The Kalispell Public Schools Board of Trustees approved last month the addition of two positions — a district data systems specialist and a workflow process lead in the facilities department. 

Discussion on the workflow process lead was brief, while the data systems specialist position generated more extensive conversation about salary, experience and education requirements. 

Superintendent Matt Jensen said the positions were identified as the highest priorities following department assessments reviewed by the finance committee. He said the needs addressed by the positions have been part of district discussions, and negotiations, for a couple of years. 

“We believe out of these positions that the value add will be the most impactful out of all the things that we could be doing,” Jensen said during a Jan. 27 board meeting. 

According to the district, the data systems specialist position will address a “critical gap in district-wide data systems support” by centralizing responsibilities spread across departments. The specialist will manage data systems operations, generate reports and build tools, apps, dashboards and automations, such as forms and databases, to support accurate data sharing across the district. The role also includes setting up and maintaining data integrations so different software systems work with one another.  

“The Data Systems Specialist maintains data accuracy and security while creating efficient, user-friendly tools that support curriculum, assessment, compliance and business operations across the district,” a position overview reads. 

The specialist will collaborate with multiple departments including information technology, business services, curriculum and assessment and compliance. 

“This position doesn’t put us ahead. It really just puts us in a position to maintain,” Jensen said, noting that the information technology department was restructured years ago into two co-directors taking on the duties of three positions.

District Business and Finance Director Chris Campell said the district’s size and complexity are often overlooked. 

"We have, you know, in a given year a thousand people that we’re processing through our payroll systems through HR,” Campbell said. 

With about 6,000 students, it is the largest school district in Flathead County. The district is managing “hundreds of thousands of student records,” he said. 

Campbell said the goal with the position is to establish standardized, sustainable systems that continue functioning as staff turnover occurs, while providing employees with “one source of truth.” Jensen later clarified that this refers to systems connecting around the same data points that staff rely on for decision making. 

The position will pay $71,021 up to $77,631 with the cost split between the high school and elementary districts. Minimum qualifications for the position include an associate degree in computer science, information systems or a related field and one year of experience working with databases, data reporting and educational software systems — or equivalent specialized training. 

Trustees unanimously approved the position, but the compensation relative to education and experience requirements caused consternation for Trustee Linda Kaps. 

“I absolutely think this position is important and needed. But one of the things that kind of rubbed me the wrong way was ... you say minimum requirement of an AA (associate of arts), and you offer a $70,000 salary — and we have teachers who have four years plus, and they’re starting below that?” Kaps said. 

“It’s just upsetting to me that our teachers aren’t getting that kind of recognition for their education and what they’re doing,” she said. 

A first-year teacher in the district with a bachelor’s degree earns about $47,713. 

Jensen agreed with the sentiment but emphasized the challenge of recruiting quality candidates at a lower salary in competition with private sector positions. 

“You’ve heard me say it before. I don’t think there’s a teacher in America that’s paid too much, right? So, it’s not necessarily a reflection on this position being set at a salary that’s too high," Jensen said. "It’s the general reflection that funding mechanisms set up [for] our organization are based on state total budgets that reflect too low of salaries for educators.” 

District Human Resources Director Carrie Brady said administrators discussed “creative interviewing” approaches, including candidates with associate degrees or those who are self-taught. She noted comparable positions regionally and nationally often pay more. 

“And I think it’s just kind of where the world’s going with computers,” Brady said. 

Trustee Carrie Eklund asked if the degree and experience requirements were “setting the bar low.” 

“I wouldn’t say set the bar low. That’s just not what we’re trying to advertise. But I would say that what we want to do is leave room for the capacity to learn quickly and then schools are niche in the sense that we have lots of different systems [that] need to talk together that they might not have that experience in other organizations,” Jensen said. 

Trustee Will Hiatt said he left a public-sector job with Flathead County for a higher-paying position in the private sector and hoped by approving the position it would raise the bar on teacher pay. 

“And when I look at this argument, I’m totally with you Linda, but what I want is for our teachers to get paid more. That’s where I want to put our efforts because they’re doing as much as I was doing behind my terminal,” Hiatt said. 

TRUSTEES ALSO approved hiring the workflow process lead to improve efficiency in processing and completing facility and maintenance requests and repairs. 

The workflow process lead will work for the assistant director of facilities to plan, coordinate and organize daily maintenance operations, activities and communications for the department, according to a job description. The lead will also prepare and process contracts, procure parts and supplies, and develop metrics to determine facility conditions and work priorities, for example. The district is advertising a salary range of $63,695 to $69,623 for the position.

District Facilities Director Jeff Richer, who joined the district about five months ago, had several recommendations, but this was the one the district could financially pursue, Jensen said. 

“This is a position I think you know, pays for itself in the sense you’re able to see a higher quantity of work get completed with the same [amount] people doing that work,” Jensen said.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or [email protected].