Description

Career Opportunity

Sun Prairie West High School Principal

Start Date: July 1, 2026

The Sun Prairie Area School District seeks a dynamic, student-centered, equity-focused leader to serve as Principal of Sun Prairie West High School in the growing community of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. We believe diversity is an asset and strongly encourage women and candidates of color to apply.

Our District Commitments

In Sun Prairie, we:

• Value the diversity and lived experiences of our students and community
• Prepare students to thrive in a dynamic future through critical thinking and meaningful learning
• Support students’ social, emotional, and academic growth
• Foster ethical behavior, strong character, and lifelong learning
• Create safe, welcoming, and nurturing learning environments
• Invest in a highly qualified, culturally responsive, and diverse workforce
• Believe strong partnerships with families, staff, and the community lead to educational excellence
• Commit to continuous improvement in pursuit of excellence

The Sun Prairie Experience

Sun Prairie is a vibrant and rapidly growing community in northeastern Dane County, just east of Madison, with a population of approximately 39,000. The Sun Prairie Area School District serves more than 8,600 students, over one-third of whom identify as students of color, with 10% speaking a language other than English. Our community consistently supports our schools, including the successful passage of multiple referenda to meet the needs of our growing district.

Minimum Qualifications

• Minimum of 3 years of school administrative experience (experience in racially, linguistically, and socioeconomically diverse schools preferred)
• Minimum of 3 years of professional educator experience at the secondary level
• Master’s Degree in Educational Administration
• Valid Wisconsin DPI Principal (51) license; Director of Instruction (10) or Director of Student Services (80) licensure is highly valued
• Demonstrated alignment with district vision and core values
• Proven commitment to equity, anti-racism, and culturally responsive practices
• Experience working across cultures and a commitment to continued growth in cultural proficiency
• Strong relationship-building skills with students, staff, families, and community partners
• Ability to use data to improve student learning and lead effective, equity-focused professional development
• Demonstrated success in leading school improvement
• Experience in instructional, operational, and human resource leadership, and in cultivating a positive school culture and climate, including safety

Desired Qualifications

• Multilingual, with a preference for fluency in Spanish and/or Hmong
    

Do you want to be part of a district that works in close partnership with its community to provide high-quality educational experiences for all students?
Do you want to join a team committed to ensuring academic and social-emotional success for every child, every day?

If so, please apply through the Sun Prairie Area School District Employment Opportunities page:
https://www.applitrack.com/sunprairieschools/OnlineApp/JobPostings/view.asp?FromAdmin=true&AppliTrackJobId=3231

To build a staff that reflects our student population, candidates of color are strongly encouraged to apply.

Application deadline: March 20, 2026 

Requirements

SUMMARY: 

This position is responsible for promoting the success of all students by: 

• Leading the development, communication, implementation, and monitoring of a vision for learning;  shared and supported by the school community; 
• Modeling lifelong learning as a visionary and self-reflective learner who develops a high trust level  with all stakeholders; 
• Advocating and sustaining a school culture and instructional program conducive to student learning  and staff professional growth; 
• Ensuring management of the organization, operations, and resources for a safe, efficient, and  effective learning environment; 
• Being highly collaborative with staff members, peers, families and community members; 
• Responding to and valuing our diverse community in alignment with Sun Prairie Area School  District core values;
• Acting with integrity, with fairness, and in an ethical manner; and 
• Understanding, responding to, and influencing the larger political, social, economic, legal, and  cultural contexts of the school. 

ESSENTIAL LEADERSHIP SKILLS & DUTIES include the following: 

1. Creates the Educational Environment
   1. Builds learning spaces where students develop emotional skills, positive self-concept, and social competence through high-quality SEL instruction and evidence-based practices integrated into daily learning.
   2. Fosters strong student–educator partnerships grounded in trust, belonging, and high expectations. Students and educators share responsibility for a supportive, connected learning community.
   3. Promotes school connectedness through caring, inclusive relationships among students and staff. Uses restorative practices to build community, strengthen relationships, and repair harm when it occurs.
2. Creates Educational Experiences
   1. Designs challenging, aligned learning experiences that integrate academic and social-emotional standards, using knowledge of learner development and interests. Adapts curriculum and uses student data to provide timely support toward mastery of essential standards.
   2. Provides varied, developmentally appropriate ways for students to demonstrate understanding and apply learning to authentic situations. Offers prompt, goal-aligned feedback that supports reflection and growth.
   3. Ensures students have meaningful choice in their learning and are supported in setting, planning, and achieving personal learning goals.
3. Creates Educational Equity
   1. Uses a student-centered, culturally responsive approach that recognizes and builds on students’ identities, strengths, and lived experiences to promote achievement, belonging, and well-being.
   2. Engages in ongoing collaborative inquiry and professional learning to identify and dismantle inequitable systems and remove barriers to success for historically marginalized students.
   3. Affirms the individuality of every learner, ensures all students see themselves reflected in curriculum and experiences, and commits to meeting the needs of diverse learners across identities and abilities.

ESSENTIAL LEADERSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES include the following: Other duties may be assigned. 

1. Demonstrates knowledge of and complies with all applicable state and federal laws, administrative rules, and local Board policies, and ensures school practices align with these requirements.
2. Implements a set of standard operating principles and procedures in alignment with district policy & procedures.
3. Ensures schoolwide safety by implementing and monitoring emergency procedures, crisis response protocols, and preventative practices aligned with district policies and best practices.
4. Implements a clearly understood, fair discipline code that promotes student learning, orderliness, and safety.
5. Collaboratively leads the school community in a school improvement plan that provides high accountability by establishing goals and metrics to measure progress to positively impact student achievement for all students.
6. Leads and carries out the implementation of school and district strategies and initiatives.
7. Participates as a collaborator in district-level work.
8. Provides teachers with the materials and professional development necessary for the successful execution of their jobs aligned with the school district's strategic plan through the effective management of allocated resources.
9. Maintains current knowledge base about effective practices in curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
10. Provides coaching and feedback for the improvement of the staff and their practices and as a part of the evaluation process.
11. Develops strong relationships with all careholders to develop a positive climate and culture where all students can thrive.
12. Establishes strong lines of communication with and among teachers, staff, students, colleagues, parents/caregivers and community members.
13. Adapts leadership behavior to the needs of the current situation with understanding of multiple perspectives.
14. Meets established timelines and expectations in all aspects of the position.
15. Attends and supervises extracurricular athletics and activities.
    

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: 

As assigned in accordance with the district’s policies and applicable laws. 

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to  perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the  knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to eligible individuals  with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE: 

Master’s Degree in administration with graduate level coursework in school administration. Minimum of  three years experience in leadership and/or teaching.  Background and/or experience in bilingual education strongly preferred.

COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE SKILLS: 

Ability to read, analyze, and interpret school and student achievement data, professional journals, technical  procedures, or government regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedures.  Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from students, staff, parents/caregivers,  administrators, school board and community. 

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS: 

Ability to apply basic concepts of problem-solving, algebra, and geometry. Ability to work with mathematical statistics and operations. 

OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES: 

Ability to apply knowledge of current research and theory in a specific field. Working knowledge of word  processing, spreadsheet, database, student software system and presentation software applications. Ability  to establish and maintain effective working relationships with students, staff, and the community. Ability  to communicate clearly and concisely both in verbal and written format. Ability to perform duties with  awareness of all district and school board policies. 

ANALYTICAL AND REASONING ABILITY: 

Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw conclusions. Ability to interpret an  extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical and diagram form and deal with several abstract  and concrete variables. 

TEMPERAMENTS: 

Ability to direct others, deal with people, and influence people in their opinions, attitudes, and judgments.  Ability to perform a variety of duties. Ability to work with people who express conflicting opinions. 

Ability to solve problems, make judgments, and reach conclusions. 

PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must  be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable  accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, sit, talk, and  hear. The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms and stoop, kneel, crouch, or  crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required  by this job include close visions, distance vision, peripheral vision, and depth perception. 

WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of  those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable  accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The noise environment is quiet to loud depending upon the activity in the particular part of the day and the  location.  

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES: 

Must possess and maintain or be eligible to obtain a current Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction  license for Principal, or Pre K-12 Principal License, Code 51. Must possess and maintain or be eligible to  obtain a current Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction license to teach. Driver’s License. Bilingual-Bicultural/ESL certification strongly preferred.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: 

Shall complete a physical examination as required by Wisconsin Statute 118.25.