Trio to visit candidate's job site

Libby School Board members are going to visit Thom Peck’s job site in Charlo.

Concern over sealed documents put off a decision Monday night of a successor to K.W. Maki as superintendent of the Libby School District.

 Libby School Board members will travel to Charlo on Wednesday to meet with Peck’s co-workers before making a decision on a superintendent candidate. Peck emerged as the top choice of the board, outdistancing runner-up Scott Beagle by two votes in the board’s poll.

“I think the board is just trying to make the best decision,” said Board President Ellen Johnston.

Board members Lori Benson, Melissa LaGoy and Bruce Sickler will journey to Charlo to meet with Charlo district employees who work with Peck. Upon their return, the board will convene late Thursday afternoon to discuss the trio’s findings. The vote to do the site visit was unanimous of the entire school board.

“A site visit has always been on our radar screen,” Sickler said. “I think the issues have been pretty well explained, but if we get there and something comes out of the woodwork, we’ll know.”

“I welcome a visit,” Peck said Monday night.

Peck outdistanced other finalists Larry Markuson, Judy McKay and Beagle as the board’s top choice. The board discussed the candidates during Friday’s open session after McKay’s interview that followed those of Markuson, Beagle and Peck.

The decision to delay a vote on superintendent did not sit well with some.

Retired Libby Middle School Principal Dave Stephenson chastised the board, saying a delay is unfair to the candidates.

“I think it’s a disservice to the candidates and the district to wait,” Stephenson said.

Still, the board members were weighing the decision.

“I think it’d be prudent,” Board member John Carlson said of a site visit.

The board started leaning toward Peck on Friday after the fourth and final interview. Board members assessed each applicant clearly eliminating Markuson. Markuson currently is a superintendent in the Augusta district, one of two with superintendent experience. While praised, Beagle, who was the principal at Asa Wood before it closed and is now an administrator at Libby Elementary, does not have superintendent credentials.

“I like him, but I don’t think he’s our guy,” Sickler said of Markuson.

Assessing Beagle, board members thanked him for his interest in the position and his role in the community, but most agreed he does not meet the qualifications of other candidates.

“(Beagle) came off strong,” Board member Les Nelson said. “(But) I have concerns that he’s not ready for a district this size.”

As for McKay, during her interview, she referred to the superintendent with the pronoun, “He.”

“He would …,” McKay said when asked how she would handle district policies. It was that reluctance to see herself in that position that concerned most board members.

“(McKay) was very personable,” Benson said. “She has vast experience. But I have concerns because I don’t think she sees herself in that role.”

McKay, who is working on her superintendent licensure, does not currently have the certification. However, she said afterward that she would complete the certification by June 30, Maki’s last day on the job.

So, emerged Peck, who appeared to have the upper hand after the polling by board members. That was until Bob Vogel, of the Montana School Board Association, revealed background checks. Most all were glowing and so was that of Peck.

Still, Vogel reveal that Peck was asked to leave in the first semester of the 2008 school year as principal of Bigfork High School.

According to Peck, he butted heads with Bigfork Superintendent Russell Kinzer on three personnel issues and later a curriculum issue. Those series of confrontations, Peck said, included violations of the collective-bargaining agreements, nepotism in hiring practices and reluctance to renew a basketball coach’s contract that he recommended. The latter, he said, involved sons of board members not wanting the interim coach because board member parents feared their children would not play.

 “In the end, they paid me handsomely to go away,” Peck said, indicating the sealed departure documents included a 12-month gag order.

Kinzer, who now is back in the superintendent’s role at Bigfork after the departure of Dr. Cynthia Clary,  was not available for comment Monday.

Bigfork District Business Manager Eda Taylor said she could not comment and would not forward a phone number to Kinzer so he might be interviewed.

“He’s unavailable this evening,” Taylor said.

Upon the revelation Friday that Peck was asked to leave the Bigfork District, Nelson urged caution in judging too quickly.

“Hey, if he’s the kind of guy who stands up to the board for what he believes, he may be our kind of guy,” Nelson told Vogel on Friday.

Monday morning, Nelson said he felt that might have been the case.

“It just goes to show you can’t judge too quickly,” Nelson said.

Peck said six years ago he could not talk about it, but he can now.

“In the end, I challenged the superintendent and the board,” he said.

Since leaving the Bigfork District, Peck has been hired by Charlo as its superintendent and athletic director. He previously served as the 6-to-12 principal for the Three Forks School District. In addition to serving as principal for the Bigfork School District, he served as assistant principal and athletic director for the Hamilton School District. He earned his bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry from Carroll College. His master’s degree in education administration is from Seattle Pacific University.  He earned his superintendents endorsement from the University of Montana – Missoula.