FROM FOUNDATION TO CONTINUITY: REFRAMING PRINCIPAL TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP IN SCHOOL DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

School digital transformation requires leadership capable of driving sustainable cultural and structural change. While prior studies confirm the contribution of transformational and digital leadership to organizational change readiness, the integrative mechanism linking the four transformational leadership dimensions in state junior secondary schools at the early stage of digitalization in second-tier Indonesian cities remains under-explained. This study describes how the principal of SMPN 10 Bengkulu enacts Bass and Riggio's four dimensions—idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration—through a qualitative descriptive approach involving eleven participants over four months. Findings reveal a foundation–energy–transformation–continuity (FETC) mechanism: idealized influence legitimizes, inspirational motivation mobilizes, intellectual stimulation transforms, and individualized consideration sustains digital change. This integrative configuration—rather than a parallel listing of dimensions—constitutes the study's primary contribution and is transferable to madrasah and pesantren leadership facing similar digital transitions.