Fellowship for Founding School Leaders - Ohio
Please Note: The current Ohio placement for the BES Fellowship has been filled. However, we continue to accept and review applications for our active waitlist. Candidates may be considered should additional Fellowship opportunities become available for the upcoming 2026 or 2027 cohorts. If spots open, we will share additional details around the process and timeline with candidates who are selected and move forward from the waitlist.
BES seeks a Fellow for our Fellowship program to serve as a founding school leader in Ohio. This BES Fellowship offers highly motivated leaders committed to transforming education the rigorous, multi-year training needed to design, found, and lead a high-achieving school that meets the unique needs of its community.
BES welcomes applicants from any Ohio region favorable for new public charter schools and aligned with authorizer priorities, with particular interest in leaders aiming to found schools in the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati or Dayton metropolitan areas or in rural areas of the state. For regions with significant charter presence, applicants will be required to make a strong case for how a new proposed charter school will be viable and meet the needs of the community.
Who We Are
Strong schools are built by strong leaders, which is why BES identifies and prepares exceptional individuals to transform education in their communities. From school founders and executive directors to operations leaders, deans, and curriculum directors, we train leaders to build schools, to ensure their schools excel, and to sustain their results over time.
The BES Fellowship and selection process fosters an equitable, inclusive, and empowering experience for Fellows. For over two decades, BES Fellows have founded over 220 schools and are currently serving more than 73,000 students, with many BES-trained leaders consistently driving student achievement beyond district and state averages and helping to close the opportunity gap.
What You'll Do
The BES Fellowship for founding school leaders includes one year of training for Build Track Fellows followed by three years of Follow On Support to support leaders in building a high-performing, locally responsive school. For a comprehensive description of our Fellowship, please visit our website. An overview is provided below.
Fellows in Ohio begin with an intensive training year, where they engage in over 300 hours of coursework on school design, leadership, governance, and community engagement, as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion. Fellows also conduct in-depth studies of effective schools across the nation and complete residencies at high-performing schools, all while developing a charter application and establishing a founding board.
In year two, the planning year, Fellows partner with a BES coach to refine their project management and leadership skills, hire founding staff, recruit students, and solidify their school vision. This dedicated coaching and cohort-based training, known as Follow On Support, helps Fellows bridge the transition from founder to school leader, preparing them to launch a strong, sustainable school. During years three and four, the first two operational years, leaders put their vision into action, welcoming their inaugural class, coaching teachers, and using data to drive academic success. By the second year of operation, they deepen the academic focus, serving a growing population of students, and build leadership capacity to support future growth, all while fostering an empowered, mission-aligned team. In year three of operation and beyond, BES Fellow-founded schools can opt-in to other leadership and professional development opportunities from BES to support their school and strengthen their leadership bench.
What You Bring
- The ability to lead, manage and motivate: You have demonstrated the ability to lead and manage a team towards results, and you are committed to serving as a school leader in the community for at least 10 years.
- Self awareness and humility: You possess a growth mindset and have a continuous desire to improve. You are eager to give, take, and implement feedback with humility and in real time.
- Commitment to community: You have experience in the community you are proposing for your school and bring strong organizational partnerships. You can articulate how you will gain and factor in community input.
- Diversity, equity and inclusion in action: Your school model will primarily serve students from under-sourced communities and bring an anti-racist lens to the work. You have had success with similar populations of students and been responsive to community needs.
- Commitment to excellence for all students: You have a clear vision for your school and can discuss key elements of the school in a detailed, compelling, and direct manner. You hold yourself accountable for results and believe that all students can achieve at high levels.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree required; Master's or Professional degree preferred
- Minimum 8 years of professional experience, with instructional or instructional leadership experience required
- At least 2 years managing and supervising adults in a PreK-12 setting required, 2 years of school leadership experience preferred
- Commitment to serving as a school leader in the proposed community for at least 10 years required
- Ability to establish and activate local connections to support school enrollment
- Strong preference for candidates with at least 2-3 years of experience living or working in the proposed school region, especially those with strong ties to the community
- Clear, compelling rationale for the proposed school location
Compensation and Benefits
- This is a contract role with a $100,000 grant during the first year of the program (the Fellowship training year)
- Health reimbursements available
- Travel and accommodations for training and during school study travel
- Reimbursement for up to $5,000 in moving expenses
- Up to $3,500 reimbursed for school design expenses for Build Fellows
- The opportunity to apply for BES start-up fund awards and/or those provided exclusively to Fellows by our partners
To Apply
The deadline for *priority consideration* in these regions is June 26. Applications submitted after June 26 will continue to be accepted and reviewed. Candidates who apply by the priority deadline will receive first consideration for available Fellowship spots. Candidates who apply after June 26 may be placed on an active waitlist and considered should additional Fellowship opportunities become available. Therefore, serious candidates are encouraged to apply early.
- The subsequent timeline applies to candidates who submit their application by the priority deadline:
- Deadline to Apply: June 26, 2026
- Phone Screen: June 29 – July 17, 2026
- First Interviews: July 20 – 31, 2026
- Leadership Interviews: Aug. 10 – 13, 2026
- Hiring Manager Interviews: Aug. 24 – 28, 2026
- Partner Interviews: Sept. 8 – 11, 2026
- Decisions by Sept. 18, 2026
- Start Date: Oct. 5, 2026
Before applying, please review our Applicant Toolkit, which includes helpful guidance and resources to support you through the application process. If you are interested in founding a school in a region other than Alabama please note that additional regions will be announced as they become available. In the meantime, please consider these next steps:
- To stay updated on new regions, please subscribe to receive emails from BES here.
- We encourage you to complete this interest form to tell us about the region where you are interested in founding a new school.
- Consider connecting with our team if you have questions about the Fellowship or selection process before you apply. Please visit our job board to submit your application.
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