Board discusses leadership changes

SWAN VALLEY – The Swan Valley School Board approved a contract amendment with Seeley Lake Elementary to continue several necessary services at their regular meeting July 9. They also tabled a contract for principal submitted by Chris Stout, recently resigned superintendent from SLE who also served as the administrator for Swan Valley Elementary for the past several years.

The Board was presented with an amended contract from the SLE School Board that removed the administrator services but continued to provide special education, counseling, district clerk, business manager and reporting functions without change or interruption. With the administrator position removed the contract was reduced from $42,000 to $25,000.

District Clerk Heather Mincey said the SLE board is interested in continuing the contract with Swan Valley School since it benefits both schools. Janina Bradley is the new special education teacher hired at SLE and there will be another 0.2 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) position geared towards upper grades. Mincey said both positions will be available to Swan Valley School through the contract.

The board’s main concern with eliminating the administrator from the contract was a loss of communication of Swan Valley’s needs. However after further discussion, they agreed that because of Mincey’s history and connection between both schools, she could fill the communication gap.

The Board unanimously approved the amended contract with SLE for $25,000.

Since SLE has been providing the administrator, Swan Valley School is currently without leadership. The board discussed four options to fill this void: rehire past administrator Chris Stout as an independent contractor; go with the administrator SLE chooses through their hiring process; utilize Missoula County Superintendent of Schools Erin Lipkind; or start their own search.

Stout, acting as an independent contractor with Outside Productions/Consulting, presented the board with a contract for $17,000 to provide administrative services to Swan Valley Elementary School from July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020. This contract works out to 0.2 FTE or one day a week. Stout has been the administrator for Swan Valley School since the fall of 2012.

Board trustee Jimmy Boyd said that he had heard from the staff that under Stout’s leadership things were going well. Since last year was a transitional year after dissolving the supervising teacher position, having an onsite administrator was helpful especially during staff meetings and there was a lot of forward momentum that he didn’t want to see lost.

Boyd asked the teachers present at the meeting their thoughts. All agreed that having an on-site administrator was very important. Working remotely with an administrator would diminish relationships, especially if it was someone new to the Swan Valley School.

Preschool teacher Danni Parcell said she felt Stout was an excellent principal and worked well with the staff. She would hate to lose that.

Of the more than a dozen public in attendance, no one spoke in favor of rehiring Stout for the position. While many acknowledged that he did a lot for the teachers, he wasn’t a good fit for the parents or the students because of his lack of professionalism, lack of communication with parents, unwillingness to address issues and was not a poor role model.

The board unanimously voted to table the contract with Stout.

A second option is the Swan Valley School could utilize SLE’s superintendent. Mincey said that the SLE board is offering a one year contract for the superintendent position for between $88,000-$95,000. The position closes July 19 and the board is screening applicants July 22 in a closed session. They hope to have someone in place by Aug. 15. By law, SLE has to hire a superintendent, they cannot rely on Lipkind to serve as the superintendent throughout the year. She said if the Swan Valley School Board decides to go with SLE again, the SLE board would make that a condition of hire in the superintendent’s contract.

Swan Valley Board Chair John Mercer questioned if the Swan Valley Board would have input on hiring the new SLE administrator. Mincey said since the board is involved she thought the meetings would be open. Mercer said he would like to have a conversation with the candidate to let them know what was needed in the Swan.

Junior high teacher Colleen Harrington voiced her concern that a new superintendent at SLE may be overwhelmed with their new position and the Swan could be shorted.

A third option is Lipkind could fulfill the legal requirement for Swan Valley School’s Administrator. Mercer said she is very knowledgeable about the reporting requirements and she would not cost the District anything. However, in his past conversations with her, her schedule doesn’t allow for her to be onsite at the school one day a week. Mercer said he would talk to Lipkind to see what she can provide especially regarding interacting with the staff and providing leadership through the transition.

Following the meeting in a post on the Swan Valley School Facebook page, Mercer addressed the staff, parents and friends of Swan Valley Elementary School about changes following the July 9 meeting.

Stout contacted Mercer on July 12 and withdrew from any further involvement in any capacity with Swan Valley Elementary School. He wrote that Lipkind will fill Swan Valley School’s immediate needs for an administrator.

“While her involvement satisfies our legal requirements for a licensed administrator, she will not be able to provide the onsite supervision and support that our hard working teachers and staff deserve over the school year,” wrote Mercer.

Mercer asked teachers to describe the crucial administrative support function and on-site supervisory presence they need. This will be used to form the “ideal profile” for evaluating candidates. Mercer is working with Lipkind to develop several different scenarios and identify potential candidates for the Board to consider to fill those needs.

Questions or concerns can be left with Katie Gleason at the school or emailed to Mercer at jmercer@swanvalleyelementaryschool.com

The next scheduled meeting will be a strategic planning meeting Tuesday, Aug. 6 from 1 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. with the business meeting following at 7 p.m.