Candidates for School Superintendent meet the public

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.