By Broadus Schools Superintendent Jim Hansen

It is my hope that you and your families had an enjoyable Christmas and the beginnings of a productive and enjoyable new year.

Recently, I jokingly made the comment to an individual that our board meeting shouldn’t take too long as we were not hiring coaches. Most school districts encounter coaching controversies every couple years. I recall the firing of my high school coach immediately after the season when our team didn’t advance to the state tournament. He retired as a teacher and just finished a quarter century state political career as a senate majority leader in the North Dakota Legislature. How important is winning? Only one team in each classification will win a state championship, clearly most teams will ultimately fail. Maybe we need to consider the lessons extra-curricular activities and our coaches teach students? As I discussed in a prior article, your district enjoys an extremely high participation rate in extra-curriculars. Our students are learning success is difficult to achieve and not guaranteed, they learn about effort, commitment, teamwork, collaboration, sacrifice, and hard work. Like many of you, I have never thanked my coaches for being a positive role model and offering character lessons despite the number of wins or losses. Please take time to thank coaches, advisors, and all volunteers who provide other educational opportunities for our students.

Lastly, the board will discuss the superintendent’s evaluation at their January meeting. Most superintendent evaluations are conducted in executive session. Typically, superintendents are evaluated by their board of trustees annually in December or January. Superintendent contracts can be for a period of up to three years. Since the average stay of a Montana superintendent is less than three years in a district, you generally see numerous superintendent openings particularly in January and February.

Best wishes to all of you for a productive and healthy 2023.