Consistency, building robust community connections and creative problem solving were top of mind among community members who shared their expectations for the next superintendent of Missoula County Public Schools.
About 30 people attended a forum held on Monday night at Sentinel High School’s Margaret Johnson Theater, some with children in tow. MCPS board chair Wilena Old Person was in attendance. Another forum was held at Seeley-Swan High School to gather input as well.
“This job is about kids,” said Rob Clark, a consultant with the firm McPherson & Jacobson that is assisting the district’s search. “Our mission at McPherson & Jacobson is we want to provide the best opportunity for kids in Missoula County Public Schools and get that straight up.”
One parent said that she has seen multiple superintendents roll through the district throughout her 16-year-old child’s education and she hopes the next leader won’t view the position as a stepping stone for their career.
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Clark noted that at larger, urban districts, superintendents typically only stick around for three to four years. For a district the size of MCPS, superintendents usually last a bit longer.
The last two superintendents served in their positions for only three years before moving on. Alex Apostle was the longest serving MCPS superintendent in recent history and was in the position for seven years. His predecessor, Jim Clark, was district superintendent for six years.
Several parents praised the district’s efforts to utilize COVID relief funding to support full-time positions of art teachers at every elementary school, as well as other specialists who have been brought into the district. However, they’re concerned that the district won’t have the budget to support those staff after the funds sunset.
“We need a superintendent that will get creative and find the money to continue to have those specialists and art teachers in all the elementary and older schools as well,” one parent said.
Another community member chimed in with concerns that the next superintendent should not continue to depend on local property taxes to support the district and instead should focus their efforts in that area to state funding.
“The challenge for the next superintendent is to bury any hatchet they may have with bargaining groups, get them together and everybody on the same page, motivate the community to reach out to politicians to say we need funds to make things happen in our school district,” he said.
Those in attendance were also asked to share what they felt are the strongest attributes of the district. Most parents spoke of the robust extracurricular offerings, particularly with career and technical education and opportunities for students to earn college credit in high school.
Christina Henderson, who mentors the MCPS robotics team, would like to see those offerings be available to more students across the district. She noted that computer science classes are only offered at Sentinel and not other high schools in the district.
“We have some very strong programs within the district but they’re not evenly aligned,” Henderson said. “The computer science pathway is not available to students at all of the high schools in the district. I’d really love to see someone step into the superintendent role who sees this great, thriving sector in the community … and be supportive of these types of programs.”
A community survey will be available on the MCPS website on Wednesday to gather additional feedback. The survey will be sent out to MCPS families via Blackboard. Clark also mentioned that there will be an opportunity for community members to meet the finalists in the future.
The search for a new superintendent will move swiftly and trustees expect to name the next leader in early February. The job has been posted online and will close on Jan. 10. From there, consultants will distill the candidates into a shortlist to present to the board on Jan. 24.
