Whitefish School District Seeks Public’s Feedback as it Continues with Superintendent Search
The consultant helping the district with the search visited Whitefish Wednesday to meet with parents, students and staff members. Those who couldn’t attend can fill out a virtual survey to provide their thoughts.
By Mariah Thomas
What are the great things happening in the Whitefish community? What are the challenges facing the Whitefish School District that a new superintendent will need to be aware of? And what are the characteristics, traits and qualities a new school superintendent will need to be successful here?
Shar Johns, a consultant with McPherson & Jacobson, the search firm helping Whitefish School District select its next superintendent, posed those questions to parents, students and staff alike throughout the day Wednesday.
Their feedback, Johns told parents at a community meeting Wednesday morning, will help the district find a superintendent who’s the right fit. The district’s search for a superintendent follows Dave Means’ November announcement that he’d be retiring from the position at the school year’s end.
Parents in attendance at the meeting listed several attributes they hope a new superintendent will have. Of top priority: personability, communication and offering a listening ear. Unanimously, parents in the room stressed they want a superintendent who will take a neutral approach, rather than entering the district with any type of political or religious agenda.
Since COVID, concerns about politics in the classroom have been on the rise. Since, many states — including Montana — have regulated what topics schools can and cannot teach, particularly around LGBTQ+ topics and race. And in a 2022 survey, 48% of principals and 40% of teachers responded that political issues and opinions intruding into their professions was a job-related stressor.
Community members present said Whitefish is home to people with a broad swath of opinions and backgrounds. They hope the superintendent selected in the search will enter the position with an open mind.
Johns said the application for the superintendency will remain open through Jan. 29. Whitefish Schools have already received around 15 applications for the position, of which Johns said there are “a couple” who she thinks will be viable candidates after going through screening phone calls. She added several other potential candidates have called her to speak directly about the position in anticipation of applying.
Johns said she’ll present candidates to the board in February. The board will choose finalists from there, and board members hope to interview finalists the first week of March. The information Johns gathered Wednesday will be reported to the board. It will also be posted on the district website and alongside the job application, so that candidates can consider it as they apply. As the board considers finalists, the public will have more chances to weigh in.
“One of the things that’s very important when we’re looking for superintendents is not just that somebody checks the boxes of being qualified, but that they are also a good fit for the community,” Johns said. “So that’s the most important thing that we’re looking for. And that’s what today is all about, is making sure that I have a good handle on what the community needs are so that we’re making sure that we’re matching the best qualified candidate and the best fit for this district.”
To further facilitate a chance for input, the questions Johns asked attendees at the community meetings Wednesday are available in a virtual survey. Those interested in providing feedback can take the survey by visiting the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YBWPDWW.