Principal K - grade 12
Los Altos Christian Schools (USA)

On behalf of the Los Altos (CA) Christian Schools Search Committee and the LACS School Board, I am pleased to announce that David Huang has been appointed as the next LACS Head of Schools effective July 1, 2022.  

David was born in Taiwan and immigrated to the United States with his family as a middle school student. He comes to LACS from Silicon Valley International School in Palo Alto. There, David taught kindergarten and subsequently held various administrative roles including Assistant Principal, Early Years Principal, and most recently Elementary Principal.

David obtained a BA and an MA in Child and Adolescent Development from San Jose State University and also earned an MA in Ministry and Leadership from Western Seminary. 

David’s vision includes leading a school where students find their passion, discover their talents, and grow into lifelong learners. 

LACS looks forward to having David join their community in July.  

Best regards

Julie Ryan

Senior Consultant

LOS ALTOS CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS, Los Altos, California

Seeks a new K-12 Principal for the 2022-2023 school year and beyond

 https://www.lacs.com

Los Altos Christian Schools, a ministry of Bridges Community Church of Los Altos, California seeks a new campus principal to serve its approximately 190 students in Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade (22-23 school year and beyond).  For 40 years, a moral, spiritual, and ethical education has been the cornerstone of LACS, where children are happy and thrive academically and socially. LACS provides a rigorous and developmentally appropriate curriculum, taught through a Christian world view to a diverse student body, including children with mild to moderate language-based learning differences. Respected for its sense of community where each student is known and supported by every adult on campus, LACS is proud of its outstanding faculty, whose 11-year average tenure at the school speaks to their dedication and loyalty. Under the guidance of the LACS School Board, and the Lead Pastor and team of Elders from Bridges Community Church, the Schools have a strong reputation for offering the best of Christian education on the San Francisco Peninsula.

Vision

The 21st-century vision for Los Altos Christian Schools (LACS) is to be a Christ-centered community, which develops graduates to encompass values of leadership, academics, character, and service. LACS empowers students to be leaders in their own lives by emphasizing personal responsibility, self-advocacy, and effective interpersonal skills.

The Principal is responsible for leading LACS Ministries to the glory of God as we help our diverse community come to Christ and become like Christ.  The Principal is directly accountable for the full development and leadership of the LACS faculty and educational staff, is responsible for the spiritual and physical well-being of the student body, and for the overall academic and co-curricular program integrity. 

The Principal reports directly to the Lead Pastor of Bridges Community Church (BCC) and is responsible for collaboration and execution of the complete mission and vision of the church and schools.  It is expected that the new Principal is a practicing Christian who will be a visible and active member of BCC.

Opportunities for the next Principal of LACS:

• Working with an excellent, well-trained faculty and assistant principal
•  Collaborating with committed church leaders to grow the school and strengthen the church/school relationship
•  Leading the effort to create a more solidified sense of identity for LACS
•  Increasing professional development offerings to faculty and staff
•  Joining a joyful, successful school that serves all students with empathy coupled with high expectations

Challenges:

• Improve the socio-economic diversity of LACS; look into creating a Foundation or other fund-raising vehicles
•  COVID has caused variations in enrollment and the closure of the preschool program, which has resulted in some families leaving or not enrolling
•  Evaluating the viability of maintaining a small high school
•  Ensuring that the already strong LAD program is based on recent research in teaching students with learning differences or who are on the autism spectrum
•  Sharing space with Bridges Community Church in a way that underlines the partnership of LACS and BCCMarketing LACS more publicly to the greater community to highlight the excellent program being offered

Specifically, the Principal:

•  Articulates the vision, mission, goals, and objectives of LACS to faculty, staff, parents, students, BCC, Christian organizations, donors, supporters, and the surrounding community.
• Champions an educational philosophy that promotes excellence in Christian education alongside the vital importance of a unique Learning Assistance Department.
• Creates an educational environment that is Christ-centered, engaging, pedagogically current, and meets the differentiated needs of the students.
• Serves as a spiritual leader of the school, demonstrating a personal relationship and walk with God, leading faculty and staff devotions on a regular basis.
• Leads, mentors, and directs activities of faculty and staff in a manner that positively influences their growth and professional development.
• Creates an environment of professionalism, excellence, mutual respect, care and unity among students, parents, faculty, and staff.
• Leads, in conjunction with the School Board, strategic planning of long-range plans and policy governance. Establishes, in conjunction with the School Board and BCC Elder Board, the objectives, policies, and standards that accomplish the mission of LACS.
• Positions LACS as a school of choice for Christian families in the area as well as those who are non-Christian and looking for an intentionally small and unique institution.

Educational Curriculum and Program Development

•  Develops the annual operating plan, establishes goals, sets short-term objectives, and measures progress and achievement.

• Provides leadership, guidance, and support for the development and implementation of new academic programs.  Ensures current curricular and co-curricular areas are developed and evaluated.
• Recruits, hires and retains highly qualified and capable Christian faculty members and staff.
• Provides regular performance feedback for all faculty and staff in collaboration with the vice principal.
• Provides professional development through regular in-service training and other faculty development efforts, while ensuring that pedagogy and curriculum, including that provided to students with learning differences, is research-based and current.
• Oversees development of technology in conjunction with the IT Systems Administrator and School Board for instructional purposes.
• Ensures ACSI and WASC accreditation standards are maintained and directs the reaccreditation process.  Ensures all faculty abide by accreditation standards and maintain their individual certification.
• Develops and implements effective student recruitment strategies.
• Establishes the school calendar in collaboration with lead pastor, board president, vice principal, parent-teacher fellowship (PAWS) president, and lead teachers.
• Oversees all student discipline situations.

Fiscal Management and Outreach

• Submits an annual budget to the BCC finance department and School Board each year. Administers the LACS operations within the approved budget.
• Cultivates relationships with donors inside and outside LACS and in organizations in the community to share the mission and vision of the schools.
• Manages the required fundraising levels to adequately support the budget or other fundraising goals.

Spiritual Leadership

•  Actively involved in the life of the school and church; praying regularly for its ministry, staff, parents, and children.
• Continually submits to the Lordship of Christ in every area of life, the acquisition of and obedience to scriptural knowledge, continual growth toward maturity in Christ, and consistency of Christian behavior.
• Affirms the Bridges Community Church Statement of Faith: https://www.connectbcc.org/about/believe

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree in School Administration, Education, Educational Leadership or equivalent
• Success as a master classroom teacher and/or educational specialist
• Recent experience/background in special education including dyslexia, other learning differences and autism
• Thorough knowledge and deep understanding of best practice in inclusive settings
• Minimum of 2-3 years leadership experience at the elementary and/or middle school level
• Experience serving in and/or partnering with church leadership

Qualities and Attributes of the next Principal:

• Inspiring and visionary leader with ability to execute on the vision of LACS
• Approachable with excellent listening skills
• Visible and engaged leader who demonstrates warmth and empathy
• A servant leader who will serve both school and church
• A committed educator who believes every child can be highly successful
• A decision maker who takes input from others
• An open-minded and adaptable person who adjusts quickly to new situations
• A “people person” who demonstrates unquestioned integrity
• A supporter of the spiritual growth of all in the school community
• A clear communicator with a compelling passion for education
• A collaborative leader who will maintain the strong positive church/school relationship
• Appreciates and values performance feedback with an excitement for how it can benefit the organization 

Application Process

Los Altos Christian Schools have selected Search Associates as its partner in the search for the Principal with Julie Ryan serving as the lead consultant.  The deadline for applications for the position is March 15, 2022.  Candidates are asked to submit a letter of interest and the requested materials listed below as early as possible. Search Associates and Los Altos Christian Schools reserve the right to close the selection process at any time should the right candidate be identified.  Please note that all application materials in the list below must be scanned into a single pdf attachment of 4MB or less and attached to an email sent to jryan@searchassociates.com.

• A letter of application, no longer than one page, explaining why you are interested in this leadership position
• A current resume not to exceed two pages
• A personal statement of educational philosophy not to exceed one page
• A description of personal journey to Christ (including a confirmation of the BCC Affirmation of Faith  https://www.connectbcc.org/about/believe, not to exceed one page)
• The names and full contact details of at least three professional referees (one of whom should, if possible, be the leader of the applicant’s current organization).

The review of applications will begin as soon as applications are received.  Qualified candidates will be interviewed and potentially forwarded to the Los Altos Christian Schools Search Committee for further review.  Finalist candidates will be invited to campus to see the school in operation and to meet with members of the school community for further interviews.  The new Principal will be selected following the campus visit, finalist interviews, and reference checks and will likely be appointed in mid-spring with a start at LACS during the summer of 2022.