High School Garden Manager (March, 2026-February, 2027), Salem High School, Salem Public Schools, (INTERNAL CANDIDATES) Salem, MA [SY 2025-2026]

High School Garden Manager (March 2026-February 2027) Salem High School Salem Public Schools (INTERNAL CANDIDATES) Salem MA SY 2025-2026

About Salem Public Schools where belonging leads to opportunity.

Salem is a small diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history. Salem Public Schools is an urban public school district enrolling nearly 4000 students in 11 schools. Our vision is to ensure that all students will be locally engaged globally connected and fully prepared to thrive in a diverse and changing world. We hold dear our core values of belonging equity and opportunity in everything we do. We seek individuals who are passionate about urban education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement for all students regardless of ability economic status gender/gender identity language race/ethnicity sexual orientation or other backgrounds. We invite you to learn more about our strategic plan and core priorities on our website at

High School Garden Manager Position

SPS is seeking a Salem High School Garden Manager who will be responsible for the year-round maintenance coordination and integration into other green and educational initiatives of the SHS garden with a strong emphasis on utilizing the space as a production garden in support of the districts Farm-to-School collaboration with the Program Director for Food & Nutrition Services the Garden Manager will select crops from the districts planting guide to maximize garden output in order to support hyper-local menu items in the FNS nutrition programs. The Manager will maximize the growing potential of the garden space through strategic succession planting and multiple harvest cycles throughout the growing season. The garden will prioritize fruiting crops and other high-yield produce capable of providing consistent weekly harvests once crops begin producing. Harvested produce will be delivered directly to the Salem High School central kitchen where the Garden Manager will be responsible for proper washing and storage in accordance with school food safety guidelines. The SHS Garden Manager will report to the Program Director for Food Services and partner with building-based leaders to ensure that the garden space is consistently producing and aligned with district farm-to-school initiatives. It is expected that the Garden Manager will seek out collaboration opportunities with school and citywide urban agricultural initiatives. The compensation for this work will be $5500 and paid out in two installments.

SHS Garden Manager Responsibilities:

• Production & Farm-to-School Alignment

• Utilize the SHS garden as a production garden in support of the districts Farm-to-School initiative.
• Collaborate with the Program Director for Food Services to determine crop selections aligned with the schools planting guide and hyper-local features on school nutrition program menus.
• Maximize growing potential across the garden space through strategic succession planting and multiple harvest cycles in the summer months.
• Prioritize fruiting crops and other high-yield produce to ensure consistent weekly harvests once crops begin producing.
• Harvest produce and deliver directly to the Salem High School central kitchen.

• Garden Operations & Maintenance

• Provide year-round maintenance and coordination of the SHS garden to ensure a healthy productive growing space.
• Monitor inventory and order garden supplies as needed to support continuous production and garden upkeep.
• Implement pest management strategies and provide treatment as needed to maintain plant health and productivity.
• Wash and properly store harvested produce in accordance with school food safety guidelines.

• Collaboration & Program Coordination

• Partner with building-based leaders to ensure the garden remains consistently productive and aligned with district Farm-to-School initiatives.
• Participate in monthly meetings with other school garden leaders to collaborate share best practices and work collectively to strengthen and expand Farm-to-School programming throughout the district.
• Report to and be supervised by the Program Director for Food Services.

Essential Attributes:

• Holds an unwavering belief that every student and teacher in Salem can grow and succeed.
• Skilled in providing equitable access to the STEM enrichment experiences particularly in underserved populations.
• Able to work collaboratively and flexibly as part of a team.
• Has a strong work ethic is self-directed and has the ability to work independently.
• Self-reflects and accepts feedback with a growth mindset.

Qualifications:

• Current educator in Salem Public Schools.
• Experience with garden maintenance.
• Experience with successional planting

Application Process

Interested candidates should send a one-page letter of interest to Michaela Short: describing how the applicants experience and qualifications align with the required attributes and qualifications.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Salem Public School District is committed to maintaining a work and learning environment free from discrimination on the basis of race color religion national origin pregnancy gender identity sexual orientation marital/civil union status ancestry place of birth age citizenship status veteran status political affiliation genetic information or disability as defined and required by state and federal laws. Additionally we prohibit retaliation against individuals who oppose such discrimination and harassment or who participate in an equal opportunity investigation.

Required Experience:

Manager