Dr. Jonathan Crossley currently serves as the Superintendent of Hope School District. Under Jonathan’s leadership, Hope has created a workforce readiness program where high school students participate in paid internships in the community. Additionally, Crossley has secured over $20 million in educational grants for STEM education, federal magnet schools, and teacher incentives. In May of 2025, Hope Public Schools finalized the creation of an education foundation with the explicit mission of assisting students in their pursuits of bachelor’s degrees and career certifications.

 

Previously, he served as the Assistant Superintendent in the Pine Bluff School District. Prior to his work as a superintendent Jonathan Crossley served as the principal of Baseline Academy in Little Rock, Arkansas. In addition to being the principal of Baseline Academy, Jonathan was also a Cambiar Education Systems Level Leader Fellow, the vice chairman of the school board for the Excel Center at Goodwill—the first adult high school in Arkansas.

 

As a classroom teacher, Mr. Crossley was selected as the 2014 Arkansas Teacher of the Year while teaching at Palestine Wheatley High School in Palestine, Arkansas. His students were recognized for the most improved literacy scores in the state of Arkansas. He was selected as a national honor roll teacher for the Fishman Prize for Superlative Classroom Practice, the Lowell Milken Fellowship for Unsung Heroes, and a regional finalist for the White House Fellowship. Mr. Crossley was recognized as a 2016 recipient of the Arkansas Business 20 in their 20s award as a talented young leader in the Arkansas’ business and nonprofit community. 

In 2017, Jonathan’s work was featured in the national documentary Teach Us All, a film about the struggles and triumphs of the modern American education system.  For his contributions to Arkansas education, Crossley was named one of Arkansas Life magazine’s “Arkansans of the Year.” 

 

 Jonathan holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of South Carolina, an M.Ed, Ed.S and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Arkansas Tech University.