Principal, PK through 8th Grade

Why now

The opportunity

MPA is a strong school in an honest moment of transition. We have seen several leadership changes since 2019, and our community is ready for a leader who comes to stay and build. Our middle school, opened in 2023, is young and full of promise, and it needs a leader who will strengthen it into a program every MPA family is excited to choose. Our teachers and staff are talented, deeply committed, and ready to be invested in, and the Board is committed to building the support systems around the principal role that let a leader truly lead. An experienced interim principal is guiding the school this year, and the Board expects to welcome our next permanent Principal in January 2027.

For the right person, this is a rare opportunity: a well-established and beloved Montessori community, engaged families, a dedicated staff, and a Board that wants its next Principal to succeed here for many years.

Built by our community

The leader we are looking for

This profile was built by our community. Over the summer, the Board held listening sessions with our staff and surveyed our community on the attributes our next leader most needs. The ten sections that follow are those attributes, presented in the order our community ranked them. Together, they describe the person we are looking for.

1. Integrity

We seek a leader who:

• Does what they say they will do;
• Is honest and consistent in public and in private, with both good news and hard news;
• Owns mistakes plainly and without ego;
• Models kindness, integrity, respect, and safety.

2. Montessori Philosophy & Pedagogy

At its core, MPA is an authentic Montessori school. We seek a leader who:

• Understands and trusts the Montessori method, and protects it from drifting into a traditional school with Montessori touches;
• Holds a Montessori credential, or commits to earning a Montessori administrator credential within two years of hire;
• Ideally has taught in a Montessori classroom and knows the prepared environment from the inside;
• Partners closely with our Montessori coach and draws on Montessori expertise for questions of method;
• Ensures all federal, state, and district standards are met through Montessori methods and curriculum.

3. Child Development & Whole-Child Focus

The whole child is the point of everything we do. We seek a leader who:

• Centers decisions on children's cognitive, emotional, physical, and social development;
• Can articulate to families, from the first tour onward, how strong academic growth and whole-child education reinforce each other;
• Treats assessment data as one useful measure among many, values growth over raw scores, and never lets testing drive instruction;
• Brings real grounding in social-emotional learning and restorative practices;
• Has experience serving students with diverse learning needs, including special education, 504 plans, advanced learners, and MTSS.

4. Communication

Our staff and families want to be talked with, not around. We seek an exemplary communicator, who:

• Listens skillfully, acknowledges what they hear, and follows through visibly;
• Is present and approachable;
• Writes and speaks clearly and warmly with staff, families, and the Board;
• Is comfortable starting hard conversations early, and kindly.

5. Leadership

We seek a heart-centered and firm school leader, who:

• Listens first, then decides, and can make an unpopular call without ego and explain it with respect;
• Trusts teachers as professionals, asking curious questions rather than making assumptions;
• Builds systems, delegates well, and develops the leaders around them, so the school never depends on heroics;
• Is visible and steady under pressure, in ordinary weeks and difficult ones.

6. Budget & Financial Management

A charter school lives on sound finances. We seek a leader who:

• Has responsibly managed a school budget or comparable organizational budget;
• Understands the relationship between enrollment and financial health, and develops strategies that keep MPA strong;
• Collaborates with the Board on a sustainability plan for the school's continued success;
• Will strengthen the middle school into a financially stable program that families actively choose;
• Stewards resources so that investment reaches classrooms and the people in them.

7. Cultural Stewardship

School culture is protected and nurtured every day. We seek a leader who:

• Protects what makes MPA feel like MPA, and tends it through change;
• Fosters joy in the building, for children and adults alike;
• Invests in staff through professional development, mentoring, genuine onboarding, and respect for people's time;
• Works to retain the teachers and traditions that hold this community together;
• Makes new staff feel welcomed, supported, and set up to succeed.

8. Emotional Intelligence

We seek a leader with highly developed emotional intelligence, who:

• Reads people and situations well, and meets them with empathy and appropriate boundaries;
• Welcomes being respectfully challenged, and seeks input before deciding;
• Is self-aware, humble about what they do not know, and quick to learn;
• Builds trust person by person.

9. Regulatory & Compliance Knowledge

We seek a leader who:

• Knows, or will quickly master, Colorado charter school law and the state accountability landscape;
• Manages the authorizer relationship with Jeffco Public Schools well, including charter renewal;
• Keeps the school compliant in special education, assessment, safety, employment, and reporting obligations;
• Administers district and school policies fairly and consistently;
• Collaborates with the Board of Directors to maintain the school's operational charter.

10. Conflict Management

Schools are full of people who care intensely, and that is a good thing. We seek a leader who:

• Addresses conflict early, directly, and with care, rather than letting it grow in the dark;
• Backs teachers in difficult parent conversations while keeping families true partners in their children's education;
• Holds firm, fair boundaries and applies expectations consistently, with the Board's visible support;
• Maintains clear, approachable processes for staff and family concerns, with follow-up and follow-through;
• Limits unhealthy conflict and makes room for the healthy kind.

Life here

About Littleton, Colorado

MPA sits outside of Littleton, Colorado, a city of about 45,000 on the southwest edge of the Denver metro area. Littleton pairs a historic, genuinely charming downtown, with a lively Main Street of restaurants, shops, and festivals, with easy access to everything the metro area offers, including light rail into Denver.

The South Platte River trail system runs through town, Chatfield and Roxborough state parks are minutes away, and world-class skiing and hiking are a day trip, not a pilgrimage. Families are drawn to Littleton by excellent schools, safe neighborhoods, and a strong sense of community.

For a school leader considering a move, the Denver metro area offers a deep professional community and a major international airport. We have mountains to the west and sunshine most of the year.

Equal Employment and Nondiscrimination

Montessori Peaks Academy is committed to equal employment opportunity for all and cultivates a caring and professional environment. We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.