Board votes for superintendent

Helena Flats trustees offer job contract to Missoula principal

The Helena Flats school board has named its first choice for the district's next superintendent.

Trustees unanimously agreed to accept the district hiring committee's recommendation of Ann Minckler, a Missoula principal, as the best candidate for the superintendent position.

At a special meeting Tuesday night, the board voted to offer Minckler a contract.

The offer includes a $70,000 salary with potential health benefits. The contract would be for one year, with quarterly evaluations to assess whether Minckler is the best fit for Helena Flats and whether Helena Flats is the best fit for Minckler.

The exact position - superintendent only or superintendent with principal duties - is still unclear. It hinges on what Paul Jenkins decides to do next fall.

Jenkins has a dual contract with Helena Flats; he is superintendent and principal. The school board voted in January not renew Jenkins' superintendent contract, but as a principal, Jenkins has tenure.

He could decide to stay with the district as a part-time principal, the board said Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Jenkins said he didn't yet know where he will be next fall. He did not attend Tuesday's meeting.

The hiring committee recommended Minckler after narrowing the candidate pool from 18 applicants to four finalists, all of whom were interviewed earlier this month. In addition to Minckler, the finalists included two candidates from the Flathead Valley and one from Minnesota.

The committee eliminated one candidate from the list and finally settled on Minckler from the remaining three, hiring committee chairwoman and trustee Emily Gillespie said.

"It was not unanimous, but she was far and away the top go-getter," Gillespie said Tuesday.

Minckler is one of two principals at Target Range School, a K-8 school with about 480 students. This is her first year in that position, but she has 15 years of education experience.

Her career began in 1994 as a music and computer teacher in Cleveland, according to Minckler's professional portfolio. She has taught elementary students, college students and adults.

She earned her undergraduate degree in music education from Findlay College in Findlay, Ohio. Minckler also holds master's and doctoral degrees in curriculum and instruction from the University of Montana.

She does not yet have her superintendent's certification, but the state Office of Public Instruction allows a three-year grace period for new superintendents to obtain certification. The Helena Flats board of trustees may ask Minckler to get her certification in two years.

Some of the 20 community members who attended Tuesday's meeting worried about a possible conflict of interest if Minckler accepts the offer. Her husband, Jeff Minckler, writes teachers' contracts for the Helena Flats district.

Trustees assured the audience that should Ann Minckler accept the position, her husband would not write her contract.

Community members also asked the board to consider waiting a week to offer Minckler the contract. Helena Flats' trustee elections are Tuesday, and three seats on the five-member board are on the ballot.

The three incumbents are running, but there is a possibility that three new trustees could be elected. A new majority on the board could reverse the trustees' January decision to dismiss Jenkins - but if Minckler accepted a contract first, the contract would be binding.

Community members also want to wait for the outcome of a hearing scheduled Wednesday when the board will hear the results of an investigation into alleged "inappropriate behavior" by Jenkins toward a student.

The board, however, said that this is the time of year when school boards are offering contracts to superintendents and principals. If the board doesn't act now, Minckler could accept another position or renew her current contract, trustees said.

"We have to move quickly so we don't lose our first - or our top three - candidates," Gillespie said.

Trustees anticipate a quick response from Minckler. If she accepts the offer, her contract will begin July 1.

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com