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

Salem Public Schools•Salem, MA

13h•$5,500 - $5,500

About The Position

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 4,000 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 https://salemk12.org/. 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 district’s Farm-to-School initiative. In collaboration with the Program Director for Food & Nutrition Services, the Garden Manager will select crops from the district's 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 $5,500 and paid out in two installments.

Requirements

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

Responsibilities

Utilize the SHS garden as a production garden in support of the district’s Farm-to-School initiative.
Collaborate with the Program Director for Food Services to determine crop selections aligned with the school’s 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.
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.
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.