Evergreen’s Barron Honored as Montana’s Superintendent of the Year
This year marks the second time Barron has received the award, and she’ll represent Montana on the national level as she competes for the National Superintendent of the Year
By Mariah Thomas
Even after 30 years in education, Evergreen Superintendent Laurie Barron doesn’t ever dread coming to work.
“Our board of trustees is just fantastic — long term, stable,” Barron said. “You know, they really support the staff and students in this district, this community is incredible — the staff, students, parents. I just, I’m really fortunate to be in Evergreen, and I love this job.”
This year, the veteran educator has added another feather to her cap. She was named Montana’s Superintendent of the Year by the Montana Association of School Superintendents (MASS) during the annual Montana Conference of Educational Leadership in October. It’s the second time Barron has won that honor, which MASS bestows annually upon a school district leader.
Barron said each of MASS’s nine regions puts forward a superintendent for the honor. It was her peers in the northwest region who selected her to be the Regional Superintendent of the Year. Then, MASS chooses an honoree at the state level from among the nine regional winners. The state Superintendent of the Year represents Montana in the contest for National Superintendent of the Year.
“Dr. Barron exemplifies the Superintendent of the Year award, demonstrating visionary leadership and an unwavering commitment to students,” said Dr. Rob Watson, the executive director of the School Administrators of Montana, in a press release. “Her advocacy for inclusion, early learning and community engagement reflects the best of what Montana’s public education offers. Through her leadership, she has expanded opportunities and strengthened support for every child. We are proud to have Dr. Barron represent Montana at the national level.”
For Barron, the award doesn’t only recognize her achievements. Instead, she said she views it as a testament to the work her district has accomplished. Barron credited her staff with building an inclusive learning environment that benefits Evergreen’s students and families.
“It’s very humbling,” Barron said. “Any award that you ever win, any honor you ever receive is a direct reflection of the people who do the work with you. It can’t ever be an isolated honor. And so, for me, it’s very special and humbling that my peers in the northwest MASS region chose me to represent the great work happening in our region, because there’s great work happening in all the districts around here. But then, I think more specifically, it just is such an honor to see Evergreen recognized, you know, because it represents the great work that Evergreen School District is doing.”
Barron pointed to several of Evergreen’s achievements during her tenure as superintendent as examples of that great work. Among those achievements: earning $2.8 million in grant funding to support programs promoting wellness, safety and literacy; championing early literacy for students under age 5; and bringing on a liaison to help families connect with the services the district offers. She also heralded the district’s culture.
“I think in this district too, we work really hard that every single employee position — we have 121 positions in this district — and every one of them is equally valuable,” Barron said. “I don’t care what you do in this district. Whether you’re a teacher, a custodian, a food services employee, a para-professional, a secretary, our school resource officer, our mental health therapist, our business office, our administrative assistant — I mean, everybody is equally important in this district, and we work really hard to help people feel that way.”
In addition to leading her district, Barron also serves as the president of the northwest chapter of MASS. She said her region lost more district leaders than any other region this year. Five administrators resigned or retired at the end of the 2024-2025 academic year. Four served as the sole administrators in their respective school districts. That job poses a hefty burden, as lone administrators take on several roles at once.
To respond, Barron said the northwest MASS group now meets twice per month. It also implemented a series of “work sessions” for the new administrators. Those sessions focus on topics like personnel and board relations, evaluations and legal requirements for state audits. While the work sessions initially aimed to help new administrators better tackle their tasks, Barron said longtime administrators have joined in and attended the sessions.
“We want people to feel supported and choose to stay in this profession,” Barron said.
Barron will be recognized as Montana’s Superintendent of the Year during the American Association of School Administrators National Conference on Education in February, where AASA will also announce the National Superintendent of the Year.