In the wake of the departure of its third superintendent/principal in four years, the Boulder Elementary School board has elected to divide the leadership role into two separate positions in an attempt to relieve the administrative burden from a rapidly growing school population.
Doug Richards, who was hired as superintendent/principal in May, 2023, announced his resignation last month, citing unspecified personal reasons. That prompted the board to begin a search for his successor, which had yielded three finalists.
At a special meeting on Apr. 22, however, the board deferred a hiring decision, instead choosing to restructure the job. A candidate who has an existing relationship with the school has expressed interest in acting as part-time superintendent, according to the board. The board anticipates a formal application from the candidate, who has not been named, by Apr. 26, and hopes to include them in the hiring process for a new, full-time principal.
“We’re going to be patient here. By first creating and filling a superintendent role, we’ll be able to be more flexible in finding a long-term, viable candidate for principal,” said Boulder Elementary board vice-chair Matt Strozewski. The board will amend the present job description to reflect the change in responsibilities, and hope to expand its pool of potential candidates in time for the upcoming academic year.
“We’ll notify existing applicants that we’re leaving the position open, but that we’re still considering their candidacies,” said Boulder Elementary board chair Carrie Harris. Harris confirmed that the board will begin calling provided candidate recommendations, and is still open to hiring one of the three candidates interviewed last week. However, one candidate required a response from the board by April 29 due to a competing offer, and may have to remove themself from the hiring process now that the board has extended its search. This would reduce the board’s existing pool of potential candidates to two, and potentially place additional pressure on the school should it prove difficult to find new candidates.
According to Boulder Elementary board member Cheryl Hecht, the traditional hiring season for principals happens in March of the preceding academic year. Other leadership positions are then hired once the principal has been placed. Boulder Elementary has previously worked with the Montana School Board Association and private recruiters in order to source candidates beyond an open job posting, and will consider doing so again should additional applicants fail to present themselves.
“We’re not like Bozeman, where we’ll get 200 applicants for a single position,” said Hecht. “But this is a big job, in a growing school. We need to be careful in finding a good fit.” Boulder Elementary presently has 228 K-8 students enrolled, up from roughly 175 in 2018, and anticipates that number to increase over the next few years.
Richards told the board that, should it be unable to find a replacement in time for the upcoming academic year, he is open to remaining in the role. Hiring a part-time superintendent would greatly alleviate his existing administrative responsibilities, and allow him to more wholly focus on the school’s daily operation.
“I learned a long time ago to never say never,” said Richards on potentially extending his tenure as principal. “But I would advise whoever comes in here next to not lose sight of the fact that students and staff are the priority, and not any particular job. It’s about what we’re doing to serve our community correctly.”
