The Missoula County Public Schools board offered its superintendent position to Micah Hill at its Tuesday meeting.
Hill, who is currently the superintendent at Kalispell Public Schools, was the lone finalist interviewed by the board from a pool of nine candidates after MCPS trustees opted to reopen their search last month.
"My opinion, was that Micah is a very positive person," said trustee Jeff Avgeris. "He's energetic, he's got a wide worldview, which will be of benefit to MCPS and I'm very much in support of him."
The trustees met in executive session for about an hour before coming to their decision.
Trustee Grace Decker moved to offer Hill the position, which was seconded by Vice Chair Arlene Walker-Andrews. The board unanimously approved the offer.
Board chair Wilena Old Person thanked Tracy Long, the district's executive administrative assistant, for her work and support during the search process.
Hill did not apply for the position during the initial search. He said he submitted an application after it reopened, with the encouragement from his three adult children who live in Missoula.
In his interview, Hill distributed a document to trustees outlining how he plans to move into the top spot with MCPS. His 90-day strategic plan focuses on building collaborative relationships with the district’s stakeholders, which include the board, administrative teams, employee associations, parents and community partners.
“Any superintendent would tell you that a transition plan is going to be key,” Hill said during his interview last week. “I know the position that Missoula is in as far as the search process and I want to hit the ground running. I think that’s an opportunity to maintain continuity.”
The school board unanimously voted to reopen its superintendent search after interviewing three finalists from a pool of 14 applicants in early February. None of those candidates have led a district the size of MCPS, whereas Hill has been the superintendent in Kalispell since 2020.
Prior to leading the district in Kalispell, Hill was a principal at Glacier High School for two years and an assistant principal for 11 years. Before that, he was a middle school administrator for five years and an English teacher and activities coach at Flathead High School.
The board picked the Nebraska-based consulting firm McPherson & Jacobson LLC to spearhead the search after former superintendent Rob Watson departed the district last summer to take on a new role as executive director of School Administrators of Montana. Russ Lodge, who previously was the district’s assistant superintendent, currently serves as interim superintendent.
