SNOHOMISH — He’s leaving Big Sky Country in the dust, heading for the Evergreen State.
Kent Kultgen, superintendent of public schools in Helena, Montana, is to take over as top educator in Snohomish on July 1.
The 25-year veteran educator will replace longtime Snohomish Superintendent Bill Mester, who is retiring from his $234,820-a-year job in June.
After a closed-door meeting Thursday morning, the Snohomish School Board unanimously voted to hire Kultgen and start contract negotiations with him.
“This has been a long, hard process,” said Jay Hagen, president of the five-member board. “It’s tough to decide when you have good candidates.”
Kultgen earns an annual salary of $146,000 in Montana’s capital city. Since 2012, he’s managed a $77 million annual operating budget, 17 schools and about 8,000 students.
Northwest Leadership Associates consultant Wayne Robertson vetted candidates and offered the board guidance under a $22,800 contract. He said the elected leaders wanted the hiring to be fair and transparent.
The board decided to move forward with Kultgen and Bill Gronseth, a superintendent from Duluth, Minnesota, who was among three finalists for the job in Snohomish. Becky Berg, superintendent of the Marysville School District, withdrew from consideration for the Snohomish job last weekend.
Hagen, the board president, said his decision came down to experience.
Kultgen has led three Montana school districts as superintendent for 14 years. He has a doctorate in education from Montana State University and experience teaching social studies to middle and high school students.
Gronseth, a superintendent since 2012, is still working on his doctorate. He, too, spent years as a classroom teacher.
Board member Josh Seek said both educators were qualified to oversee the district’s annual operating budget of about $113 million. He was looking for candidates who share Snohomish’s values.
“It’s all about the best fit,” Seek said.
Kultgen, 50, said he was attracted to the district because he works to build relationships among teachers, parents and school staff.
“Strong community support is a must for a successful school system,” he said.
Now he and his wife, Lyla, plan to start looking for a home in the district. He said it’s important to him that he becomes part of the community alongside the 9,990 students he’ll serve.
He’d been looking for a job near his daughter and son-in-law, Alice and Kyle Ferguson, in Des Moines so he could see his grandchildren, Daisy, 4 and Poppy, 2 more often. He also has two sons, Eli, 25, and Oliver, 20.
Once he settles in Snohomish, Kultgen said, he’ll work to make sure schools are welcoming places where students, teachers and staff want to come and learn. He hopes parents will be proud to send their children to any of the district’s schools.
As superintendent, Kultgen said, he is mindful of how his decisions affect those in the classroom. “I work hard for each and every student,” he said.
Amy Nile: 425-339-3192; anile@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @AmyNileReports.
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