Founding School Leader Fellowship - Texas

Founding School Leader Fellowship - Texas
San Antonio with Residency in Rio Grande Valley

To lead the expansion of Seton to San Antonio, TX, Seton Education Partners seeks a mission-driven, student-focused leader with proven results to participate in a two-year school leadership training program in preparation for serving as the Founding School Leader of Seton’s next campus building on the success of Brillante Academy, Seton’s first Texas model in the Rio Grande Valley. We are looking for a passionate, entrepreneurial educator who is energized by the opportunity to build and lead a new school from the ground up— a school that develops the mind, body and spirit of every child. 

About Seton Education Partners

Seton was launched in 2009 to give every parent, regardless of background, an opportunity to choose an academically excellent, character-building, and vibrantly Catholic education for their child. As a national non-profit, Seton partners with (arch)dioceses and others across the country to implement innovative and sustainable new schooling models that bridge the best of Catholic education’s rich tradition with new possibilities. With an entrepreneurial and innovative spirit, much can and should be done, not only to preserve this national treasure but also to build on its foundation for the benefit of thousands of children in America’s most underserved neighborhoods. Seton currently serves nearly 4,000 educationally disadvantaged children across 11 schools and 3 cities nationwide - the Brilla model in the Bronx; the Romero Academy model in Cincinnati; and the Brillante Academy model in Texas. Across our schools, children are achieving academic growth results in mathematics and reading that match or beat the nation’s most acclaimed schools serving high risk and low income students. For more information on Seton Education Partners, visit www.SetonPartners.org.

About Brillante Academy

Brillante Academy was founded in 2023 as a two-way, dual language school that empowers scholars and community through an innovative approach combining personalized blended learning and co-teaching with a classically inspired approach to education. We focus on teaching the whole child, instilling a deep sense of character through our core virtues (courage, justice, wisdom, self-control and love) while setting a high bar for academic achievement and teaching a content-rich curriculum that has stood the test of time. All of this is done in service of preparing our scholars for excellence in high school, college and beyond. Our scholars acquire and master English and Spanish to become bilingual and biliterate citizens who will leave a lasting positive impact on their community as problem solvers, advocates, contributors, and bridge builders. Brillante’s commitment to holistic child development is paralleled with its commitment to creating a joyful community for families and staff. You can learn more about Brillante’s mission and approach on our website.

The first Brillante Academy campus opened its doors in August 2023 and will serve over 460 students from the Rio Grande Valley in the Mission area and surrounding communities in the upcoming 2025-2026 school year. Brillante’s flagship campus will continue to grow one grade-level a year until 8th grade. 

Building on the success of the Brillante Academy model, Seton is poised to open a new school in San Antonio for the 2027-2028 school year. Over the next decade, we plan to expand our network across the state of Texas to serve over 7,000 students. 

About the Role of the Founding School Leader Fellow

The Founding School Leader Fellow is a hands-on leadership training program. In year one, you’ll serve as a Leader in Residence at Brillante’s founding campus, in Mission, TX, where you’ll experience and internalize the Brillante model and deepen your school leadership experience. In year two, you’ll move to San Antonio to prepare to open the next Seton Texas school in August 2027. You’ll be managed by a member of the Seton Texas Team, and receive coaching from school leaders across the Seton Network.

Primary Responsibilities in Year 1

• Partnering with Brillante principal and superintendent to effectively execute Brillante’s instructional vision and achieve our ambitious goals for student achievement and character development
• Partnering with Brillante operations manager to provide capacity to the operations team and gain insight into the execution of the day-to-day school logistics and systems (transportation, nutrition, schedules, safety, technology, facility management, finance, etc.)
• Managing, coaching, developing and inspiring teachers to reach their limitless potential as instructional leaders
• Creating a detailed school launch plan, based on the Brillante model and utilizing lessons learned from the first Brillante launch, to be executed in year 2 and to serve as a roadmap to a successful first day of school in August 2027

Primary Responsibilities in Year 2

• Hiring, managing and coaching a founding school team who is set-up for a successful first school year
• Actively recruiting prospective students and building relationships with enrolled families resulting in meeting or exceeding school enrollment goals
• Refining Brillante Academy instructional, culture and operational practices based on the context of the new school in San Antonio and with clear, documented procedure documents 
• Ensuring the organizational health of Brillante’s second campus through efficient use of resources, effective budget planning and management, accurate and timely reporting to TEA and compliance with other rules and regulations

Qualifications and Desired Characteristics

• Unwavering commitment to both Seton and Brillante’s mission, virtues, and root beliefs.
• You have a rock solid belief that all children will achieve both moral and academic excellence in the new San Antonio school.
• Bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited institution
• Bilingual in English and Spanish 
• At least four years of teaching experience in a school serving predominantly underserved children with demonstrated exemplary student achievement results
• Previous experience serving in a school leadership position with responsibilities coaching and managing adults, strongly preferred
• Willing to live in the Rio Grande Valley during the 2025-2026 school year, and relocate to San Antonio in the summer of 2026

Diversity & Inclusivity

We are building an organization in which talented individuals from all walks of life and past work experiences can join our team and make significant contributions. We are particularly committed to attracting and developing individuals who share the life experiences or backgrounds of the students we will serve.

Seton Education Partners provides equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees.