Head of School

NON-DENOMINATIONAL

Total Enrollment: 115

Meet Living Rock Academy

In the spring of 2015, a group of concerned Christian parents from fundamental Bible-teachingchurches met together with the goal of starting a K-12 Christian academy with a focus on technology integration, active learning, and service leadership. Founded as a non-denominational covenant model
school, the parents strived to establish and provide a biblically based, Christ-centered, and academically challenging school experience for families in north San Antonio and the greater Hill Country area.

While incorporating creative and innovative learning opportunities in the classroom, LRA was designed to teach the students how to take their education into the outside world to see God at work around them and to be the feet of Jesus in service to others.

Parents met in informational and interest-gathering meetings for two months with the purpose of determining if enough community interest warranted a new Christian school in the area. As interest grew, an Interim Board was established on March 30, 2015. The Board voted to serve LRA in this capacity until the first general meeting in the fall of 2015 when the stakeholders would elect a permanent board. The Board members asked James Johnson to be
Head of School.

The Interim Board, under the direction of the Interim Board President, wrote and approved the bylaws to establish Living Rock Academy on June 15, 2015.

The search for a location began. A parent found twenty-five acres for sale near downtown Bulverde and after much prayer and research of the property, the Board decided to enter negotiations on the purchase of the land. On June 13, 2015, a parent purchased twenty-five acres at 2500 Bulverde Road as the site for LRA. Another parent secured a lease/purchase arrangement with ModSpace for a portable building of approx. 14,000 square feet to be brought in from the Laredo Independent School District. On August 4, 2015, the first of thirteen sections of the portable building was delivered to the site.

Application for accreditation was made to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) on June 6, 2015. LRA’s application for accreditation was approved on June 15, 2015. Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) approved LRA’s application for membership on June 12, 2015. The school opened its doors on September 8, 2015. Membership in the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) was acquired on May 8, 2017. On June 20, 2017, SACS (now Cognia) voted to approve accreditation of Living Rock Academy for kindergarten through twelfth grades. A Substantive Change Request was submitted to and approved by Cognia on July 30, 2020, to add PreK to LRA’s accreditation. In March 2024, Living Rock Academy was granted accreditation with Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2030 from grades Kindergarten through twelfth.

About the Head of School

• Serve as spiritual leader of the school, demonstrating a personal relationship and walk with God, leading faculty and staff devotions monthly
• Serve alongside the Board of Directors implementing their philosophy of policy governance
• Champion an educational philosophy that promotes excellence in education while ensuring that a biblical worldview permeates our classrooms to cultivate servant leadership on our campus
• Articulate the vision, mission, goals, and objectives of LRA to faculty, staff, parents, students, churches, Christian organizations, donors, supporters, and the surrounding community
• Lead, mentor, and direct activities of faculty and staff in a manner that positively influences their growth and professional development
• Create an educational environment that is Christ‐centered, engaging, pedagogically current, and meets the differentiated needs of the students
• Lead, in conjunction with the Board of Directors, strategic planning of long-range plans
• Create an environment of mutual respect, care, and unity among students, parents, faculty, and staff
• Assist in conflict resolution in a peacemaking and biblical manner.

The Head of School Responsibilities Include

The Head of School/Principal serves as the Chief Administrative Officer of Living Rock Academy and reports directly to the Board of Directors as its only employee.

• Responsible for the retention and recruiting of staff and students
• Direct the employees to carry out the mission of the school.
• Direct daily operations of the school
• Responsible directly, or through delegation to staff, for the well‐being of all students
• Responsible for the following:
  • the spiritual health of the school
  • academics
  • personnel
  • parent relations
  • community relations
  • program development
  • financial management
  • fundraising/institutional advancement
  • direct resources to fulfill the mission and vision of LRA established by the Board of Directors

• Orient the new staff.
• Evaluate all teacher certifications meeting accreditation criteria
• Be knowledgeable and experienced with software programs and technology used for educational and staff development
• Communicate effectively with students and staff.
• Comply with federal and state laws, State Board of Education rules, board policy, and accreditation policies.
• Conduct, recommend, and review changes annually on student and faculty handbooks, school policies, and procedures.
• Create and implement teacher performance plans.
• Ensure that school rules are uniformly observed and that student discipline is appropriate and equitable.
• Ensure that students are adequately supervised during non-instructional periods.
• Meet, counsel, and recommend disciplinary actions to parents when necessary. Seek guidance and reference from the LRA Handbook. Document any sessions with a student(s) and/or parents and keep them in the student’s file.
• Observe employee performance, record observations, and conduct evaluation conferences.
• Oversee, supervise, and work closely with the Student Activities Coordinator to coordinate student activities and approve schedule(s)
• Oversee Internship Program
• Oversee and Supervise the MS and HS Outreach coordinator’s role in school-community needs and that they are initiating activities to meet those needs.
• Participate in professional development to improve skills related to job assignments.
• Review and monitor all grade level teachers’ class syllabus/lesson plans and secondary level midterm/ final exams.
• Supervise weekly teacher check-ins
• Schedule CEU/Staff Development throughout the school year for teachers
• Develop and implement Elementary, Middle, and High School operations.
• Supervise and evaluate the ROCK program for all LRA students
• Supervise and review student placement evaluations.
• Supervise and review schoolwide testing (work closely with the testing coordinator)
• Supervise school day-to-day operations
• Supervise, review, and approve curriculum and provide requested feedback to the BOD
• Track progress on campus performance objectives and academic excellence indicators.
• Work closely with the School Registrar in creating the master schedule for all grade levels and subjects. Development of class schedules and teacher assignments.

ACADEMIC AND CULTURAL SUPPORT

• Direct the school’s development programs and activities in areas of constituency relations, fundraising, and student recruitment and retention.
• Represent the school and its philosophy in a favorable and professional manner to the school family and the public.
• Lead the beginning-of-year staff orientation, staff devotionals, staff meetings, and parent/teacher fellowship meetings.
• Supervise extracurricular activities, organizations, and outings as needed.
• Represent the school and its philosophy in a favorable and professional manner to the school family and the public.

MANAGEMENT  AND ADMINISTRATION

• Establish, in conjunction with the Board of Directors, the objectives, policies, and standards that accomplish the mission of LRA
• Supervise the athletic director, the director of technology, business operations, and, by delegation, the faculty and staff
• Ensure the implementation of administrative and operations reporting systems consistent with the reporting standards established by the Board of Directors
• Oversee the recruitment process for faculty and staff, issuing all employees’ letters of offer or contracts, and overseeing the administration of salary and benefit programs
• Conduct regular meetings with staff to share goals, evaluate progress, invite feedback and suggestions, mentor, and listen to concerns
• Ensure timely and systematic performance reviews for all employees
• Lead all suspension or termination processes for faculty and staff
• Oversee an effective discipline plan and promote a healthy school culture; provide absolute authority for all student discipline situations that could lead to expulsion or long‐term suspension
• Propose and coordinate facility development and capital improvements as well as oversee maintenance, security, and cleanliness of the facilities
• Oversee campus security including crisis management preparation and implementation
• Oversee and implement the school’s harassment policy
• Establish the school calendar
• Attend required continuing education seminars, classes, or conferences to gain a minimum of 16 clock hours from a 3rd party CE provider within 1 year (8 being biblically based and 8 being educational), all while staying in compliance with the CE hours required by the accreditation association.

CURRICULUM AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

• Position LRA as one of the region’s leading educational institutions
• Ensure that accreditation standards are maintained and exceeded
• Provide leadership, guidance, and support for the development and implementation of new academic programs
• Recruit highly qualified and capable faculty members and staff who will manage and direct existing academic programs and lead creative development efforts of new academic programs
• Ensure solid professional development through regular in‐service training and other faculty development efforts
• Ensure that faculty are observed frequently and given feedback
• Ensure that curricular areas are evaluated and developed
• Oversee the development of technology for instruction and administrative purposes
• Develop and implement effective student recruitment strategies
• Develop a Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP).

FINANCIAL PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT

• Direct the operation of LRA following sound business and Christian principles
• Work with the Business Manager to create fiscally sound operating and capital budgets, financial plans, and controls to present to the Board
• Ensure the directing of resources toward fulfilling the vision and mission of LRA
• Grow resources to provide financial assistance for families with financial needs
• Evaluate the compensation and benefits that LRA offers employees, seeking to be market-competitive
• Evaluate the tuition charged, seeking to provide adequately for the budgetary needs while remaining affordable to the families in the school community
• Create adequate reserves for future needs
• Prepare and deliver the annual report of the school in conjunction with the Finance Committee

DONOR DEVELOPMENT

• Establish relationships with, and communicate the vision to, existing and future donors
• Establish funding plans that increase the donor base for LRA
• Coordinate any legacy funds or capital campaigns for future facilities

COMMUNICATION AND MARKETING

• Serve as spokesperson for LRA
• Develop communications strategies to reach various stakeholders
• Serve as the communications liaison to the Board of Directors
• Actively promote and support the role of parents in the education of their children
• Effectively communicate the goals, standards, and policies to all employees, parents, and students
• Direct an annual parent survey and summarize the results for the Board of Directors. Implement a plan to address key areas of concern

What you bring

The following describes many of the characteristics of the ideal candidate for the Head of School:

• Born again Christian and Christian role model whose Godly lifestyle and character demonstrate obedience to God and the scriptures.
• Serve as a member or active participant in a local Christian church.
• Demonstrate a continuing sense of God’s direction in working at Living Rock Academy.
• Demonstrate evidence of spiritual leadership, maturity, and prayerfulness.
• Demonstrate effective interpersonal and social skills when relating to students, parents, and teachers.
• Live by the school’s lifestyle statement as a condition for employment and continued employment in this ministry.
• Memorize and help fulfill the school’s mission statement by recognizing the role of parents as primarily responsible before God for their children’s education and being prepared to assist them in that task. Believe and actively support the school’s statement of faith.
• Hold academic requirements including but not limited to a minimum of a bachelor’s degree, certification for administrative employment, ACSI certification, and/or a minimum of five years of experience in the field of education in relation to administration.
• Meet the professional qualifications of a Living Rock Academy teacher.
• Have Administrative experience leading elementary, middle, and or high school operations.
• Demonstrate managerial skills, i.e., goal setting, long-range planning, budgeting, curriculum, evaluation, assessment, and day-to-day oversight of educational programs.

What it’s Like to Live in Bulverde, Texas

Bulverde, Texas, known as the “Front Porch of the Texas Hill Country,” offers a charming blend of rural tranquility and modern convenience. Located just north of San Antonio, Bulverde provides residents with a peaceful, small-town atmosphere while remaining close to big-city amenities.

Living in Bulverde means enjoying scenic landscapes, rolling hills, and a strong sense of community. The town is characterized by spacious properties, ranch-style homes, and a relaxed pace of life. Many residents appreciate the low crime rates and friendly neighbors, making it an ideal place to call home. The cost of living is moderate, with housing costs varying based on acreage and amenities.

Employment opportunities in Bulverde mainly revolve around small businesses, local services, and remote work. While the town itself has a growing business community, many residents commute to San Antonio or surrounding cities for work. The nearby US-281 corridor provides easy access to professional and corporate job opportunities, making it convenient for those seeking careers in industries like healthcare, technology, and finance.

Outdoor enthusiasts love Bulverde’s proximity to natural parks, hiking trails, and rivers. The Guadalupe River State Park is a short drive away, offering swimming, kayaking, and camping. The Bulverde Community Park provides walking trails, picnic areas, and sports fields for families. Additionally, the town hosts seasonal events and festivals, such as the Bulverde Jubilee and Christmas Lighting Festival, bringing residents together for fun and entertainment.

For those who enjoy shopping and dining, Bulverde offers a mix of local boutiques, country stores, and family-owned restaurants, while larger retail centers are just a short drive away in San Antonio and New Braunfels.

Families are drawn to Bulverde for its safe environment, strong community values and they appreciate the variety of youth sports leagues, 4-H programs, and outdoor activities available for children.

With its small-town charm, beautiful Hill Country setting, and proximity to urban conveniences, Bulverde is an excellent choice for those looking to settle down and enjoy a balanced lifestyle.