Our View: Brockie's appointment is good all around

Cheers to the Blaine County Commissioners for the selection of Terry Brockie as the new Superintendent of Schools.

Brockie has displayed enthusiasm for educating young people and seems ready to move forward to further improve Blaine County schools.

Brockie is truly committed to education, He had no plans to teach as a career, but returned to college as an adult to get his degree at Montana State University-Billings.

He starts with a good base.

The county’s larger schools — Chinook, Harlem, Turner and Hays-Lodge Pole have a long tradition of quality education. The smaller schools in the county have also provided education for generations of students.

He seems particularly well suited to handle the problems at Hays-Lodge Pole, which has been beset with political problems in recent months. He has been a teacher at Hays-Lodge Pole for nine years, as well as having spent time at Aaniiih Nakoda College, also on Fort Belknap Indian Reservation.

Another asset Brockie brings to the table is his Native American culture,.

While Brockie has stressed his goal of working with all of the county’s schools, it is good to see Native Americans gaining more responsibility in Blaine County.

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, slightly more than half of Blaine County’s population is Native American, yet natives are underrepresented in county government. Commissioner Chair Delores Plumage is the only Native American elected official.

Native Americans have a lot to offer the county, and it’s good to see the county begin to realize that.