Board names new district superintendent

Bigfork schools have a new superintendent — Cynthia Clary.

The board and Clary agreed to a three-year contract at a special meeting Monday night. This came after the board unanimously voted to offer her the job last week.

"It is a dream come true," Clary said of getting the offer. "I am excited that I have this chance to do a job that I love in a place that I love. How many people can say that?"

The board spent about 45 minutes in executive session at last week's board meeting, raising some concerns among those present to offer comment.

"I'm a little worried about how long it took," said Mike Boshka, teacher and union president. "For me, this is a no-brainer. The teachers loved her."

Boshka said Clary had the full endorsement of the Bigfork Area Education Association. Board member Thaddeus Jordt said the board's executive session time centered mostly around how to deal with negotiations and salary offers, since Clary's current position pays a higher salary than Bigfork would be able to offer.

Jackie Boshka, middle and elementary school principal, and Cory Pierce, dean of students, echoed the union's sentiments and said feedback in the schools from her visit was favorable.

"I'm simply excited to see someone come in and be excited about education," Pierce said.

Bigfork High School Principal Matt Jensen declined to comment before the board.

Clary's official start date is July 1, following current superintendent Russ Kinzer's June 30 retirement. She said she should satisfy her currently contracted work days in Texas by mid-June and be able to be in Bigfork by that date.

The board requested she consider another trip to Bigfork prior to the time administrators leave for the summer.

Clary said she will review her schedule and coordinate with the district office as possible.

The board also discussed holding a workshop with board members, Kinzer and administrators to come up with a list of procedures, history and policies Clary will need to be informed of when she starts to help prepare her for the job.

In her contract, Clary will receive an annual salary of $80,000 and a $1,000 vehicle allowance, in addition to vacation and sick leave, a $300 expense account and a moving allowance for mileage not to exceed $1,100.

The board had two other finalists for the position — George Linthicum, current superintendent of Target Range School in the Missoula area, and Ronald Windom, current superintendent at Melrose Municipal Schools in New Mexico.

A fourth finalist, Harry Cheff, current superintendent of Colstrip Public Schools, withdrew from the search shortly after his interview in March.

CYNTHIA CLARY

Clary discovered the opening for a superintendent in Bigfork by chance.

"It was one of those karma things," Clary said of stumbling across the job opening. "I'm perfectly content. I wasn't looking."

When looking up a job posting for a friend, she saw the opening in Bigfork, a place she loves, and contacted David Bruno, vice chairman of the executive search service DHR International who helped conduct the search. Bruno said she could still apply.

The board already had candidate interviews scheduled with three other potential superintendents but took a look at her application and decided to bring her in as well. Clary visited Bigfork last Wednesday, April 7.

Clary has a long history with Bigfork and the Flathead, as she's been coming to the Valley at least two times a year since she was 12 years old. Her family has done Fourth of July in Bigfork, but usually prefers to visit in late September and mid-October. This is the only place she applied.

Clary taught English, ESL and French at schools in Los Angeles, Fort Worth, Texas, and Mineral Wells, Texas.

She's been in administrative positions since 1996, receiving her doctorate in education in 1997 from the University of North Texas. She's currently superintendent at Van Vleck Independent School District in Texas.

"I'm a kid person," Clary said. "I'm a teacher. I still say that."

Clary said it's important in hiring to find people who not only like their subject matter, but also like to be with and around children. That's what she looks for.

Clary said she's particularly interested in curriculum and instruction.

"Curriculum is not some binder on a shelf — it's a living, breathing document," she said.

Clary said it is important at a district level to get buy-in from every stakeholder for new programs and collaborative environments.

Her current school district is working to realign its science curriculum right now. Bigfork is also going through that process but for all subjects.

Adopting new techniques is all about checking to see if they are tried and tested, she said.

"The first thing is making sure anything you decide upon is in fact research based," Clary said.

Teachers and administrators should be continuing to learn and stay up on effective practices, she said.

"Would you as a parent take your kid to a medical doctor that hasn't picked up a medical journal in five years?" Clary asked, saying education should be the same way.

Methods also need to adapt as the students do, she said.

"Kids have changed," Clary said. "They were sponges. Now their brains are not sponges, but filters."

Clary said she is a proponent of collaborative learning environments.

"I'm just Cynthia," Clary said. "I'm just another resource for my administrators and teachers."

The trick to technology, she said, is finding a balance. Cell phones are a tool she thinks need to be further explored.

"I'm enough of a tech nerd to think we're missing something," Clary said.

In her current district, teachers use Turnitin.com to check students papers and allow them to turn them in online. Parents can also use a site called Parent Portal to find out how their child is doing. This forces teachers to record grades regularly.

"How can a kid be successful or a parent help a kid be successful if they don't have that feedback?" Clary said. "Documentation is not a bad thing."

That also goes for tackling challenging issues or texts in the classroom, she said. The key is spending a lot of time informing parents in advance so they know exactly why and for what purpose subjects are being taught.

"I want to be as transparent as possible with them," she said.

Clary said it is important for students to see her, as superintendent, in every role — not just when they are facing an expulsion. She says she will be visible and will welcome students coming into her office.

"Those are teachable moments," she said.

Clary, 45, will be moving to Bigfork with her husband, Paul, who is retired.

She has three children, all of whom will be in college next year.