Few positions are more important in shaping the future of a community than school superintendent, and we applaud the Kalispell school board trustees for their thorough and open process of hiring a successor to Darlene Schottle, who is retiring after more than 10 years at the helm.

The trustees went through a rather intense three-day process of getting to know the candidates for superintendent, and came away confident that Mark Flatau of Cle Elum, Wash., was the right choice.

The community has every reason to share that confidence. Unlike some other hiring situations for various local government entities, the public has been kept informed and involved, and that means a lot.

Starting Sunday evening with an open house and then continuing Monday and Tuesday with interviews of five finalists, the school board has apparently done its due diligence and will continue to do so. Indeed, several members of the board will travel to Cle Elum next week to get a first-hand look at the district Flatau has been managing. Although it is less than a sixth as big as the Kalispell school district, there is no reason to think that Flatau isn’t ready to step up to the next level.

Indeed, several board members and others in the education community told the Inter Lake that they were impressed by the passion and enthusiasm which Flatau brings to his career. Longtime Flathead High School English teacher Sue Brown was one of those, saying that the schools need an “inspirational and empowering leader.”

If all goes well in the final step, then Flatau will be offered the job, starting on July 1. He will find himself entering a district that has many challenges, but which has been well-managed under Schottle’s guidance. We wish both the new and old superintendents well, and thank the board for a job well done.

Next up, two other communities in Northwest Montana undertake the same process, as both Columbia Falls and Libby will conduct interviews for new superintendents in the coming weeks and months.

Possibly some of the candidates who were finalists in Kalispell might be back for another round of interviews, but in any case we hope the outcome for all our local school districts is that they find leaders who can motivate both students and teachers to be the best that they can be. The future depends on it.

Editorials represent the majority opinion of the Daily Inter Lake’s editorial board.