being Positive Champions of Change”.

This next year we envision growing our enrollment and School Choice program primarily through the students in our pews, increasing healthy teamwork among teachers, families and students, building a strong bond of collaboration with the parish team, and setting goals with the faculty and staff for growth in virtue and discipline, according to diocesan standards, resources, and vision.

The principal of St. James Catholic School is the spiritual, instructional, and administrative leader of the school, which includes K-8th grade, and an Early Childhood Education (ECE) program and participates in Wisconsin’s School Choice program.

Roles and Responsibilities

Spiritual Leadership
- Prayer: The principal is responsible for being a prayer and sacramental leader through example and leading students and staff in prayer and participation in the sacraments
- Catholic Identity: The principal is responsible for advancing the Catholic identity of the school, through establishing a mission statement and culture that uses virtue

Instructional Leadership
- Curriculum: Oversee curriculum development and compliance.
- Supervision: Supervise and develop staff through regular observation, feedback, and professional growth.
- Evaluation: Use data to guide decisions that improve academic performance for all students.

Operational Leadership
- General Operations: Ensure day-to-day school operations run effectively, safely, and in alignment with Catholic values. Coordinate school scheduling, student discipline, technology use, and extracurricular programming.
- CRM: Manage school systems such as FACTS, with technical support from the parish finance specialist.

Financial Stewardship
- Budgeting: Prepare and submit an annual budget proposal, working within the total allocation provided by the pastor.
- Expenditure & Fundraising Oversight: In collaboration with the Director of Operations, monitor school expenditures to remain within the approved budget; approve invoices, ensure delivery of purchases; obtain prior approval from the pastor for any non-budgeted expenditures; oversee fundraising efforts and groups; oversee grant applications.
- School Choice: The principal is responsible for supervising the School Choice administrator.
- Financial Aid: The principal is responsible for administering the financial aid program, taking applications and applying money to accounts. Decisions on financial aid are made in consultation with the finance council and require approval from the pastor.

Human Resources Management
- Hiring, Evaluation, Firing: Responsible for all school staffing decisions, including hiring, supervision, and evaluation. Ensure all personnel policies and employment practices reflect Catholic values and diocesan standards.
- Onboarding: Lead onboarding processes for school staff with guidance and support from the diocesan HR team and superintendent.
- Teamwork: Develop and support a professional, prayerful, and aligned team of staff and faculty.

Communication and Community Engagement
- School Communication: Lead school communications across all platforms to families, staff, and the broader community
- Parish Communication: Coordinate with parish communications staff for consistency or broadening the audience when needed, but retain leadership of school messaging.
- Community Building: Build strong relationships with families and promote engagement in school life. Serve as the public representative of the school and work to strengthen community ties.
- Commissions & Committees: Establish an Education Commission to serve as a consultative body for school decisions
- Enrollment: Responsible for enrollment strategy and implementation in alignment with parish goals, and supervising enrollment coordinator.

Required Competencies

Qualifications

Practicing Catholic in good standing with the Church.

Should strive to personally know, love, and serve Jesus Christ through active participation in the life of the Catholic Church.

Must publicly profess and strive to follow Catholic teachings as proclaimed by the Magisterium of the Church.

At least 5 years of experience in leadership and administration.

At least 10 years of experience in education.

Candidates should hold or be working toward a master’s degree in educational administration.

Ability to prioritize tasks in a fast-paced environment with competing demands.

Spanish language skills or experience working in a bilingual/multicultural environment strongly preferred.

Excellent organizational and time management abilities, with the capacity to multitask, prioritize tasks, and meet deadlines.

Personal Qualities

The ideal candidate will:

Be humble, secure, admit mistakes, and forgive easily.

Be zealous, hungry, take initiative, and work hard at challenging tasks.

Be compassionate, a good listener, careful with words, and caring.

Be a prayerful person who believes in the power of prayer.

Believe the best of others and seek first to understand.

Be flexible and willing to commit to shared goals.

Be a positive champion of change. Contribute to a positive work environment through words and actions while maintaining a positive and professional demeanor.

Have strong interpersonal skills, collaborating effectively and joyfully with people from diverse backgrounds.

Salary & Benefits:

Salary based on experience and qualifications. Benefits include a partial payment of premiums for Health Insurance and Dental Insurance, participation in our Retirement Plan, professional development funds, and free tuition for K-8th at St. James School.

Hiring Process:

Applications will be accepted through the end of March 2026, with hiring by the end of April.

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