Head of School, Meredith-Dunn School Louisville, Kentucky The Board of Trustees of Meredith-Dunn School seeks the next leader of this remarkable non-profit school that has offered specialized instruction to students with learning disabilities and/or learning differences in grades 1-8 for nearly 50 years.
About the Head of School: The Head of School embodies the mission of the school and articulates the mission throughout all aspects of the school program. In keeping with the school's mission, the Head of School fosters the traditions, relationships, and practices that determine the school's climate and culture. The Head of School is the sole employee of the Board of Trustees and is responsible for the overall management of the school in accordance with Board policies. The Head of School is the chief executive who oversees all operations and programs, has ultimate responsibility for all faculty and staff, and serves as the key spokesperson for the school with all its internal and external constituencies, including students, parents, faculty, staff, alumni, funders, the business community, and local, state, regional and national educational organizations and accrediting organizations. The Head of School must have proven leadership, management, and fundraising skills and must possess the capacity to guide Meredith-Dunn to the next level of excellence in accordance with the Board's vision.
About Meredith-Dunn School :
Founded as a non-sectarian, independent nonprofit school in 1971 by two professional educators, the mission of Meredith-Dunn School (MDS) is to provide prescriptive instruction in a nurturing environment designed to empower students who learn differently in becoming confident learners and resilient individuals. We value each of our 200 students as an individual with a unique pattern of strengths, weaknesses, and learning styles. Our educational program is prescriptive in both content and approach to support students' growth. Our goal is to help children with learning differences develop academically, socially and emotionally. By maintaining a small, intimate school with Master's Level teachers and full-time instructional assistants in every class (targeting a 7:1 Student/Teacher ratio), we personalize each child's instruction and create an environment rich in learning, growing and confidence-building opportunities. MDS is the only school in the region with faculty who are certified in the Wilson Reading System, enabling our teachers to use a multi-sensory approach to help students make connections between sounds and words. All students receive iPads and upper-class students receive Chromebooks. MDS has been accredited by ISACS since 1997. MDS operates under the guidance of a volunteer board of 14 trustees and the Head of School oversees a team of 31 faculty (21 full-time and 10 part-time), 18 teaching assistants and 8 staff members with an annual budget of approximately $3.5 Million. Approximately 15% of annual revenue comes from grants and contributions. MDS is situated in a quiet, tree-filled 4.5-acre campus with 7 buildings totaling 55,000 square feet, outdoor classrooms and gardening projects. MDS also offers weekly sports and clubs for all grades. On average for the past decade 99% of our Grade-8 graduates have successfully completed their high school degrees.
ABOUT LOUISVILLE: Louisville, Kentucky has a metropolitan area population of 1.3 million within a region that includes the Ohio River and Southern Indiana to the north and rolling bluegrass farms to the south and to the east. Louisville is home to several Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 headquarters or their regional operating locations, including UPS, Ford Motors, Brown-Forman, General Electric, Humana, Yum! Brands, and Papa John's Pizza, among others. Famous for the Kentucky Derby, Louisville is steadily gaining notice for its great parks and historic neighborhoods, low cost of living, and vibrant arts and restaurant scene. Kentucky is renowned for its championship collegiate sports teams and Louisville students can choose from five 4-year colleges and universities, as well as a dozen other graduate and technical educational institutions.
Cover letter and resumés requested until such time as the Search Committee of the Board of Trustees determines satisfactory finalists are found.
PLEASE CONTACT our Search Committee Chairman by email: Reed Weinberg The successful candidate for the headship of Meredith-Dunn School will ideally exhibit the following characteristics, qualities and skills:
Significant experience in the field of learning differences, along with a passion for lifelong learning and love of education Love for children, appreciation for teachers, and respect for parents and families A successful record of staff leadership in previous positions A proven track record in fiscal management in a nonprofit organization Outstanding oral and written communication skills Ability to develop and communicate a compelling vision for the strategic future of the school, especially in relation to an upcoming capital campaign The proven experience, skills and heart to grasp what makes Meredith-Dunn unique and beloved to its students, families, faculty and staff, and the ability to exhibit that understanding as an empathetic and effective leader of this enterprise. A desire to advance the mission of the school by being a visible and engaged presence within the Meredith-Dunn community and outside the school within the greater Louisville community A willingness and capability to inspire generous support for the school from individuals and institutions outside the school community both from an annual giving standpoint and for capital and endowment building endeavors A collaborator who can effectively work with trustees, administration, teachers, parents, and community leaders Demonstrated ability as an effective developer and mentor of professional talent Awareness of academic trends and a willingness and skill to shape the ongoing evolution of curriculum, pedagogy, and programs of the school Willingness and skill to shape the ongoing marketing endeavors of the school Approachability and outstanding people skills Capacity to model inspirational, collaborative, and decisive leadership The ability to both delegate appropriately and to hold others accountable for performance and fulfillment of their responsibilities Desired Experience: Extensive experience in the K-12 education field or equivalent is preferred, ideally with a history of increasingly more responsible management roles and responsibilities. We prefer candidates with experience working with schools that are similar to Meredith-Dunn (size, mission/values) Experience as a classroom teacher in a K-12 school is preferred but not required. Experience managing a staff of at least four direct reports is preferred. Master's degree or better is preferred, or equivalent directly relevant experience. Bachelor's degree is required. Experience interacting successfully with parents, admissions processes is preferred Experience in fundraising and solicitation of contributions for nonprofit organizations is preferred, ideally in support of independent K-12 schools
