This opportunity is open to all interested candidates.
OVERVIEW:
San Diego Unified School District, the second largest district in California and one of the top largest urban school districts in the United States, is looking for leaders who care deeply for students, inspire passion in their coworkers through collaborative leadership, and are committed to the communities in which they serve. The District seeks leaders who are committed to educational equity and work to create access and opportunity for our students furthest from education justice. Successful candidates must demonstrate their skill as an instructional leader, a firm understanding of school operations, as well as the capacity to build strong relationships with all partners within a school community.
BASIC FUNCTION:
The Principal will serve under the Governing Board and the Superintendent as the executive officer of the school with total responsibility to serve as the site instructional leader and to manage all affairs of the school consistent with District policy and procedures, including general control and supervision of certificated and classified employees assigned to serve in the school.
DIVERSITY STATEMENT:
Because each person is born with inherent worth and dignity, and because equitable access and opportunity are essential to a just, educated society, San Diego Unified employee commitments include being respectful of differences and diverse perspectives, and being accountable for one’s actions and the resulting impact.
POSITION SPECIFICS:
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Working Location is Torrey Pines Elementary School. 8350 Cliffridge Ave, La Jolla, CA 92037
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Work schedule: 219 days per year
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The position is on the AASD Site Administrators' Salary Schedule, Salary Plan 0705
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Qualifies for District Paid health and wellness benefits for employee and dependents
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This position is for the 2026-2027 school year
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This application requires you to respond to position-specific questions in your submitted online application. These questions are identified in the APPLICATION INFORMATION section below.
Examples of Duties:
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Serve as the instructional leader on one or more school campuses.
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Collaborate with key stakeholders to ensure the integrity of the instructional program.
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Build relationships in order to support the skill development of certificated and classified staff.
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Develop school plans and organizational procedures to protect the health and safety of students and staff on campus.
To view the detailed position description for Principal, click here.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Education and Experience:
Experience as a vice-principal or comparable administrative experience and a demonstrated record of effective administrative and related instructional leadership experience as evidenced by most recent job performance evaluation.
Licenses and Other Requirements:
Valid California Administrative Services Credential.
APPLICATION INFORMATION:
Application Process
To be eligible for consideration, interested candidates must submit the following items. Your application will be considered incomplete if you do not include all required information, including completion of the Work Experience and Education Sections of the online application, required attachments, and responses to all application questions.
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Online employment application
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A completed online employment application must be submitted/received electronically by the closing date. This application MUST include all required attachments, current and previous employment history and education to evaluate your qualifications, and all other requirements identified in the recruitment and application questions. It is important to note that a resume does not substitute for completing the Work Experience and Education sections. Your application will be considered incomplete if you do not include all relevant details and attachments.
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Paper applications are not accepted.
- Answer all application questions. The application questions should be answered thoroughly, clearly, and concisely as the responses provided (along with the entire application package) will be carefully reviewed to determine which candidates will move forward in the recruitment process.
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Contact information for all previous places of employment where you served in a certificated position must be listed under the 'Employment History' section of the application (Assembly Bill 2534). As of January 1, 2025, in accordance with Education Code section 44939.5 (as amended by California AB 2534) applicants for certificated positions are required by law to provide a complete list of every school district, county office of education, charter school and/or state special school (also known as a Local Education Agency (LEA)) with which you have previously been employed, regardless of the length of service. The District may contact current and former LEAs at any time during the application screening process.
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In accordance with California Assembly Bill 2534, all applicants for certificated positions must provide a complete employment history. Please adhere to the following:
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List Every Educational Employer: You must include every school district, county office of education, charter school, other educational institutions, or state special school where you have been employed, regardless of your length of service.
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HR Contact Information: In the Employer Email field, you must provide the email address for that employer's Human Resources or Personnel Office (i.e., not your direct supervisor).
Note: These email addresses are required to satisfy the employment verification and background requirements mandated by Education Code section 44939.5.
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Contact information for three references must be listed in the 'Employment History' section of the application. References should be from a current or previous supervisor. Reference email requests are automatically generated and sent to the references listed at the time of submission. These reference requests are not an indication of progression in the recruitment process or an interview opportunity. Written reference letters dated within the last year are also accepted and may be attached to your online application in the Reference Section.
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Attach Required Documents (PDF format recommended)
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Resume
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Resume must reflect current and past work and accomplishments.
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A resume is to be attached, but does NOT substitute for completing work history, education sections, or the supplemental questions of the employment application.
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Credential
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Valid California Administrative Services Credential is required.
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A copy of your valid California Administrative Services Credential, or equivalent out-of-state administrative credential, MUST be attached to your submitted online application. Important note: preliminary and clear Administrative Services Credentials submitted with an expired date may not be considered. Verify the copy you upload to your online application is current. Certificates of Eligibility for Administrative Services Credentials typically do not have an expiration date.
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Detailed instructions to view and print California credential(s) may be found on the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing website at this LINK. For other states, please visit the state educator license/credential website.
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Additional Documents (optional)
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Cover Letter / Letter of Intent
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Letters of Recommendation
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Additional documents, if any, must be attached to the online employment application.
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Position-Specific Questions (Required)
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To be considered for this position, you must answer every position-specific question. Failure to answer each position-specific question will result in your application being considered incomplete and disqualify you from further consideration for this recruitment.
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How have you worked with staff to build a more positive climate and culture and a stronger sense of team?
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Do not upload your answers as an attachment. You will be required to answer the required question(s) in the online application.
INTERVIEW PROCESS
Candidates selected to move forward in the recruitment process may be invited to one or both of the following interviews.
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First Interview
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Level 1 interviews for San Diego Unified AASD members* and other candidates to be held Tuesday, June 23, 2026, and Wednesday, June 24, 2026, via Zoom. Interview invitations will be sent via email.
- Special Note: San Diego Unified School District Administrators Association of San Diego (AASD) members will be given priority consideration for this position based on Article 7 of the current collective bargaining unit and by applying online, meeting the position minimum qualifications, and submitting the required attachments.
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Second Interview
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Candidates who are successful in the Level 1 interviews may be invited to the next level of interviews anticipated to be scheduled on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, in person. Interview invitations will be sent via email.
For questions regarding this job announcement, including priority consideration, please contact Human Resources Analyst Tina Cano at [email protected].
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
If you have questions about your application, please email [email protected].
The San Diego Unified School District communicates information regarding the hiring process via email. Please be aware that the District is not responsible for messages blocked by your email service. In an effort to allow our emails through your personal spam filter, you can try to add the [email protected] and [email protected] to your safe senders list.
San Diego Unified School District is committed to equal opportunity for all individuals in education. District programs and activities shall be free from discrimination, harassment, intimidation, and bullying by reason of the following actual or perceived characteristics: age, ancestry, color, mental or physical disability, ethnicity, ethnic group identification, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, immigration status, marital or parental status, medical condition, nationality, national origin, actual or perceived sex, sexual orientation, race, religion, or on the basis of a person's association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.
For more information about equity in employment, contact:
Title II Coordinator & Uniform Complaint Compliance Officer Eric Rico: (619) 725-7225, [email protected] / Title IX Coordinator Anna Ward: (619) 725-7225, [email protected] / 504 Coordinator Eri Nall: (619) 344-6420, [email protected]
