Gibbs SLE's next superintendent

SEELEY LAKE – Josh Gibbs accepted a two-year contract to become Seeley Lake Elementary's superintendent. Seeley Lake Elementary School Board voted unanimously to offer the position to him at their March 11 meeting.

There were more than ten applicants for the superintendent position. After reviewing applications, the board chose six to interview. Jon Konen, Eric Larson and Josh Gibbs interviewed for the superintendent position March 1 after the other three had already accepted other positions.

The board deferred the decision until March 4 prior to which Konen accepted a job with Corvallis High School. The board voted unanimously to offer the position to Larson, who declined stating responsibilities to his extended family.

At their March 11 meeting, the board felt their options were to offer the position to Gibbs or re-open the position.

Trustee Todd Johnson said while he wasn't opposed to reopening the position, he was concerned since so many of the candidates they were interested in had accepted contracts already. Gibbs was in the top candidates from those that applied, he felt he interviewed well despite being a little nervous and he came from a small district and understood that he would need to wear a lot of hats. He said that it was a tough decision for him between Larson and Gibbs because they both had good qualities.

Trustee Gary Wayne liked a lot of assets about Gibbs. Wayne liked that Gibbs was progressive dealing with budget cuts, was researched yet not intimidated by some of the core issues at SLE and Gibbs was very involved in the classroom.

Wayne agreed with Johnson that it was tough decision between Larson and Gibbs and told a concerned member of the public, "I'm not settling for someone. I felt really good about Josh."

Chair Ryen Neudecker appreciated that Gibbs' references and the public comment following the meet and greet and the interviews were very positive.

A member of the public expressed their concern about his lack of experience and questioned how the board and staff was going to support him so he would be successful.

"I would hope that everyone - community, staff, everybody - gets behind whoever we hire," said Neudecker. "I feel good about that moving forward."

One of the teachers asked if a young superintendent was hired, what or who would the board put in place for mentoring.

Johnson said that is definitely something the board can discuss that includes short and long term goals and outline expectations.

Jody "Doc" Welter who is running for the two-year term school board, said he has 25 years in education and he is national certified in data teams and date driven assessments.

"I want to use my experience to help. I'm offering my services to mentor or provide some support," said Welter.

Welter asked the board if he would be able to serve on the board and be a mentor. They did not know the legal answer but appreciated him coming forward and offering his experience.

A community member proposed the idea of offering the position to Daniel Schrock and asking him to stay.

Neudecker reminded the individual that Schrock chose not to apply so he was not an applicant they could choose from. She said they were comfortable with the candidates they interviewed.

"Maybe Josh was not the number one choice but there are a lot of good qualities there that we have spoken of," said Neudecker. "If we didn't feel comfortable...then we would be going a different route."

The three board members voted unanimously to offer the position to Gibbs. He accepted the offer on Friday, March 13.

Background on Gibbs from his interview, March 1

When Gibbs was in elementary school, he said he was not the best student. He made it through high school but had no plans to go to college. When he graduated he had a really good welding job. He quickly realized that being a welder wasn't his forte. When he told his dad that he put his two weeks in his dad told him that he had two weeks to pack. He was quick to say he had signed up to attend community college.

Gibbs received his bachelor's degree in elementary education from Montana State – Northern. He taught at the elementary level in Cut Bank School District for five years. He was an assistance football coach, coached wrestling and served as the assistant technology director. He also stepped into an assistant principal role dealing with discipline matters, led assemblies and awards banquet. He realized he enjoyed the administrative side of education.

He completed his master's degree in educational leadership from Rocky Mountain College. He took his first superintendent position in Winnett K – 12 School District in 2018.

"I've learned that you wear all hats in the K-12 building," said Gibbs saying he would shovel snow, taught Math for two months and filled in as the clerk while people in those positions were out for an extended period of time. "You do everything in a small school and need to create a team with the staff and community to get the job done."

Gibbs thinks Seeley Lake is a beautiful place. The Outside Magazine designation of the best place to work planted the seed as a place he would like to teach or be an administrator. It would also move him closer to family.

"I have a couple kids coming up through school and this is a place I would like my kids to go to school," said Gibbs. "There are great activities they can be a part of, I like the small community and it is where I want to be."

Because he didn't apply himself to school as a child, Gibbs said he has a passion for students and gravitates towards those that don't fit the typical education mold. His goal is to be student-centered. He greets the students through the day, attends sporting events and supports other extracurricular activities. He tries to be in the classrooms at least once a week.

Gibbs feels it is the school's job to meet the needs for every student. The school does that through providing staff necessary training to do that and reminding them that the goal is to reach every student to meet their full potential and teach them a variety of things so they can adapt and overcome.

Gibbs said the school should be the pride of the town. He feels the superintendent should bring the school and community together, keep the board informed and up-to-date so they can make the best decisions, and provide the staff and teachers with the tools they need to do their job and do what is best for the kids to be successful.

Gibbs said he is very personable and likes to talk to students, staff and community members. He enjoys visiting with community members at social events outside of the school. He prefers face-to-face conversations, listening and then ultimately doing what is best for the school and the students.

Gibbs feels that his job is to connect the mission/vision of the school and connecting that to the budget. He said working with the clerk is very important. He understands the school's connection to the community and decisions the school makes has an impact on the community. That is why he tries to present the board with the best information possible and various options for tough budget cuts.

"The biggest thing is getting everyone on the same page that we can all get better," said Gibbs. "Working with the staff and the vision/mission statement and seeing where we are at, what is planned, how we want to do it and what is the best way for the situation."

Gibbs identifies SLE's biggest strength is their connection to the outdoors. He believes students need breaks to succeed academically. In Winnett they have physical education and music everyday.

Gibbs said it is obvious from the board minutes and social media that there is division in the Seeley Lake community and within the school.

"Working with that is just reminding everyone why we are here and work on becoming the pride of the community. We are all here for the same reason. We all need to get on the same page, trust each other and go that way," said Gibbs. "You have good staff members. You have beautiful facilities and a supportive community. If you can all come together and do what you can to be great again."