Position:  Principal (Job ID 5600)
Location:  Marsh Creek Sixth Grade Center
Benefits Eligible:  Yes
Effective Date:  2026 - 2027 School year

Are you passionate about helping ALL students learn in a collaborative environment? If so, we may have the career for you! Downingtown Area School District is excited to announce an opening for a Principal at Marsh Creek Sixth Grade Center.

At DASD, we are committed to sharing values of diversity and inclusion in order to achieve and sustain excellence in education. As a diverse district, we continually seek ways to strengthen our educational environment. We believe that we can best promote excellence by recruiting and retaining a diverse group of staff who bring various backgrounds and perspectives. Our ability to create and maintain a climate of respect is critical to attaining the best teaching and learning environment.

At Downingtown Area School District we value our employees. We seek to hire new staff who:

• Communicate openly to build relationships and trust  
• Partner with team members to see the TEAM succeed
• Demonstrate a growth mindset and seek ongoing opportunities for growth
• Embrace and support a safe and inclusive environment
• Eagerly and enthusiastically support student learning
• Strive to be kind and reflective
• Focus on the solution and put people first
• Lead by example!

If you want to be part of our "Downingtown Proud" team - please apply!  Help us with our mission to educate all students to meet the rigorous challenges of a global society.

Job Summary:  Provides supervision, direction, resources, and staff development, as needed, to meet the needs of staff, support personnel, and students. Serves as an instructional leader and guides teachers through a much-needed period of reform. Maximizes student learning through the delivery of effective teaching programs.

Qualifications: To successfully perform this position, a person must be able to perform each primary duty satisfactorily.  The qualification requirements listed below represent minimum levels of educational achievement, training, skills and/or ability necessary.

• Candidate must be a graduate of an accredited college or university and hold a proper Pennsylvania administrative certification for the position.
  • Master's degree required.
• Five (5) years of successful experience in public education as a teacher or administrator necessary, including elementary or secondary school instruction.
• Prior assistant principal or supervisory experience is helpful.
• Knowledge of best practices in curriculum integration, instruction, professional development, public relations, and admissions preferred.
• Decision making skills are significant to the job, affecting a large segment of the organization, students, teachers, and parents.
• Candidate must possess good moral character and demonstrate leadership qualities and personal characteristics necessary for working effectively with pupils, teachers, and parents.
• Candidate should be skilled in the use of current technologies, word processing, data base, IEP software, office equipment, and presentation software.
• Must have and maintain a valid state vehicle operator's license and a good driving record.
• Must successfully complete and maintain compliance with all federal and state background and criminal record check requirements.
  • Click here for more information about required clearances.
• Candidate must adhere to all local, state, federal, and school code requirements for employment.

Duties & Responsibilities:  Employee must have the ability to perform the following essential functions on a timely basis with or without reasonable accommodations.  This position description does not express or imply that these are the only duties to be performed by the incumbent(s) in this position.  Employee(s) will be required to complete other job-related duties requested by the supervisor.

• Provides leadership in building a school culture that deals with and responds to change.
• Observes, evaluates, and supervises all personnel assigned to the building.
• Provides key leadership in establishing the vision and mission of the school and formulating strategic plans to support school goals with students, staff and community.
• Provides strong instructional leadership for the development and implementation of a well-balanced curriculum that meets the needs of all students, increases in student achievement, and ensures student health, welfare, and safety.
• Ensures pupil performance through curriculum implementation expectations by state and local standards and ensures appropriate student behaviors through appropriate procedures, rules and consequences.
• Develops a plan that will meet the growing technology needs of the building.
• Assumes responsibility for the implementation of students IEP's, serves as the LEA for special education programs and gifted education programs, and sits in on all support meetings that may require attention.
• Initiates and responds to parent communications via e-mails, phone calls, and requests for meetings.
• Develops and maintains a fiscally responsive budget, providing for the purchase and distribution of necessary supplies, materials, textbooks, and equipment for instruction.
• Attends district meetings and task forces.
• Serves as chairperson of Instructional Support Teams, IEP Teams, GIEP Teams, and Chapter 4 Team, including meeting with all constituents.
• Ensures professional staff performance through observation and evaluation.
• Seeks and maintains parent and community support.
• Facilitates school-community relations, developing and distributing newsletters to keep parents informed of school activities and concerns.
• Coordinates special support services such as testing, transportation, and transition programs.
• Enumerates to staff and pupils, pupil performance expectations by state and local standards.
• Oversees summer work schedule, recruiting/assigning new staff and maintaining buildings.
• Implements extra-curricular program.
• Provides leadership responsibility in the screening, recommendation, orientation, and induction of teaching candidates and paraprofessionals.
• Oversees physical plant operations.
• Serves as site coordinator for Integrated Pest Management procedures and facilities usage coordinator, emphasizing before, during, and after school programs;
• Acts as emergency preparedness/safety coordinator and coordinator of Section 504 Agreements.
• Provides leadership in enforcing the district's discipline policy and the development and implementation of emergency procedures.
• Organizes faculty meetings to provide enhancement of staff development and demonstrates a commitment to continual professional growth.

Salary 2026-2027 School Year:
 $145,356 - $174,427 annually
*Placement upon salary scale is dependent upon years of experience in similar position

Schedule:
- 7 hours per day, 5 days per week, 260 days per year, based on district-approved calendar
- Full-time, 12-month position

Summary of Benefits:

Select Health Benefits a la carte - Only pay for what you need

• Medical Coverage through IBX - Personal Choice C4-F4-02
  • No Primary Care Physician necessary
  • No referrals required
  • IBC has extensive local and national networks
• Prescription Coverage through CVS/Caremark
• Dental Coverage - Delta Dental Active PPO
  • Allows use of in-network and out-of-network providers
• Vision Coverage - Vision Benefits of America (VBA)

Eligibility - No Waiting Period
All employees may enroll in the district's health benefit plans effective with their date of hire into the benefit eligible position. 

Eligible Dependents
A legally married spouse as defined by PA law and children up to age 26 may enroll in the District's health benefit plans.

New Hires or Newly Eligible
You have 31 days from the date that you are benefit eligible to make your elections. If you do not make elections during this time, you will only be enrolled into any benefit that is provided by the District at no cost to you.

Flexible Spending Accounts
Benefit eligible employees have the opportunity to elect to participate in a Flexible Spending Account. DASD offers both a Healthcare Spending Account and Dependent Care Spending Account. This benefit allows you to set aside pre-tax dollars to pay for out of pocket eligible healthcare and dependent care expenses.

Support for the Whole You

• Fitness Program
  • Receive $150 back when you complete 120 workouts at an approved fitness facility within 365 days. www.ibx.com/reimbursements
• Nutritional Counseling
  • Up to 6 free visits per calendar year with a registered dietitian.
• Employee Assistance Program
  • Health Advocate is a free, confidential program that offers EAP+ Work/Life benefits to help you address difficulties in your life by providing short term assistance with personal, family, and work issues. In addition, it simplifies the navigation of the health care system by helping you find the right doctors, resolving billing and insurance claim issues, explaining benefit coverages, helping your parents or in-laws with the complexities of Medicare, and much more!
• Telemedicine
  • The telemedicine benefit through SwiftMD is offered to ALL DASD employees at no cost to you. The telemedicine benefit allows for consultations with US board-certified doctors over the phone or online, from your home, office, or on the road. These physicians can diagnose, recommend treatment, and submit prescriptions to your pharmacy of choice. 

Retirement - Member of State Pension System (PSERS)
As a PSERS member, you'll join with over a half million fellow public school employees who are also members.  You'll contribute to your own personal PSERS retirement account and have a safe and secure benefit payment(s) from one of the largest public retirement plans in the nation.

Student Loan Forgiveness
All DASD employees are eligible to apply for loan forgiveness through the federal government's Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Find out more here: https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service

Basic Life and AD&D Insurance

DASD provides group term life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) coverage at no cost to you. The plan includes double indemnity for accidental death and dismemberment.

Optional Life Insurance 
You may also purchase additional life insurance as a supplement to the company paid benefit. 

Income Protection Benefits
DASD provides income protection insurance at no cost to you. This provides income if you are disabled and unable to work. The benefit begins on the 61st day of disability or illness or the exhaustion of your sick days, whichever is later. Pays 60% of your basic monthly pay, up to $10,000 per month

Life Benefit
Pays 3x your basic annual salary up to maximum of $800,000

Executive Flexible Benefits Plan
You are provided a reimbursement account, equivalent to 2.5% of your annual base salary, up to a maximum of $2,500. You can use this money to fund your share of employee contributions for healthcare coverage and/or other eligible expenses. 

Insurance Waiver
You may waive coverage for yourself and eligible dependents under the district's health insurance plan.

Tuition Reimbursement
100% of tuition for all graduate or doctoral courses, if grade of �B' or better is attained. Cap $15,000/yr

TSA Match
3% of salary

Paid Time Off

• 12 sick days annually
• 3 personal days annually
• 20 vacation days annually for 12-month staff; 1 additional day per year to a max of 30 days after 10 years as an administrator; can accrue up to a maximum of 50 days
• Vacation payout for unused days - up to 10 days annually
• 19 paid holidays per year

Retiree Benefits

• Health Insurance - Can purchase insurance for retiree and spouse until the lesser of 10 years or age 65 for medical, prescription, dental and vision. Health contributions will be the greater of the DASD Act 93 contribution or co-pay equal to PSERS premium assistance. To qualify, employee must be age 55 with 25 years of PSERS service, or have 35 years of service, retired under PSERS and have worked as a DASD administrator for 10 years.
• Life Insurance - 2.5 times annual salary until lesser of 10 years or age 65
• Personal Days Payout
• Sick Days Payout

Salary Increases
Based on performance; up to 3% per year

Merit Pay
Based on time of hire and/or completion of assigned goals
 

EOE