Board votes non-renewal of administrator's contract

The Thompson Falls School Board met last week to address the continuing remote learning efforts in compliance with Governor Bullock’s directives due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The board also discussed contract renewals for staff members.

The board voted unanimously to not renew high school principal Rich Ferris’s contract. Ferris is coming up on the end of his three-year starting probationary period and is un-tenured. This vote was to determine if he would be permanently accepted into the position, as explained by interim Superintendent Michael Magone, who was hired after Superintendent Bill Cain passed away unexpectedly in February.

“The board felt it was in the best interest of the district,” board member Ryan Frields said regarding the decision. The other board members – Jake Helvey, John Wilson, Jeneese Baxter and chairperson Sandra Muster – did not return calls for comment.

The board has not given an official reason for the non-renewal as they are not required to by law, Magone said.

On Tuesday, the school board interviewed three candidates to fill Cain’s position as Superintendent. As of press time, a decision had not been made on hiring one of the candidates. The three candidates interviewed by the board included Maureen Simonson, a former Thompson Falls Elementary Principal, Bob Scully, the current superintendent of Florence-Carlton School District and Dan Schrock, most currently the Ekalaka superintendent. School staff and community members had the opportunity to ask questions of the candidates via video conferences prior to the interviews.