Board looks at options for filling Flathead High principal position

Kalispell Public Schools Board of Trustees has decided to review a few options in the second go around of selecting a new Flathead High School principal after its first selection, John Blackman, decided to step down amid plagiarism allegations.

The pressure is on to name a replacement considering the upcoming school year is around the corner with the first day on Aug. 30.

Blackman was slated to assume principal duties July 1, replacing current principal Peter Fusaro, whose contract officially ends June 30. Fusaro resigned in May to take a position at Flathead Valley Community College.

Before trustees provided direction for the district Tuesday, Flathead assistant principals Michele Paine and Bryce Wilson addressed the board, expressing frustration with the hiring process that involved a 16-person committee of staff, parents, administrators and trustees.

Paine was one of four finalists interviewed for the principal position that included Blackman; Tres Genger, a high school principal in Washington; and Peter Hamilton Sr., a high school principal in Cut Bank.

Following Blackman’s decision to rescind his letter of intent, the hiring team unanimously decided to offer the position to Genger who was the second choice for the position according to Flatau. Genger, however, did not accept the position.

“I feel that I am a viable candidate and I will speak on behalf of the three assistant principals that it appears as though we are not being construed as viable candidates to provide leadership in our building and that is disheartening,” Paine said. “And I guess — not to go into further specifics — there were things said to us before the application process and things that happened during the deliberations that were unfair and put us in this situation that we are in.”

Wilson echoed a similar sentiment of feeling overlooked to step in for the interim considering the years of service each administrator had in the district.

“That’s a morale factor that really affects the whole school,” Wilson said.

Wilson also spoke to his frustration with not being asked for input on the process following Fusaro’s resignation.

“Throughout the process I’ve had to reach out,” Wilson said.

Prior to the two assistant principals addressing the board, Sue Brown, who retired this year after teaching for 40 years at Flathead, spoke to the capabilities of the current leadership. Brown referred to the administrative staff as “amazing,” and a “strong core group.”

“The three assistant principals that we’ve had the opportunity to work with at Flathead have been incredibly well respected statewide, and have been super supportive in every way that you could imagine for all of us who have had the privilege to serve on the staff,” Brown said.

Following public input, trustees debated advantages of searching for an interim from within versus outside district staff until the position can be posted again in January.

“To bring in an interim person is really difficult because you’ve got to find somebody that can work with the people that are currently there and that’s critical because they are going to have to rely on those people to help them be successful,” trustee Frank Miller said.

Trustee Mary Tepas agreed and thought sharing duties among the current assistant principals was a possibility.

“I personally don’t think bringing someone from the outside is the prudent thing to do in this situation. We have a strong team in Flathead High School. The three assistant principals are strong. They are well liked. They are well known. They know all the students. They know how everything works in that school,” Tepas said.

The caveat with an interim principal is that in the past, interim agreements have specified the person could not apply for the permanent position out of concern that it would limit the pool of applicants, according to Miller and trustee Jack Fallon.

“We wanted to make sure the pool of applicants be strong and open across the board [that] just because you have an interim doesn’t make them an automatic shoe-in,” Fallon said about a past situation involving an interim administrator.

Trustee Mary Ruby wanted to see a document weighing the options before voicing an opinion. Ultimately, the trustees directed district administrators to outline the pros and cons of seeking an interim principal either in-house or outside the district, or distribute responsibilities in a shared leadership role to review at a July board meeting.

“I think that will give us a good clear path,” Ruby said.

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