Granite County agrees to post contracted county superintendent job, increases hours to 240

Granite County commissioners authorized posting a contracted county superintendent of schools position and agreed to increase the annual contracted hours from 170 to 240 during the July 7 meeting.

The county treasurer briefed commissioners on the contract’s status and OPI requirements for credentials. She said the contracted role must be filled by a former or currently licensed county superintendent or someone holding appropriate administrative certification; commissioners discussed whether the person is technically an employee for benefits and COLA purposes. "We need applicants," the treasurer told the board and said she had reached out to OPI and the county-superintendent group for the most current sample agreements.

Commissioners debated hours and pay. The board approved increasing the yearly hours for the contract to 240 and expanding the modest supply budget to allow training and mileage. Treasurer-provided figures put the total annual cost (salary plus payroll-related costs) at roughly $10,003.57 for the updated hours and increased pay rate. The motion to increase hours and post the position passed by voice vote.

Why it matters: the county uses a contracted superintendent to carry out duties required by MCA when an elected county superintendent is not available or when particular credentials are needed. The change reflects increased workload (OPI reporting, homeschool reporting portal additions) and aims to give the office capacity to handle new reporting requirements.

What’s next: staff will post the position with the updated hours and provide roles and responsibilities in the job posting; the board said any final agreement would be subject to review and budget adjustments as needed.

Quote: "We need applicants," the treasurer said. "This person would be a contracted county superintendent of schools; we can post the position and set terms in the job posting."