School Director (Head of School)

*A retained search via StratéGenius  

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Maybeck High School, an inclusive and vibrant school grounded in community and individuality, is seeking a thoughtful and dynamic educator to lead through collaboration and compassion as the next School Director. Founded 50 years ago in Berkeley, California, when four local teachers rebelled against censorship in the classroom, Maybeck was established with academic freedom at its core - freedom for students and staff, alike. Today, Maybeck thrives from that practice of freethinking. It is an intentionally small school with an enrollment of approximately 115 students. This allows students to be known deeply, forming close bonds with each other and with each member of staff. Community is at the heart of Maybeck in a way that not many other schools can claim. It is a unique school that nurtures young people who know and believe in their self-worth due largely to the acceptance, support, and respect they receive from the Maybeck community.   

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the School Director is simultaneously the public face of the school, an enthusiastic educator, and its central administrator. While the School Director has executive decision-making authority regarding many of the school’s affairs, they are expected to actively collaborate and to build consensus among the full staff when making educational and operational decisions. Administrative leadership at Maybeck is unique in this way. Maybeck was founded as a school run by teachers and this is still true today. While many schools centralize decision-making authority to a “Leadership Team,” at Maybeck, leadership is extended across all staff through several different committees that plan, propose, and decide policy and operations. To this end, Maybeck’s School Director must have a broad-minded definition of servant leadership, with sincere intention and demonstration of placing the group before the individual.

The Position and Strategic Priorities

In partnership with the staff, the Director will guide the school community both in everyday planning and long-term strategic direction, including helping to develop the next strategic plan. The Director is the outward facing spokesperson for the school, and as such, will provide persuasive and transparent communication that faithfully represents Maybeck’s culture and its core values. In guiding and structuring the efforts of the staff to achieve Maybeck’s mission, the Director will clarify Maybeck’s identity as a school through a collaborative process that will ultimately help strengthen Maybeck’s position in the marketplace. 

In the coming years, the Director can anticipate being a part of several important conversations on topics that include: ensuring a robust, high-quality academic program that challenges and supports a diversity of learners and learning styles; providing critical leadership in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and belonging (DEIJB) to deliver economic and racial diversity in admissions, embed DEIJB practice and norms into student activities and life, and foster an inclusive community that ensures a space and a voice for all groups and identities; staying current on pedagogical practices for the classroom through professional development as appropriate for all staff; and collaborating with the Board to seek non-tuition avenues of fundraising that will increase our endowment and allow us to expand our commitment to significant economic diversity in our student body..

The Director is the keeper of Maybeck’s collective vision, and with that, is a teacher, at heart and in practice. The Director will be seen and known on campus and in the classroom. This is not a role where one stays locked behind the closed door of an office; rather, it entails leading from within as an active participant in daily life. The Director will provide additional operational structure and vision to maintain Maybeck’s spirit. The School is an amalgam of college preparatory, personalized education, quirky characters, and autonomous staff and students. As a result, the Director must be adaptable, well-rounded, curious, open-minded, and patient while navigating a unique governance structure and simultaneously graduating students who consistently attend some of the top colleges and universities in the country. 

Search Calendar

• Application deadline: September 15, 2023
• Semifinalist interviews: Early to Mid-October 2023
• Finalist interviews: Weeks of October 23 and 30, 2023
• Announcement: Late December 2023 to Early January 2024
• Start date: July 1, 2024

To read the full opportunity statement and learn how to apply, click the link below:

Leadership Opportunity: Maybeck High School — StratéGenius (strategenius.org)