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Candidates for School Superintendent meet the
public |
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May 27, 2015 |
Two new candidates are being considered for the
superintendent of Boundary County School
District 101, and both spent their day last
Friday in interviews and meetings with District
administration and personnel. The day ended in
the evening with both candidates being
introduced to the public, where they presented
information about themselves and took questions
from the audience.
The latest candidates under consideration are
James Pannell and Gary Pflueger. Each in turn
took about half an hour to present themselves to
the assembled public audience and to answer
questions.
James Pannell: Mr. Pannell took the floor first,
gave some of his personal background, then took
questions from the audience.
He started by saying he had previously lived in
Boundary County a few years ago, and during part
of his time here he worked at Boulder Creek
Academy. He has worked as a principal, and most
recently served as acting superintendent for
Idaho's school district #709. District #709 is
unique in that it is a school district within an
agency of state government, that being within
the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections.
District #709 is operated by Juvenile
Corrections, serving students who are
incarcerated. Mr. Pannell said that at any given
time there could be up to 6,000 students within
the district, scattered throughout the state.
He has a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary
Education, also a Bachelor's Degree in Special
Education. He has a Master's Degree in Education
Leadership.
He was asked his position on maintaining arts
programs within the schools. Mr. Pannell replied
that he is an "advocate of fine arts," and would
support such programs.
Another questioner pointed out that many
potential students within the district are being
schooled in alternative settings, and was asked
how he would attract those students back to the
public district. Mr. Pannell indicated the first
step is to find out why those students choose
not to attend public schools. He suggested
several reasons why students would not attend
public schools, including the perception of the
level of education within the district, test
scores, whether those students feel comfortable
in public schools, and others, but the problem
must be addressed by first discovering why those
students have left.
Asked his opinion on recent education-related
legislation passed in Idaho, he mentioned the
tiered licensure program recently passed by the
legislation and rules on teacher's pay as both
generally being positive things in education.
When asked how a typical day would go for him as
superintendent, Mr. Pannell replied that he
would be in the school buildings when he could.
He stated it would be important to build
relationships within the district. "You can't
build relationships sitting in an office," he
said.
He was asked how he would handle situations like
bomb threats at the schools. "Safety and
security is the number one priority." He also
said that "There need to be stringent
repercussions for that; students need to go to
the prosecutor for that."
Mr. Pannell was asked for his ideas on retaining
teachers. He stated that data show the first
thing teachers look for in their job is not
necessarily pay, but they want to be appreciated
for the work they do. He felt that working with
teachers, showing appreciation, being present at
the work sites, andunderstanding the situations
of the teachers would be important in helping to
retain teachers.
"What is it that brings you back to Boundary
County," he was asked. "I've always wanted an
administrative position in the district," he
replied. To accomplish that, he has been away
and has gained valuable experience in other
settings, including experience in education
policy, working in legislative issues, funding,
and others. "Coming back is like coming back
home." He plans to retire eventually in Boundary
County regardless of the outcome of the district
hiring decision. "This is my home, and I want to
help kids.
Next up was the other candidate, Gary Pflueger.
Gary Pflueger: He grew up in Seattle, attended a
Catholic school, and later graduated from a
public high school. He graduated from college at
the University of Idaho. "The reason I went to
school," he said, "was for swimming and water
polo." He feels strongly that we need to find a
"hook" for kids, something along with education
to help keep them in school.
His first teaching job was at Marsh Valley in
southern Idaho. He first worked in Special
Education. Following that he worked in a school
in Nampa and later a school in Pennsylvania. His
first administrative position was in Pocatello,
Idaho at St. Anthony's Catholic School. At the
time of his hiring there, there were concerns
the school would be closing due to declining
enrollment. He was able to help reverse that,
"and the school is going strong right now."
He stated he is a believer in school choice, as
long as it can be afforded.
He raised his family in Salmon, Idaho, and later
took a teaching job in the San Juan Islands of
Washington.
Four years ago he began working as principal at
Valley View Elementary in Bonners Ferry, where
he continues to work. He has enjoyed his time
working at Valley View.
Mr. Pflueger stated his belief that teachers are
the heroes of an educational program. Some
teachers, he has found, are not up to the job.
They need to be given training, and if that
doesn't work they need to be removed. He
indicated he believes in "Kids First" in
education, and that this is more than just a
slogan.
He stated that his emphasis as superintendent
would be focusing on two groups: the
kindergarten through third grade ages, getting
them ready to continue and to succeed in school,
and getting them ready for the educational
process; the other important group is the high
school age students. He again mentioned the need
for a "hook" to help keep students interested in
school, such as the welding program, auto
mechanics, drama, music, and other areas where
students might have an interest.
He outlined his thoughts on the use of grants to
help with funding in the school district.
He mentioned his thoughts on possible dual
enrollment, offering some of the district's
expertise and resources to home-schooled
students, allowing them to participate in some
classes or other activities. He thought that
released time classes to allow students to
participate in religious instruction in their
churches during the day, might help to attract
some students whose families otherwise may not
want to participate in public schools.
He was asked how to rally the community and get
them more involved in the district and in
education. He stated the school board is doing a
good job now in making district meetings and
information more open and available to the
public. He has seen a lot of volunteer
involvement in his work at Valley View School,
and suggested that having more volunteers at the
Junior High and the High School might be
helpful.
Regarding behavioral issues in the schools, Mr.
Pflueger stated that even though the elementary
schools, the Middle School, and the High School
may be different environments, "behavioral
expectations don't change for any age group."
What he would expect from a kindergartner or a
fifth grader would be no different that what he
would expect from a high school student. That
would have to be set forth in a clear way that
all students and teachers understood.
Asked what his typical day as administrator
would be, he replied, "I'd have to go see the
kids." He realizes that administrative duties
would take up much of his time, but he would
like to spend time as possible with the
students.
On testing and evaluating teachers, he stated
"Teachers are given two responsibilities. One is
to teach the curriculum. That can be measured by
test scores, or whatever measures you want to
use. The other responsibility is helping the
students manage their behavior."
Asked for his thoughts on the outlying
elementary schools, and on whether they should
be continued, he repeated his philosophy that
school choice is good, if it can be afforded. If
budgets decline and enrollments decrease,
looking at keeping the outlying schools open
needs to be examined. The cost of the programs
needs to be closely examined, and how much of
the resources of the county are being used to
keep those schools open. "It needs to be talked
about, it needs to be discussed," if budgets and
resources make it an issue.
The School Board will meet today to further
discuss the Superintendent position and the
possibility of making a hiring choice.
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