Kalispell Superintendent to Interview for Missoula Position
Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - The current Superintendent of Kalispell Public Schools, Micah Hill, will be interviewing for the position of Missoula County Public Schools Superintendent next week, according to Tyler Christensen, Public Information Officer with MCPS.
Christensen told KGVO News that the decision to interview Hill for the position was made at Tuesday night's meeting of the Missoula County Board of Trustees.
The MCPS Board of Trustees will Interview Micah Hill for the Superintendent's Position
“At last night's board meeting, the trustees reviewed the candidates from the second round of the superintendent search and they selected one candidate, Micah Hill, to come in for an interview this next week,” said Christensen.
Christensen said the interview will be held on Tuesday, March 7 at the MCPS Building just off South Avenue in Missoula.
The Public is Invited to Attend and Meet Micah Hill
“The interview will take place on March 7, and will include a meet and greet with staff and for the community as well as with other administrators and groups,” she said. “Following those interviews they will make a final decision at an upcoming board meeting.”
KGVO reported on February 7 that the Missoula County Public Schools Board of Trustees had selected Mr. Dale Olinger, Mr. Thom Peck, and Dr. Candace Roush as the first group of finalists to interview for the superintendent position. However, at their meeting on Tuesday night, February 6, the choice was unanimous that none of the candidates filled the bill to be the new superintendent.
The trustees were quoted as saying ‘“But as of right now, I don't feel like we are ready to go with any of them that we have seen so far.”
“Not one candidate encompassed everything that we need as a superintendent."
“No one candidate from this pool had everything that we need at MCPS.”
“We don't have the time to let somebody get to know this district and to get to know our students and our staff. We want somebody who has who was ready to hit the ground running. And while these candidates definitely have a lot of great experience, they don't have the experience running a district of this size. So that's why we think it was an unsuccessful search.”
The MCPS trustees are Jeffrey Avgeris, Grace Decker, Nancy Hobbins, Koan Mercer, Karen Sherman, Jennifer Vogel, Arlene Walker-Andrews, Meg Whicher, Keenan Witt, Rob Woelich, and Chair Wilena Old Person.
Read Micah Hill's Message to the Kalispell School District
On his current Superintendent’s page in the Kalispell School District, Micah Hill wrote:
KPS (Kalispell Public Schools) prioritizes bringing our schools, families, and community together through building relationships, respect, and common goals that support education. Throughout the last year, our Board of Trustees worked diligently with leadership teams, staff members, and the community to develop a purposeful and thorough plan for the future of our district.
The KPS Strategic Plan outlines our priority goals and action steps in providing the best possible education for our students. Highlights include:
- Developing transformational learning opportunities,
- Fostering safe and supportive learning environments,
- Building career pathways and advanced learning opportunities, and
- Continuing support of social, emotional, and mental well-being.
Additionally, we aim to increase family and community participation relative to all our strategic goals. My sincere aspiration for our schools is that we are a community in which we genuinely care for and respect one another and always prioritize our students.
The public is invited to attend the Missoula County Schools Board of Trustees meeting on March 7 to meet Micah Hill.
As Tyler Christensen stated, the trustees will make their decision on Micah Hill at a subsequent board meeting.
If hired for the job, Hill would replace Dr. Rob Watson who resigned to take another education position in Helena, and the interim Superintendent Russ Lodge.