Finalists to interview for Flathead principal job
Four finalists have been selected to interview for the Flathead High School principal position Wednesday followed by an invitation for the public to meet the candidates in the evening.
Candidates for the principal position are as follows: Chad Bourgeois, principal at Buffalo High School in Wyoming; Tres Genger, principal at Lindbergh High School in Renton, Washington; Robert Macauley, former principal at Glencoe High School in Oregon; and Michele Paine, interim principal at Flathead High School.
In addition to a formal interview on Wednesday, candidates will tour the district.
Paine has been serving as interim principal at Flathead since July 2017. Her role as interim will end June 30.
Paine and Genger were among four finalists initially interviewed for the principal position in May 2017 following the resignation of Peter Fusaro, who accepted a position at Flathead Valley Community College.
The school district’s first selection to replace Fusaro, rescinded his acceptance of the position amid plagiarism allegations involving his acceptance letter. A district hiring team then offered the position to Genger, who was their second choice, but he ultimately did not accept the position.
After deliberating different options on how to fill the vacancy, the Kalispell Public Schools board of trustees named Paine interim principal. She moved up from her position as assistant principal.
A meet-and-greet event is planned to introduce the principal candidates to the public at 4 p.m. Wednesday in the second floor of the Flathead High School library. Candidates will introduce themselves followed by an opportunity for attendees to ask questions and fill out feedback forms.
A finalist is expected to be announced March 5 with the recommendation going before the board March 20.
The following is more detailed information about the candidates according to information provided by Kalispell Public Schools:
- Chad Bourgeois is the principal of Buffalo High School in Buffalo, Wyoming, a position he has held since 2009. Bourgeois previously served as co-principal at White Mountain Elementary in Wyoming in 2008. He began his career in the classroom as a social studies teacher in Clear Creek Middle School in Wyoming in 2003.
Bourgeois received a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in social studies education from the University of Minnesota. He also holds a K-12 principal licensure from University of Wyoming.
- Tres Genger has served as principal at Lindbergh High School in Renton, Washington, since 2002.
Genger has been in high school administration since 1993, serving as an assistant principal and activities director at Hamilton High School in Hamilton, and in Washington, in assistant principal positions at Sammamish High School and Thomas Jefferson High School. He began his career in the classroom in 1977 in Box Elder, Montana. During his tenure he has served as a teacher, coach and driver’s education instructor.
Genger earned a Bachelor of Science degree in secondary education with a double major in physical education and business education from Western Montana College in Dillon. He holds a master’s and administrative endorsement from the University of Montana.
- Robert Macauley is a former principal of Glencoe High School in Hillsboro, Oregon, where he worked from 2011 to 2015. He relocated to Montana and lives in Somers with his family.
In 1998, he became assistant principal at Sisters Middle School in Oregon and took the principal position at Sisters High School in 2002. Macauley began his education career in 1981 at Kuna Middle School in Idaho and eventually took a teaching and athletic director position at Gaston Middle and High School in Oregon. He would go on to become a humanities teacher at Sisters Middle School.
Macauley received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Boise State University and a masters degree in education administration from Portland State University.
- Michele Paine is serving as interim principal at Flathead High School for the 2017-18 school year.
Paine joined Kalispell Public Schools in 1998 as a Title 1 reading and English tutor at the Kalispell Junior High and then served as a reading intervention teacher at Flathead. In 2005, Paine became the kindergarten through 12th-grade language arts facilitator for the district — returning to Flathead as assistant principal in 2011. Paine began her career in the classroom in 1994 as a language arts, reading and art teacher at Kennedy Junior High School in Utah.
Paine received her bachelor’s degree in English and her teaching certification from the University of Washington. She holds a Master of Education in curriculum instruction from Montana State University and her K-12 principal certification from the University of Montana.
Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.