Why does Harding need a Superintendent and Principal?

SUPERINTENDENT
Budgeting/grants, personnel, state reporting and strategic planning are a large portion of the responsibilities associated with the superintendent position.

Budget/Grants: The Superintendent is responsible for preparing the budget, overseeing all purchases, coordinating district cuts and communicating the budget to the school community. The Superintendent also oversees all educational grants.

Personnel: The Superintendent is responsible for the recruitment of candidates, making personnel recommendations to the Board of Education, providing professional development/training, implementing corrective action plans and conducting criminal history and background checks.

State Reporting: Seeming the most tedious task, although it entails the most time allocation. There are 44 state reports that are required, regardless of the district’s size or grade composition. Although not annual, the QSAC monitoring process is the largest of these requirements.

Strategic Planning: The Superintendent is responsible for vision setting in cooperation with the Board of Education and the Vision Council. This process involves setting district short-term and long-term goals to identify areas in need of improvement and implementing their vision of learning. It also entails the allocation of financial and human resources to best meet the needs of every child. District goals are updated quarterly and relate directly to the district mission statement. The Superintendent also serves as a liaison to the school community and local media through various avenues including a district blog and Twitter and an advocate for the district’s needs during county and state meetings regarding educational issues.

PRINCIPALCurriculum, instructional leadership, safety/security and student programs are a large portion of the responsibilities associated with the principal position.

Curriculum: The Principal is responsible for the formation, implementation, assessment and revision of all curricular areas. The Principal also leads the District Curriculum Council and ensures articulation of curricular areas with Madison Public Schools.

Instructional Leadership: The Principal is responsible for providing instructional leadership in the classroom on a daily basis, mentoring all new staff members, monitoring Professional Development Plans, observing/evaluating all staff members and providing job-embedded professional growth opportunities. The Principal ensures that teachers use academic data to drive instructional decisions in the classroom with the implementation of individualized student learning plans.

Safety/Security: The Principal is responsible for the safety and security of all students/staff. This entails school security drills, character education, student discipline, bully prevention programs and the DARE program. The Principal also serves as a liaison to local law enforcement.

Student Programs: The Principal is responsible for developing and implementing a student schedule that best meets the instructional needs of each child. This scheduling involves all school related activities that occur outside of the purview of the regular school day, which include sports and extracurricular activities. The Principal also keeps and monitors student attendance, academic records, grades and transcripts.