Mueller appointed as Havre Public Schools superintendent

The Havre Public Schools Board of Trustees unanimously voted at a meeting Tuesday night to offer the position of HPS Superintendent to current Interim Superintendent Craig Mueller on a three-year contract.

Mueller and Capital High School Principal Brett Zanto were both interviewed for the position at the meeting and the consensus among the trustees was that both candidates were not only qualified for the position but performed admirably in their interviews, but Mueller's experience as interim superintendent at HPS gave him and edge over Zanto.

Long-time Superintendent Andy Carlson resigned in June of last year, and Mueller, then the assistant superintendent, accepted the position of interim superintendent effective July 1.

Mueller had previously expressed that he had no interest in the position, but he said he was asked to reconsider his decision recently and applied.

This initial refusal was a matter that was brought up by board Vice Chair Harvey Capellen, but he said it wasn't that big of an issue.

"I don't consider it a strike against him, but it is a concern," he said.

Many board members said Zanto did have the potential to bring new ideas and a new attitude to the district, but given the chaotic nature of the past year Mueller's experience and clearly demonstrated competence even in the uncharted waters of the COVID-19 pandemic might make him the more appropriate candidate.

Mueller thanked the board for the opportunity despite initially expressing his lack of interest earlier in the year.

The interviews

Zanto, a graduate of Montana State University and the principal at Helana Capital High School, introduced himself to the board as energetic and devoted educator who cares deeply for his job and the students he is in charge of.

He said he enjoys change and has no problem taking on a new challenge like he would as Havre's superintendent, but he said he does have experience living in northern Montana early in life which is an asset.

During the interview, he talked a lot about the Professional Learning Community, a method of encouraging collaboration between educators to better address student needs, he helped foster at Capital High School.

Zanto said as part of this program time was set aside each week for teachers to analyze student performance and come up with a plan to address their needs and help them succeed.

He said when he became principal his school had an unfortunately high remediation rate, with students needing to take extra classes to be accepted to college, especially writing classes.

He said in his time as principal he has been able to work with staff to virtually eliminate that number altogether. He said the school has also seen an increase in dual credit classes, and ACT scores have increased during his tenure as well.

When asked about how he would handle potential conflicts between his goals and that of faculty he recounted his desire to let students decorate their graduation caps, something he said many faculty members took offense to.

He said he wanted to allow students to express more individuality and it seemed like a reasonable change given how many other schools allowed the same thing seemingly without issue.

He said he worked with faculty as much as possible to come to an understanding, but eventually did put his foot down even though it hurts some feelings.

A bit more controversial, Zanto said, was the issue of COVID-19, which has thrown a significant wrench into the positive progress his school has made, brining with it a huge rise in failing grades and significant tension among staff.

He said re-opening was also a frustrating affair, trying to balance the legitimate concern of teachers for their health and safety with community pressure to re-open.

Despite the frustrations of the past year, he said, he has had some significant achievements in his time as prinicpal, recalling when an exceptional student being celebrated by the school for their academic excellence and extracurricular activities honored him has their most influential educator.

Zanto said this meant a lot to him, especially since he was a principal at the time and didn't have nearly as much contact with students as he would like.

He said his greatest weakness as an administrator is delegation, a result of overeagerness to solve every issue himself, which has caused issues in the past.

Director, Policy Services & Senior Counsel at the Montana School Boards Association Kris Goss, who helped direct the meeting, when reporting on Zanto's references said he'd heard much the same thing from them, but they indicated to him that Zanto's difficulty with delegation was a result of his exceptional work ethic more than anything else, and they highly recommended him anyway.

He said references also praised his dedication to facilitating student achievement, clear leadership and consistently effective teamwork, going on to say that he would be a loss for their district.

Mueller

Mueller, during his interview, talked about his past as an educator in northern Illinois where he coached various sports and was involved in his school's student congress program, as well as his eventual move to Havre.

He said he learned a great deal about working closely with faculty, staff and other school leaders in his time as Havre High School principal.

He said his experience being both principal and assistant superintendent at the same time was also quite and experience and he appreciates then-superintendent Carlson's guidance during that complicated time.

Mueller, throughout his interview, expressed his belief in the importance of maintaining open lines of communication between himself, HPS administrators, staff, the board and the community, especially during the pandemic.

Goss's reference report confirmed that a consistently identified strength of Mueller was excellent communication as well as professionalism, planning and vision.

Mueller also talked about the importance of tracking student achievement through the school system's Response to Intervention method, which helps educators identify students in need and respond appropriately to get them back on track.

He said it's important to track student performance through more than just final grades and test scores, but through a number of assessment tools in order to create programs to help every student.

Both Zanto and Mueller identified addressing the learning gap caused by the pandemic as the most pressing concern to Havre Public Schools at the moment.

Mueller said it's difficult for him to take credit for achievements at the schools because virtually all of them are ultimately a collaborative effort but he does think he has been able to make a difference in improving the schools' hiring procedures.

Goss said Mueller's references credited him with numerous significant achievements in his time at Havre Public Schools.

He said after the interviews were complete that neither candidate had any legal or ethical concerns brought up during their respective tenures and the testimony of their references were consistent with what they said in their respective interviews.

Goss said both candidates have faced controversy over response to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent school re-openings, but both handled the issue professionally in their capacities as interim superintendent and as principal.

The board determined that a committee would meet at a later date to work out the final details of Mueller's contract, including his salary which will be between $120,000 and $125,000.