Job Description

This position is for the 2026-2027 school year.

Welcome to the Salida School District! Click [here]("noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"} to see what makes our schools special and why Salida is an amazing place to live.

Longfellow Elementary is home to 430 kindergarten through 4th grade students and 60 staff members. All of our staff follow the framework of "every kid safe, every kid learning, every kid loved" each day, and it is evident when you walk through our front doors. Longfellow has been recognized year after year with state recognition from a Colorado Succeeds Award to the Governor's Distinguished Improvement Award, demonstrating that we consistently exceed student growth expectations. Longfellow is successful because of the staff, families and community who come together to support our young learners. We partner with community organizations throughout the year to build skills and experiences for our students including bike and river safety, numerous sports offerings, field trips, chances to get to know our local fire and police friends, and literacy growth. We also have an exceptional parent/guardian volunteer association that supports our students and staff throughout the year.

We are looking for a dynamic leader to continue the success of Longfellow Elementary. We need a leader that can build upon the strong foundation of staff and programs. Our leaders must be able to navigate small town life, communicating and participating with our whole community. Helping staff, parents and community to work together to accomplish the work is essential by developing clear structures. The community and staff expect that instructional minutes are precious and should be protected. A strong early childhood system supports Longfellow's kindergarten through fourth grade programming. The K-4 model is not typical and we need a leader that is able to balance human development models with early math and literacy frameworks. With proven faculty in place the leader will need to sustain the building culture and develop ways to support professional development.

Salida Schools are more than a place for learning - they anchor the values and sense of belonging that define us as a community. With a philosophy of knowing every student by name, by need, and by connected adult, the district's six schools serve over 1300 students from pre-K through 12th grade and are the heart of our region. Salida School District R-32-J has been recognized with the District of Distinction honor multiple times since 2013, placing it in the top ten percent of schools in the state of Colorado. The District has created an [SEL Framework]("noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"} that guides support to students as they show up as human beings and appropriate to their developmental stage. Salida Schools has also created a powerful partnership with Colorado Mountain College that supports concurrent enrollment classes, work-based learning and internships, and associate degrees and professional credentials to our high school students.

The District has a stable leadership team that supports principals in ensuring their work is cogent with other programs. The Board of Education is stable and continues to emphasize student needs. The District is proud to be stable financially, continually increasing staff pay. Housing prices have increased the last few years similar to the rest of Colorado, reach out if you have questions about this. More information regarding District strategic planning efforts is available HERE. Recent Annual Reports for the District can be found [HERE]("noopener noreferrer" target=" blank"}. Current salary schedule [HERE]("noopener noreferrer" target=" blank"}. If you'd like the full job description, please click [HERE]("noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"} or request at ehaynes@salidaschools.org.

Initial applications will be reviewed by faculty and staff the week of February 9th, and initial interviews will be set the week of February 16th. We look forward to reviewing your application.

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