Whitefish school board hears from superintendent hopefuls

Two candidates interviewed for the Whitefish School District superintendent position on Monday, giving the school board insight from two different positions.

The first was Josh Middleton, who has served as the head of the Laurel and Valier school districts. He is also a former assistant superintendent for Billings Public Schools.

The second candidate was Lance Pearson, who is the current superintendent of Victor Public Schools. Two other candidates will be interviewed today.

Middleton pitched himself as being able to make hard decisions. He repeatedly spoke about making tough programming and personnel decisions for the sake of the budget. He took a similar line when asked about the cost of professional development — to make it work, it might take some prioritizing.

However, he said that once a district identifies its goals, it shouldn't be afraid to fund it.

“We have to be wise with our funds and cut waste wherever you can,” he said.

The second candidate, Pearson, focused on the relationships in the small district he oversees in Ravalli County, and how those connections are important in the overall learning process.

“If you really want to get to all that curriculum, build those relationships with kids,” Pearson said.

He struck the same tone when talking about labor negotiations, saying that good relationships between unions and district heads facilitate civil debates.

Each applicant was asked about the potential for dual-credit classes in Whitefish schools. Both said they would encourage the idea, though Middleton said that it hurts the bottom line to take a student out of the main school for part of the day. Pearson said that Victor students have that opportunity at the Bitterroot College, though transportation time and cost can be hurdles.

The candidates also shared their experience with Common Core. Middleton said that Laurel school curriculums tended to be insular, and the change had a big impact. He said that teachers built on the No Child Left Behind base that had taken effect years earlier and ultimately changed their instruction style.

Pearson said that the benefit of Common Core approach was that teachers from different areas sat down and looked at their curriculums together. They were able to bounce ideas off of one another while searching for that Common Core standard.

“It forces all the groups to sit down and go through it,” he said.

On budgetary goals, Pearson said that the most important priority is to keep the classroom intact. When talking about managing various costs, he talked about moving personnel around for part-time work, but didn't touch on letting people go.

Middleton said that his goals would be to maintain a high reserve and focus on programs that have the “biggest impact.” He was not shy about personnel issues, even saying that he “loves” labor negotiations. In Laurel, he didn't fill a vacant curriculum director position for two years to shore up the budget.

“There are times where you need to make a stand and still be able to function in a civil environment,” Middleton said.

The Whitefish school board will hear from candidates Davis Schmidt and Rick Duncan on Tuesday. Schmidt is the executive regional director at Missoula County Public Schools, while Duncan is the Powell County High School District superintendent.

All the candidates are also participating in other meetings and interviews during the two-day process.

The school board could pick a new superintendent as early as Wednesday morning. The selected applicant would replace outgoing district head Kate Orozco.