We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
On the day dedicated to wearing holiday themed sweaters, Kendall Harwood was honored for his service to Chinook School District. Harwood, who holds his black and orange themed cake from Gary and Leo's IGA, will be accepting the vacated Blaine County Superintendent of Schools position. HIs last day with Chinook Junior High is January 11, and his official first day as the County Superintendent is January 16.
On December 21, the personnel at Chinook School District (CSD) paused to recognize the service of one of their instructors who will be moving to a new position when the school's semester ends on January 11. Kendall Harwood will be sworn in as the interim Blaine County Superintendent of Schools on January 9 and will officially begin his duties on January 16.
Harwood will be filling a position vacated by Valerie White, whose official resignation was effective on November 30. According to Mari Anne Skoyen, the Deputy Superintendent, Harwood's appointment is "until the next election, so basically it is for one year. The remaining two years of the term will be on the ballot this next year. The position will again be on the ballot in 2026 to start a new term in 2027."
The position of the County Superintendent of Schools is elected by the public for a four-year term. As required by Montana State Law, the County Superintendent must hold a current Montana Teaching Certificate and have at least three years of teaching experience.
Harwood began his teaching career with CSD in 2010 as a kindergarten teacher. He served in that position for two years before moving into the sixth grade, where he taught for four years. Next, he filled a District need by taking the high school art and pottery position before settling into his current role in the Chinook Junior High. There, he has taught Montana History, Civics, Math, and Science.
Anticipating his role as the County Superintendent, Harwood has been travelling to the rural schools. In December, he attended the Christmas programs at Cleveland School and Bear Paw School in an effort to meet the personnel and to learn about needs so that he can build a plan to give focus to his service.
On that subject, Harwood stated: "I am working hard to learn all aspects of the position. Mari Anne Skoyen has been wonderful in helping with that. I will also have trainings to attend so that I can understand the various aspects of my role."
Harwood went on to say that his primary goal will be to offer support to the school districts he will serve. Blaine County supports eight independent school districts: Bear Paw (District 67), Chinook (District10), Cleveland (District 14), Harlem (District 12), Hays/Lodge Pole (District 50), North Harlem Colony (District 6), Turner (District 43), and Zurich (District 17). The County Superintendent is responsible for general supervision of schools that do not employ a district superintendent or principal.
In addition, Harwood will provide support to the families in Blaine County who home school their children within the county. Other duties include assisting school district trustees with budgeting and finance, staff recruitment, curriculum development, teacher in-service training, and setting county mills for school budgets and transportation. Essentially, the County Superintendent's office functions as a centralized clerical and administrative location as prescribed by law.
At a farewell reception in the Lloyd Sweet Auditorium on December 21-where punch, holiday themed cookies, and a cake featuring black and orange icing were served-Harwood described his leaving as bittersweet. Although he is looking forward to his new role, he will miss some aspects of classroom teaching. "As County Superintendent, I can remain connected to a field I love, which is education. But in my new role, I can focus more. I will miss the daily interaction with students, though."
