Seeley-Swan graduate named Montana's Superintendent of the Year

BILLINGS - Les Meyer, Superintendent of Fairfield Public Schools, was selected as the 2019 Superintendent of the Year for Montana and was honored at the annual Montana Conference of Education Leadership (MCEL) held in Billings this past October. Meyer graduated from Seeley-Swan High School in 1988 and started his educational career in Fairfield.

Meyer grew up at Salmon Prairie with his parents Dixie and Neil Meyer and two sisters Pam and Gerri. Meyer said he was raised to go to work every day and he learned the value of hard work from his parents.

"If you want to make it in the Seeley-Swan Valley, there is an degree of toughness," said Meyer. "People make a business work by falling back on grit, toughness and the confidence to step out of the box."

Meyer graduated from eighth grade from the one-room Salmon Prairie School in 1984. Coming from a logging family, Meyer was encouraged to go to college following his graduation from SSHS since the future of logging was uncertain.

"I'm very thankful for mom and dad," said Meyer. "Myself, my sisters or our kids wouldn't be where we are without their support."

Meyer graduated from Rocky Mountain College in Billings in 1993 where he also played football. He received his Master's degree from St. Cloud State University in Minnesota in the mid-1990s.

Meyer said moving to St. Cloud from small-town Montana was really stepping out of his and his wife Jolyn's comfort zones. However he thought the experience helped prepare them for a life in education.

Fairfield Public Schools hired Meyer as an English teacher in 1997. Soon he became the athletic director and Fairfield's football coach. In 2002 he was hired as the 7th -12th grade principal. Meyer has served as the Superintendent at Fairfield Public Schools since 2012.

Under Meyer's leadership, Fairfield Public Schools began an early kindergarten program with a certified teacher. The district more than doubled its target number of students enrolled in the early kindergarten program and the program has been a success. Fairfield Public Schools also earned several other academic accomplishments. The school district had the top ACT score in math in the state of Montana for the 2016-2017 school year and the top five composite score for Montana for the 2017-2018 school year. The elementary school was just awarded the prestigious Blue Ribbon status by the U.S. Department of Education. Meyer believes these academic accomplishments are due to the collegial nature of the staff.

Meyer received the Montana Association of Student Council Administrator of the Year Award (2012), The Montana Association of Secondary School Principals of the Year Award (2010), Fairfield Public School Teacher of the Year Award (2000), and the Montana Coaches Association Football Coach of the Year (three years most recently in 2018).

"In the end you put your nose down and work at things. One day you look up and you have been doing it for 20 some plus years," said Meyer and laughed. "There might be some accolades or accomplishments along the way."

Meyer's mother Dixie said it is an honor to have the Montana Superintendent of the Year come from such a small school.

"He's a down-to-earth coach, teacher and superintendent," said Dixie. "He has had so many kids tell him that he was such an example and they really appreciated him."

Meyer is grateful for the support that he has received from his wife Jolyn and his two sons Tucker and Ryder. The Meyers feel fortunate to have been a part of the Fairfield community for the past 22 years.

"It is a team deal - the community, students, staff members, parents, my family - everybody is all in it together," said Meyer. "We have a school that has been very successful academically and athletically. All of those things combined, I guess someone gets recognized. In this case it was a superintendent of the year award but I think it is really an award in recognition of our school and our community."

The Montana Association of School Superintendents (MASS), in collaboration with AASA, annually recognizes and rewards the outstanding leadership of school superintendents. This program seeks to honor those strong Montana school district leaders who work successfully with their entire learning communities to provide the highest quality education that is possible. 

Now in its 33rd year, the National Superintendent of the Year program, sponsored by ARAMARK Education, VALIC and AASA, pays tribute to the talent and vision of the men and women who lead the nation's public schools. Meyer is eligible for the National Superintendent of the Year Award and will be honored at the AASA National Conference on Education in San Diego in February 2020.