Superintendent search begins

The search is on for a new Kalispell Public Schools superintendent.

District trustees recently hired the Montana School Boards Association to conduct the superintendent search. The association helped the district hire current Superintendent Darlene Schottle 10 years ago.

Schottle is stepping down June 30, 2014, at the end of the school year.

The association was contracted for $7,500, plus all expenses, for four on-site visits. The association will consult with the board, advertise the position, screen applicants, assist with interviews, help develop a contract and provide legal counsel, among other duties.

A total of $20,000 has been allocated in the 2013-14 budget for the superintendent search.

“Our goal is to know who our new superintendent will be for the 2014-2015 school year by no later than the end of January,” board chairman Frank Miller said in a press release. 

In a June interview, Schottle said she didn’t plan to take another superintendent position but instead transition into retirement by seeking a consulting position or part-time job.

Schottle’s advice to the board of trustees is to be a unified group with a clear mission throughout the search process.

At a board meeting Sept. 10, trustees discussed extensively how to conduct the search and reviewed past procedures that led to Schottle’s hiring.

The superintendent of Kalispell Public Schools is responsible for more than 690 employees. In 2012-13, enrollment for the growing district was 6,208 students.

After reviewing a 2012-13 salary chart of other AA school districts compiled by the Montana School Boards Association, trustees reached a consensus to offer a base salary of $125,000 — depending on experience — to remain competitive.

One comparable school district is Bozeman with a 2012-13 enrollment of 5,786 students. The Bozeman superintendent had a salary and benefit package of $138,375 for the 2012-13 school year.

Schottle’s current salary, including benefits, is $122,858.

Trustees plan to once again involve community, staff, administrators, students and partner school districts in the search through focus groups and surveys.

Once an applicant is chosen to fill the superintendent position, Schottle said the hope is he or she will participate in filling the human resources director position vacated by Karen Glasser.  

Schottle said the district didn’t find a qualified candidate to replace Glasser. A total of $98,000 was set aside to pay wages and benefits in the 2013-14 budget.

The position will be temporarily covered internally and with help from consultants for approximately $85,000.

For more information about the superintendent search, contact Montana School Boards Association consultant Joe Brott at (406) 442-2180.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.