Principal | Whitaker Elementary School at Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools (WSFCS) formed in 1963 with the merger of the Winston Salem and Forsyth County school systems. It is the fourth-largest system in North Carolina and the 81st largest in the nation. Winston- Salem/Forsyth County Schools serves more than 52,744 students in Pre-K through Grade 12 with the goal of providing a quality education for each child. The school system has 42 elementary schools, 15 middle schools, and 16 high schools. Eight specialty schools bring the system-wide total to 81. Our collective mission is to engage all students in high-quality, relevant learning experiences so they will graduate with interpersonal, academic, and workforce skills to compete globally and contribute to society.

The principal in WS/FCS is a critical lever for change and serves as the instructional and operational leader of a school by developing and implementing policies, programs, curriculum activities, and budgets in a manner that promotes the educational development and achievement of each student and the professional development of each staff member.

Selected candidates must be available for a virtual screening on 10/29/25

Key Responsibilities

Strategic and Instructional Leadership

• Leads the school’s vision, mission, and strategic goals to support academic and socio emotional success for all students;
• Supports and supervises the design of rigorous, standards-based instruction with measurable outcomes;
• Analyzes student achievement data and other data sources to identify and inform school improvement efforts;
• Develops a collegial environment that supports teacher leadership, collaboration, and

Managerial and Human Resources Leadership

• Ensure a safe and nurturing environment for students, staff, and families;
• Creates processes to provide for a balanced operational budget for school programs and activities that are aligned to school improvement;
• Creates procedures to recruit and retain a high-quality workforce in the school that meets the diverse needs of students;
• Develops a master schedule for the school to maximize student learning by providing for individual and on- going collaborative planning for every teacher;

Equity-Centered Leadership

• Communicates strong ideals and beliefs about equity, learning, and teaching, with teachers, staff, parents, and students and then operates from those beliefs;
• Instills a culture of continuous improvement using data informed decision making and guided by the school improvement plan;
• Supports the positive, culturally responsive traditions of the school community;
• Systematically and fairly acknowledges failures and celebrates accomplishments of the school and

External and Micropolitical Leadership

• Complies with all state and federal laws and local
• Demonstrates situational and political awareness and builds relationships with individuals, groups, and other stakeholders to bring positive resources and support to the school community;
• Maintains open, vertical and horizontal communications throughout the school community and district

Family and Community Engagement

• Actively advocates for and engages family and community;
• Strengthens teacher and staff capacity to cultivate and sustain meaningful partnerships with families of diverse backgrounds;
• Develops community partnerships that support student achievement and well-being and manage

Key Competencies aligned to the Equity Driven Leader Framework

Model for Equity and Excellence for All Children

• Demonstrate belief that each student can achieve at the highest levels; hold self and others accountable for promoting high expectations for academic achievement.
• Build an organizational culture that accelerates learning and expectations for every
• Demonstrate cultural fluency, sensitivity, and a strong equity lens to meet the needs of a diverse student
• Address matters of equity, race, and bias in decision-making with clarity, confidence, openness, empathy and historical context.

Effective Relationship Builder and Communicator

• Communicate clearly and consistently, tailoring messages for the audience, context, and mode of
• Advocate for and serve as key connector between the school, the district office and the
• Assess team and individuals’ skills, identify individual professional learning needs, and provide feedback and support to improve practice, build capacity, and maximize talent.
• Listen with an open mind, seeking understanding of stakeholders’ perspectives before establishing a direction
• Navigate politically complex structures, relationships and dynamics to enable thoughtful decisions and positive outcomes for students.
• Respond to feedback and concerns in a timely and empathetic

Skilled Facilitator and Change Agent

• Lead with a strong focus on goals, accountability and results; set clear metrics for
• Build, inspire, manage, and coach an effective leadership team to achieve ambitious
• Monitor progress and demonstrate persistence to overcome obstacles to achieve
• Exercise professional judgment, maintain confidentiality when trusted with sensitive information, accept responsibility, maintain transparency, and lead by example.

Strategic Thinker and Decision Maker

• Exhibit outstanding critical thinking skills, including the ability to analyze data, identify trends, pinpoint problems and root causes, ask probing questions, and develop innovative solutions.
• Create, implement, and institutionalize effective policies, systems, and structures to optimize school and student success.
• Lead effectively even in times of ambiguity and adapt and respond to unexpected

Qualifications:

• Successful teaching and school administration/leadership
• Master's Degree from an accredited institution
• 4+ years of K-12 teaching experience; Elementary or Secondary Experience preferred
• 2 years of teaching experience required
• Hold or be eligible to hold a valid NC Principal’s License
• Compensation is determined by the Administrator Salary Schedule 12 Months

WS/FCS Equity Framework - Principal