Standing room only at Plains school board

The Plains School Board agenda listed the school superintendent evaluation as a closed session, yet the first 30 minutes of Monday's meeting involved public comments on Dr. Kathleen Walsh, pro and con.

"The superintendent is in breach of the contract for failing to meet the July 1, 2023, deadline to obtain a Class 5 superintendent's certification," said Betty Taylor, a retired Plains High School counselor. Taylor said that Walsh's failure to maintain the certification and endorsements rendered her contract null and void, as stated in the contract.

"Clearly, there are some long-term and financial ramifications associated with your decision. You were elected based on your character and commitment to our community. What more do you need to make the best decision for students, for teachers, for staff, for community, and for the taxpayers?" said Taylor, who received applause at the end of her statement. She also provided a copy of the Montana code on the subject for the board members.

It was standing room only for the more than 60 people that attended the nearly 1.5-hour school board meeting. Kelly Pfister, the school's business manager, remembered that only a board meeting during COVID had more people in attendance. There were more than a dozen items on the agenda, but none seemed to draw as much interest as the superintendent, who was unanimously hired by the school board in July of 2023.

"The superintendent has been in breach of the contract since July 1, 2023. Certification for the superintendent was not posted on the OPI website until January 19, 2025, 18 months after the deadline of July 1, 2023," added Taylor.

"When I first heard you guys hired a superintendent from New York, I'm sure my eyes went to the back of my head. At the time, I didn't think a person from New York could relate to what we have going here," said Teresa Garrison, who was born and raised in Plains and attended Plains School. However, Garrison said that she changed her mind about Walsh after visiting with her some time ago.

"It's evident to me that Dr, Walsh cares deeply about the students and their education. Though she's not from the area, she has a lot of educational experience and supervision experience. I think you would be hard pressed to find somebody with the experience and the caliber of Dr. Walsh, who cares for the kids as much as she does. I don't know what the issues have been and why people want to get rid of her, but she's doing a good job in my opinion," said Garrison.

Former board member Erika Lawyer compared the superintendent's contract to the contract the students and parents are supposed to abide by, adding that her not getting the certification could have legal ramifications. "That's my concern. And as board members it makes it very difficult for you going forward. I worry about what kind of liability not enforcing this contract says later down the road. That's my primary concern. This isn't personal. This is a contract," she said. Retired Plains School paraprofessional Debbie Brown reiterated the importance of fulfilling the contract, especially the certification.

French halted comments when they became personal. "I will not allow anybody to have anything directly or specifically state anything that has been done in the past because everybody has a right to privacy and I'm not going to allow that to happen here tonight," he stated. French said there will be another board meeting that will address Walsh's contract.

Others spoke in support of Walsh. Mary Helliwell pointed out several portions of a school superintendent evaluation document which she believed Walsh had followed, such as anticipating the needs of the district, assessing and guiding appropriate changes and assisting the board.

"It's a huge job. It's a huge responsibility. And we as a community have a responsibility to help, not hinder," said Helliwell, who said she attended the meeting when Walsh was hired and noted the excitement on the quality of experience she was bringing to Plains. She said that the superintendent has an open door policy and suggested that people should question processes, but with the facts. " I don't know anybody else in this room that would really want to take it on," she said.

"It boggles my mind to think to have someone so highly educated and accolades as long as my arm. I'm not sure who you'd find as qualified as her," said Plains resident Robert Cutlip. He said the contract problem can be fixed. "I think it's important to make sure we have the right person for the right job, and I think we do," he said.

The board unanimously approved the resignation of Michelle Greer as the junior high athletic director, the resignation of Rachel Chenoweth as the head track coach, and the resignation of Rick Powers, the baseball head coach. The board also approved the position of Drew Carey as a volunteer wrestling coach.

Principal Kevin Meredith announced that Friday will be the start of the four-day school week for the remainder of the school year. Walsh announced that the school received a $5,000 grant from the Clark Fork Enrichment Corporation to help sponsor the annual health fair. The tentative date is scheduled for March 22. Walsh also recognized paraprofessional Heather Worrall who recently saw that a child was choking in the school lunchroom, gave her the Heimlich maneuver, "and basically saved her life."

With January being School Board Recognition Month, seniors Django Oakcedar, president of the National Honor Society, and Logan Steinebach, president of Student Council, handed each of the board members - Steve Spurr, Lana Dicken, Ellen Childress, Monica Weedeman, and French - certificates for their service to the school.

"We'd like to thank each and every one of you for your time and dedication as you display your work to maintain and improve our school for the betterment of all students. These times are difficult and for many we appreciate your efforts to address some of the pressing concerns in order to improve our schools," said Oakcedar as Steinebach shook the hand of each board member.

French told the crowd that the board would be having its final agenda business without the public. "Because there will be no action taken at this meeting, there will be no vote coming out of this, there will be no public comment to be had after this," said French. The board then went into closed session for the superintendent's evaluation.