District awaits signature

All that remains for the Libby School District to have a new superintendent is a signature on a contract.

School board members unanimously voted Monday to e-mail the unaltered contract by either party to Craig Barringer for his awaiting pen. The board gave Barringer, 50, the superintendent of Conrad schools, until 5 p.m. March 19 to return the signed contract via the U.S. Postal Service.

“I sent the contract to Craig, and he sent it right back with no requests or changes,” Board President Ellen Johnston said. “Basically, there are no changes in it from what we talked about.”

Barringer received a two-year contact offer with a base salary of $98,000 for a 261-day school year. He will earn $375.48 per day, the contract states.

Contacted while the board was still meeting Monday, Barringer said he would return the contract the day he receives it.

“I’ll sign it as soon as I get it,” Barringer said. “I’ve already read it, and I’m looking forward to get it back to them.”  

Barringer has been a superintendent for three years, coming up through the Conrad school system where he was a teacher and principal before ascending to the district’s top educator’s post.

 “I was very impressed with what I saw in Libby,” Barringer said. “I’m anxious to get started.”

Barringer is the last of nine original superintendent candidates submitted to the Libby School Board. When among five finalists, Barringer withdrew his application, as he was also considered for two other superintendent positions in Columbia Falls and Corvallis. Those interview processes were taking too much of his time, he said. When those positions in Corvallis and Columbia Falls did not pan out, Barringer contacted the Montana School Boards Association and asked to be reconsidered for the Libby post, a decision that was unanimously welcomed by the board.

Other finalists included Libby Elementary School Assistant Principal Scott Beagle, Thom Peck, Judith McKay and Larry Markuson.

 Barringer would become the 13th superintendent of Libby Schools dating back to, J.S. Pitts in 1918. He succeeds K.W. Maki who will retire after 16 years of service on June 30.

Barringer, who is married with three daughters, will assume his duties on July 1. His wife, Carla, works for an oil company and will join him soon after he starts.

“She won’t be too far behind me,” he said.