Somers-Lakeside School District hires new superintendent

Alexander Ator is set to replace retiring Somers-Lakeside School District Superintendent Joe Price. 

Price has served as superintendent since 2016 and spent 45 years in education. His last day will be June 30. Price said he is looking forward to retirement, but there are things he will miss, like welcoming students to school, he said.  

 “The best part of my day, every day, is greeting kids when they get off the bus every morning,” Price said. 

During his tenure, Somers-Lakeside voters approved a $15.8 million bond in 2017 that ultimately funded construction of a new middle school, which opened in 2020. 

The decision to offer Ator the superintendent position was unanimous at a Feb. 12 school board meeting. Ator accepted a two-year contract with a $120,00 salary following negotiations held during a Feb. 20 meeting. A final contract will go before the board for ratification at an upcoming meeting. 

“This acceptance marks an important milestone in a thoughtful and competitive hiring process facilitated on behalf of Somers by the Montana School Boards Association,” Somers-Lakeside Board Chair Kimberly Eisenlohr said.  

Two other candidates considered for the position were Brandy Carlenzoli, superintendent and principal of Fair-Mont-Egan School, and Cheryl Peterson, an administrator from North Dakota 

“The board was fortunate to receive an experienced field of applicants for this position," Eisenlohr said.  

“Somers conducted this superintendent search during public meetings and welcomed numerous public comments from staff, parents and citizens before making its decision.  Mr. Ator rose to the top of the field by reason of his prior service to Roberts School District in Montana, as well as his qualifications,” Eisenlohr added. 

Ator will finish the school year as superintendent and principal of Roberts Public School in Roberts, which has an enrollment of around 125 kindergartners through 12th graders. For comparison, Somers-Lakeside School District has an enrollment of about 531 kindergartners through eighth graders. 

Prior to his position at Roberts Public School, Ator was the junior high and high school principal at Shields Valley Public Schools in Clyde Park. 

He attended Montana State University and holds a Master of Education in educational leadership degree and a Bachelor of Science in math education. 

“For me the goals and priorities are really going to be set by conversations I have with local stakeholders, the school board and outgoing superintendent Mr. Price,” Ator said, noting that his aim is to ensure collective goals and values align with the district’s. 

With their oldest child starting kindergarten, Ator said his family was looking to relocate to a place with a “strong sense of community” that had plenty of outdoor recreational activities and was more centrally located to their relatives. 

“My wife and I are very humbled at the opportunity to start the next chapter of our lives in a community we will be very happy in,” he said. 

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