Higgins to resign as Mountain View School District superintendent

GRANGEVILLE — Mountain View School District Superintendent Steve Higgins announced his resignation this week following a year at the helm of the challenging district.

Higgins said Wednesday his last day will be in June. It caps one year of staff reorganizations and difficult financial decisions.

“It was a timing issue,” Higgins said. “I came on last year in June and I knew Mountain View was having a hard time finding a superintendent.

“I was a short-timer at that point — here to maintain the flow — and the goal was to help stabilize the district. We had (turnover in the district administrative staff) and turmoil in the board and so, for me, the goal was to stabilize the district and get it on a path for someone long-term. And I think we’ve done that.

“And there’s a whole lot less drama.”

Higgins is a graduate of Kamiah High School and has held teaching and administrative positions there and in Grangeville. In his year on the job he noted that the gaps in the administrative staff have been filled and the board has settled into a more efficient and organized working group.

He was full of praise for the staff and educators in Mountain View School District, saying they were among the best he’s ever worked with.

Part of what drove his decision to resign was the choice the board made earlier not to run a supplemental levy this year.

“We’ve reported all year long that we’re in a tough financial situation and can operate a year (without a levy),” he said.

“A year from now this district has to find some way to balance the budget. If the board chooses to pass a levy — and I don’t think they’re going to have a choice — there are going to have to be some tough decisions made. And to balance that budget and for me to stay one more year and make those decisions and turn that over to a new person, I don’t operate that way. I feel like it would force me into a third year. And I wasn’t planning on a second year, much less a third.

“So, timingwise, it’s better for the district to find somebody who can learn the district and understand the financial piece and carry it forward on their plan rather than inherit something from the previous administration.”

Higgins said the Mountain View school board is working through the Idaho School Board Association to find applicants for the superintendent’s position and make a selection.

Higgins, whose father, Doug Higgins, served as an Idaho County commission chairperson for several years, and whose grandfather, Frank Higgins, served in the Idaho Senate, said he plans to step back from public service.

“I think I’ve done my part in the public sector at this point,” Higgins said. “I want to get away from that piece. I enjoy working with people but 30 years in public education, I think I’ve had enough. My skin’s not nearly as thick as it used to be. I take things more personally and it has a negative effect on my family when I’m thinking more about the position than my home life and family. And that’s not healthy.”

Higgins is married and has two grown sons and three grandchildren.

Hedberg may be contacted at khedberg@lmtribune.com.