The Bay School

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Head of School

The Bay School, an independent Waldorf school in Blue Hill, Maine, seeks a warm, inspiring, community-oriented Head of School with a penchant for collaborative leadership. The successful candidate will have deep experience in school finances, regulation, and development, and be able to assume the position on July 1, 2025.

Mission and Overview

The Bay School’s mission is to provide an education that engages and nurtures the whole child, inspiring a balanced growth of heart, mind, body, and spirit. We are committed to developing in our students inner confidence, responsibility, self-motivation, a love of learning, imagination, creativity, and intellectual clarity. The educational ideals and values of the school, rooted in the Waldorf tradition, create a community of children, alumni, parents, faculty, friends, and neighbors imbued with reverence for others and the natural world.

The Bay School is an independent, accredited Waldorf school located in Blue Hill, Maine. Its curriculum integrates academics and the arts from birth through eighth grade.

Founded in 1980, the school currently serves 100 students pre-K through eighth grade and engages an additional 25 families through a parent/child program. The students, along with their families and approximately 30 faculty and staff, form the core of The Bay School community. The school’s size allows for both intimacy and capacity; it is large enough to sustain robust programing, but small enough to foster a strong sense of community.

Central to our philosophy is a desire to honor childhood and make learning joyful. Individual achievement gives way to the quality of our students’ relationships with their teachers and one another, the beauty of the space in which they work, the rhythm and form of their days—all creating the sense that everything matters and is worthy of care and consideration.

The Bay School is a place where a child’s development is fostered by their natural surroundings; where intellectual curiosity and passion, physical movement and connection to nature, feed a deep desire to learn; where parents and guardians partner with teachers and each other to create a community of collective holding and responsibility.

Strengths of the School:

• Our faculty is skilled in, experienced with, and dedicated to Waldorf education.
• There is strong intra-generational support for the school. Many graduates return as teachers or parents of students. Members of our board have both children and grandchildren who have attended the school.
• Enrollment, particularly in our Early Childhood Program, has been growing consistently.
• An authentic and shared commitment to equity and access at the school is evidenced by our tuition reform program that aims to align tuition with a family’s financial capacity.
• Our beautiful 70-acre campus provides a space for varied curricula including animal husbandry, gardening, orienteering, astronomy, woodland exploration, and many seasonal outdoor games and activities.
• In 2025, the board approved a strategic plan that delineates priorities for the next five years.
• The school administration is well into preparations for AWSNA and NEASC re-accreditation; accreditation is on track to be completed in 2026.
• The school has a strong and engaged parent body that generously give of time and skills.
• The Bay School is the only accredited independent elementary school in the Blue Hill area.
• The Bay School has nearly 50 years of alumni, representing a significant opportunity for development, engagement, and support.

Opportunities and Challenges:

• The Blue Hill community is growing. Many young families are moving to the area providing great opportunity for enrollment and development growth while also creating challenges in housing and cost of living.
• The school’s financial position is strong, but it aspires to increase salaries, add additional programing, and improve and expand infrastructure. Doing so will require additional funding.
• The present faculty and staff are very skilled, experienced, and committed, but as is true for most small rural schools, continuing to attract and retain faculty and staff is a priority.
• While progress has been made on diversity, equity, and inclusion work (de-colonizing the curriculum, tuition reform), there is more DEI work to be done.

Qualifications and Skills

Strong candidates will have the following qualifications and skills:

• Ability to speak knowledgably and compellingly about the merits of Waldorf education and The Bay School.
• Experience with fundraising and ability to cultivate a culture of philanthropy.
• Demonstrated experience with budgeting and oversight of administrators.
• Experience working with a board of directors.
• Ability to engage in shared decision-making when possible and appropriate, but ability to be decisive when necessary.
• Ability to effectively delegate.
• Personal commitment to social justice.
• Clear and timely internal and external communication.
• Ability to resolve conflict with respect and clarity.
• Appreciation for and ability to engage joyfully with children of all ages.
• Encourage enrollment growth and stability by effectively engaging new and prospective families.

To Apply:

Interested and qualified candidates are invited to contact the Search Committee in confidence. Upon request, candidates should be prepared to submit the following:

• A cover letter expressing interest
• Current resume
• A statement describing relationship and experience with Waldorf education
• Professional references

Applications are being accepted starting immediately and until the position is filled.

Holly Arends Murphy

Board President and Chair of Search Committee

HOSsearch@nullbayschool.org

Salary range is $70,000-90,000. The starting salary is based upon years of experience, education level, and expertise.

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Teaching and Other Positions

To apply for open teaching positions, send a resume, a letter of interest, and three references/phone numbers to Head of School Marcia Diamond at resumes@nullbayschool.org. Application deadlines: Applications for each position are being accepted until the position is filled.

Application deadline: Applications for each position are being accepted until the position is filled.

Class Teacher-Opening for Fall 2025

The Bay School is hiring a teacher who will create a warm, developmentally appropriate, Waldorf curriculum, and a stimulating environment for our students. The ideal candidate will have excellent organizational and teaching skills and be able to work collaboratively with colleagues and parents. A full job description is available for review. 

Applicants must have a Bachelor’s Degree. Waldorf Teacher Training or Certification is preferred and prior Waldorf teaching experience is valued. This is a full time position with benefits. For more information about our school, visit bayschool.org.

Early Childhood Assistant and Extended Day Program Teacher-Opening March 2025

The Bay School is hiring an individual who will assist in early childhood classrooms from 11-2:45 pm each day M-F and then run our Extended Day program for students in PreK-grade 2 from 2:45-5 pm M-Th. Candidates who have experience working with young children in a warm and loving way and can manage a small group with planned activities are desired.

For more information about our school, visit bayschool.org

Facilities Manager-Opening for June 2025

The Bay School is looking to hire a Facilities Manager who will oversee and provide primary care for our eight campus buildings and 70 acres of property. Candidates should have a strong sense of responsibility and work ethic, have excellent organizational and communication skills, be flexible working among faculty/staff, students, parents, and volunteers, and be able to work well with colleagues. The Facilities Manager is responsible for for oversight of school safety and risk management as well as following legal and code requirements. 

Applicants with prior organizational facilities management experience is valued. The successful candidate will either have or be willing to train for several required licenses to maintain our licensing as a state-approved school and licensed child care program. This is a full-time position with benefits. For more information about our school, visit bayschool.org.

Agricultural Arts Teacher-Opening for Fall 2025

Spanish Teacher

ABOUT THE BAY SCHOOL

The Bay School is a Waldorf and NEASC accredited school located in the downeast Acadia area of Maine that enrolls more than 100 students from 16 neighboring communities. The Bay School is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA). We hold membership in the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America (WECAN).. Situated on a beautiful 70 acre campus, the school encompasses academic buildings, a large arts facility, woods, trails, an athletic field, a meadow, a chicken coop, a greenhouse, a forge, gardens, and a playground. The Bay School’s mission is to provide an education that engages and nurtures the whole child, inspiring a balanced growth of heart, mind, body. and spirit. We are committed to developing in our students inner confidence, responsibility, self-motivation, a love of learning, imagination, creativity, and intellectual clarity. The educational ideals and values of the school, rooted in the Waldorf tradition, create a community of children, alumni, parents, faculty, friends, and neighbors imbued with reverence for others and the natural world.