Superintendent, Homewood-Flossmoor Community High School District 233 - Alma Advisory Group

About our District

Homewood-Flossmoor Community High School District 233, known as “HF,” serves nearly 3,000 students and is located in the Cook County suburb of Flossmoor, IL, approximately 25 miles south of downtown Chicago. The award-winning high school provides an impressive campus that encompasses nearly 11.5 square miles, with state-of-the-art facilities to support the academic, athletic, fine arts, and activities. HF draws students from the communities of Homewood, Flossmoor, Chicago Heights, Glenwood, Hazel Crest, and Olympia Fields, and the student body - just like the HF community itself - is diverse (72% Black, 15% White, 8% Hispanic, and 5% Two or More Races). This is an attribute, along with quality education, that parents repeatedly cite for moving into the district. The high school is a hub of the community and a point of pride for generations who may well live within blocks of each other. A tradition of excellence is the cornerstone of Homewood-Flossmoor: the result of a community’s commitment to the idea of a community high school with high standards for students and staff.  

About the Superintendent Role

Reporting to a seven-member elected Board of Education, the Superintendent of Homewood-Flossmoor Community High School will enter the district soon after the launch of the next five-year strategic plan, which is focused on improving academic excellence and ensuring equity and access so that all students meet or exceed HF’s high academic expectations. The incoming Superintendent will need to maintain and sustain the momentum for transformation, using critical change management skills to build on the foundation that has been laid to improve the academic standing of the district and the experience of all students.  The Superintendent should possess the cultural competence to embrace and leverage the unique strengths of the high school while maintaining a keen focus on accelerating learning for all students. 

What You’ll Do (Responsibilities)

• Ensure whole student support and strong academic achievement and growth
• Build on HF’s history of academic excellence by ensuring access to high-quality instruction and effective interventions for all students. 
• Partner with school administration to adopt instructional models and structures based on practices that are research-based, culturally responsive, and demonstrated to be effective.
• Advocate for learning environments that integrate and support students with diverse learning needs.
• Oversee innovative and comprehensive student support services and programming that address a spectrum of students.
• Prepare HF graduates for career and college by expanding access and opportunities for rigorous coursework, including advanced placement offerings, international baccalaureate programming, dual enrollment, career pathways, and career and technical education. 
• Shape the district’s vision for the use of technology with respect to personalized learning platforms and instructional classroom technology to enhance student learning.
• Communicate and build strong relationships across the community to support HF’s success 
• Serve as an ambassador for HF students, building effective relationships with city and community leaders, helping to tell the story of HF’s successes, and successfully advocating when needed to ensure that the district is able to meet students’ needs.
• Communicate and collaborate with all members of the Board, advising the Board on initiatives and issues in the district; provide leadership to enable the Board to function effectively. 
• Welcome students as partners in the decision-making process, ensuring that students' voices and feedback are heard at all levels of the organization.
• Strengthen communication and collaboration with feeder districts to ensure vertical alignment and articulation so that incoming freshmen are able to achieve and excel.
• Expand trust, partnership, and connection with our community, learning what matters to our families and our communities to inform key decisions and priorities for the district.
• Continue to collaborate and strengthen partnerships with the collective bargaining units and their leadership to amplify coherence and promote consistent communication. 
• Execute and implement the next five-year strategic plan
• Ensure that the district’s mission, vision, and key priorities are well-articulated and well-understood by the staff, partners, and stakeholders.
• Translate the approved strategic plan into the annual priorities, metrics, and key performance indicators that will advance HF’s vision and mission. 
• Develop performance measures and monitor the district’s progress toward meeting the goals of the strategic plan priorities.
• Develop long-range plans, aligned with the board’s annual goals, vision, and priorities of the district, and ensure accountability for meeting targets.  
• Recruit, develop, and lead a diverse and healthy workforce
• Ensure that roles and responsibilities are clearly defined and articulated throughout the organization. 
• Identify opportunities for cross-functional collaboration, distribute leadership, and align teams to improve efficiency and support.
• Attract, recruit, retain, develop, and inspire highly qualified, effective, and diverse staff at every layer of the organization, with a particular emphasis on diversity, and fair and equitable compensation.
• Create the conditions for staff to collaborate, feel supported and valued, and have the mental health supports needed in order to do their best work on behalf of the students.
• Assess the leadership team and individual skills, identify development needs, and provide feedback and support to improve practice, build capacity, and maximize talent.
• Build effective systems and structures that maintain and improve facilities, operations, technology infrastructure, and school safety
• Maintain HF’s reputation for state-of-the-art facilities by ensuring adequate funding and forecasting that support the growing student population’s academic, athletic, career and technical education, and fine arts needs. 
• Work collaboratively with the Board of Education, city leaders, school leaders, parents, and community to develop a long-term strategic facilities and technology plan.
• Ensure consistent application of and accountability for all policies and procedures for student discipline, engagement, and school safety. 
• Develop the annual budget and long-term financial forecast which reflects the district’s goals, vision, and priorities. 
• Systematize key financial and operational functions in the district to maximize efficiency, enhance productivity, and provide access to necessary information for all internal and external stakeholders.
• Ensure a clear vision, long-term strategy, and support for the district’s portfolio of technology hardware, network and voice infrastructure, IT and instructional software, and network/cyber security.

Requirements

What Skills You Need to Be Successful (Competencies)

• Innovative and Inspirational Leadership

• Maintains a steadfast focus on continuous improvement through analysis, inquiry and assessment of results and alignment to district strategic priorities.
• Secures buy-in for a clear and compelling vision of innovation and organizational excellence. 
• Challenges assumptions and preconceived notions when needed to avoid distraction from core priorities and goals in the best interest of student success.
• Models integrity through actions and communications; upholds principles and values in the face of challenges.
• Demonstrates the emotional intelligence and adaptability to navigate and implement the changes necessary for growth and improvement.
• Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Demonstrates through belief, words, and action that each student can achieve at the highest levels.
• Addresses matters of race, equity, and bias in how decisions are made with clarity, confidence, humility, historical context, and empathy.
• Fosters, promotes, and drives a culture of inclusion in the organization and commits to improving DEI practices in the district’s planning, prioritization, and implementation of key initiatives. 
• Builds authentic relationships across lines of difference (race, ethnicity, gender, age, socioeconomic background, LGBTQ status, etc.) both internally and externally. 
• Effective Relationship Builder and Communicator 
• Maintains visibility and works collaboratively with diverse stakeholders at all levels.
• Communicates effectively, tailoring messages for the audience, context, and mode of communication.
• Listens compassionately with an open mind - seeking to fully understand community members' and stakeholders' perspectives before establishing the direction forward.
• Navigates politically complex structures, relationships, and dynamics to challenge ideas and enable thoughtful decisions and positive outcomes for students.
• Student and Data-Centered Decision Maker
• Maintains the focus on data-driven results through the pursuit of improvements in school leadership, instruction, and operations.
• Produces quantifiable student achievement gains by aligning systems, measuring progress, and holding teams accountable.   
• Creates conditions for every student to access necessary support, and to thrive emotionally, socially, and academically in an inclusive environment.
• Engages in transparency in decision-making and shares with stakeholders how their input informed the district’s decisions.
• Pursues and implements innovative ideas and methods and intentionally seeks out and shares current research and evidence-based best practices.
• Team Leadership and Management
• Holds self and others accountable for high standards of performance, communication, collaboration, and transparency toward the achievement of goals and priorities. 
• Models and fosters conditions for professional growth and organizational learning through continuous feedback, honesty,  and coaching.
• Courageous and successful at challenging and influencing others to shift their approaches to work to solve seemingly intractable problems.
• Manages, coaches, develops, and empowers the senior leadership team toward successful outcomes.

Minimum Qualifications

• At least 10 years of senior leadership experience at progressive levels of responsibility with evidence of successful development and organizational outcomes, highly preferred. 
• Successful experience working in diverse economic, multicultural, and multilingual communities and environments. Proven cultural competence skills with a history of inclusive and relevant equity practices.
• Demonstrated track record of success with improving student and/or organizational outcomes and data-driven decision-making. 
• Understands the Homewood-Flossmoor community and its history of excellence and is committed to becoming an engaged and longstanding member of the community.  
• Knowledge of Illinois public school policy and law, procedures, and management. 
• A deep commitment to the importance of public education and advocacy for all students. 
• Experience working in conjunction with a board to identify priorities, establish goals, monitor progress, and produce outcomes in service to stakeholders.  
• Experience and successful track record of collaboration with educators, parent and community organizations, and employee associations.
• Exceptional written, oral, and visual communication skills and a desire to develop and maintain deep relationships with a variety of diverse constituents.
• Experience managing sustainable finances for a large and complex organization.
• Knowledge of best practices, and current national technology trends and research that ensure equity and access in diverse communities.
• A growth mindset and belief that continuous improvement happens through constant learning. 
• Ability to navigate uncertainty and ambiguity in times of change, and to prioritize work efforts to achieve overall strategy as defined in collaboration with the Board of Education.

Eligible for a Superintendent’s license in the State of Illinois.

Benefits

The salary range for this integral leadership position is $240,000 - $285,000, and commensurate with prior experience. In addition, a comprehensive benefits package will be included in the ultimate offer for the identified sole finalist.  We look forward to discussing details with you as the interview process progresses.