The article raises the urgent problem of developing and implementing mentoring programs for newly appointed principals of general education schools. Using the example of Tomsk city education, the article examines the experience of creating a multi-level mentoring system based on a comprehensive and differentiated approach. Different formats of «mentor-mentee» work are presented. The role of both professional and personal qualities of young managers in ensuring their professional growth, adaptation to a new social role, and successful consolidation in a new position is substantiated. Indicators of the success of mentoring are defined. The article presents an example of implementing the city management project «Mentoring. Step Towards» at the Autonomous Educational Institution «Kristina» Gymnasium in Tomsk. It has been revealed that this project was effective not only in solving the problem at hand, but also in stabilizing and developing the education system in Tomsk, in general, in reducing the high turnover of teachers and filling the shortage of management personnel in the city.