Friday, April 9, 2021
Lewistown Educators Association Representative and high school teacher Luke Brandon promotes union membership and Lewistown as positives for teacher candidates.
Photo by Miriam Campan
The teacher shortages plague the nation, but the Lewistown Public School System has a proactive approach towards recruiting the best that the state and the nation have to offer. Due to retirement or resignation, 15 positions need to be filled. There will be competition to recruit the most qualified candidates, especially teachers with a Special Education endorsement.
The search for teachers for the 2021-2022 school year was generated when a retirement incentive was offered, according to Lewistown School Superintendent Thom Peck. Teachers within the district are offered the first opportunity to transfer to another grade, while experienced substitute teachers or paraprofessionals are also recruited, providing these educators with an opportunity to have their own classrooms and to
Jessica Vallincourt
Jessica Vallincourt, a ninth- and eleventh-grade English teacher at Fergus High School, recently joined the ranks of teachers throughout the U.S. to have gained National Board Certification. Vallincourt, who finished the vigorous process of earning her NBC, joined nine other teachers in Montana who recently gained their certification.
According to the Montana Professional Teaching Foundation, which administers the program in Montana, the state now has 164 National Board Certified Teachers. Vallincourt is the first teacher in the Lewistown School District to gain her certification.
“Earning National Board Certification is a crowning achievement,” said MPTF Chair Amanda Curtis. “The nine professional educators deserve congratulations for their incredible feat they’ve accomplished. These educators have dedicated their lives to providing their students the best education in America, and Montana families are grateful to them.”