Pick Six: Board Names Finalists

The Glasgow School Board met in special session for nearly six hours on Monday evening, March 5, to screen the 16 applications for the superintendent position being vacated by Glenn Hageman. The six finalists selected are Robert Connors, junior high principal at Stevensville, Jennifer Buchmann-Cunningham, transformational leader with the Montana Office of Public Instruction, George Linthicum, most recently superintendent at Target Range, a K-8 school located on the outskirts of Missoula, Larry Markuson, most recently superintendent/high school principal at Hot Springs, Tony O’Brien, superintendent at Frederick, Okla, and Jeff Ralston, superintendent at Belfry.

A public reception is planned for Wednesday, March 14, at 3:30 p.m. in the Glasgow High School library for all six candidates. Three interviews will be conducted following the reception on Wednesday evening and the remaining three will be conducted Thursday evening. Board deliberations will begin immediately following the final interview on Thursday. Interviews and deliberations will be open the public.

Robert Connors has been an administrator in the Stevensville school system for the past 10 years, including seven years as the junior high principal and three years as the high school vice-principal. Connors’ classroom experience as a business teacher includes 13 years at Laurel, two years at Choteau and two years at Butte Central High. He earned all his degrees through the University of Montana–Missoula, including a bachelor’s degree in business education, a master’s degree in educational supervision, and also his superintendent endorsement.

Jennifer Buchmann-Cunningham is serving as a transformational leader under a Schools of Promise grant for the Montana Office of Public Instruction. She has served as an elementary assistant principal and taught music for nine years in the Glasgow school system. She also taught music for two years in both the Whitehall and Hinsdale schools. Buchmann-Cunningham earned her bachelor’s degree in K-12 music education from Montana State University–Billings and her master’s degree in educational leadership and her superintendent endorsement from the University of Montana–Missoula.

George Linthicum currently provides psychologist consulting services to schools and also serves as a long-term substitute for appropriate positions. In 2010, he left his three-year position as the superintendent of Target Range schools to campaign for the Missoula County superintendent of schools, which was unsuccessful. Prior administrative experience includes one year as the principal/activities director and one year as the superintendent at the Sun River school system in Simms; two years as the superintendent at Boulder; five and a half years as the superintendent in Clearbrook, Minn., five years as superintendent/principal of the Lone Rock Elementary District in Stevensville, and two years as K-12 principal in Carbon County, S.D. Linthicum taught agriculture for two years in Augusta, five years in Frederick, Md., and one year in Salisbury, Md. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agriculture and Extension education from the University of Maryland. He earned his Doctorate in educational leadership and curriculum and also holds several endorsements from the University of Montana–Missoula.

Larry Markuson finished an eight-year term in 2010 as superintendent/high school principal of the Hot Springs School District. Previous to that, he served eight years as a math teacher, as well as completing his administrative practicum in Whitewater. Markuson’s first teaching job was a one-year stint with Garfield County Public Schools in Jordan as a PE/health/math teacher. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in math and physical education, as well as his master’s degree in educational leadership, from Montana State University–Bozeman.

Patrick Anthony (Tony) O’Brien is in his seventh year as the superintendent for the Frederick, Okla., School District. Prior to this he served two years as the superintendent of the Cheraw, Colo., School District, 13 years as the vice president of administrative affairs/director of teacher education, and four years serving as vice-principal/AD/teacher at Grace Christian Academy in Oklahoma City, Okla. O’Brien obtained his bachelor’s degree in social studies education/Bible-theology from Mid-America Christian University, his master’s degree in secondary administration from the University of Central Oklahoma, and he is currently a doctoral candidate in educational administration/curriculum supervision at the University of Oklahoma.

Jeff Ralston is in his first year as the superintendent/K-12 principal of the Belfry School District. Prior to that, he served one year as the 7-12 principal of the Lodge Grass schools, a school targeted by the Montana Office of Public Instruction for a School Improvement grant, and three years as the 7-12 principal at the Troy School District. Ralston’s initial five years of administrative experience includes dean of students at Kwethluk, Alaska, principal/teacher at Grayling, Alaska, and principal/AD at Tuluksak, Alaska. He also taught math and science in Togiak, Alaska, and Mekoryuk, Alaska. His education includes a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering from Cal-Poly State University, certification in technology education and a master’s of technology education from Western Washington University, certification in educational leadership from the University of Alaska–Anchorage, and he is currently working on his certification in educational leadership from Rocky Mountain College.

Eight of the applicants are from Montana. Two are from North Dakota and two from South Dakota. The others are from Minnesota, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Georgia and Florida.