Marcia Stolfus loves school. 

“That’s why I became a teacher,” the new Flathead County Superintendent of Schools said.  

It was her fifth-grade teacher, who became a middle school principal in her hometown, who mentored her along the teaching to administration path. 

“When I got this job, I actually texted her, just because she was someone I looked up to as a teacher and administrator-mentor,” Stolfus said. 

Stolfus said her mentor stood out among the other teachers. 

"I had a group of friends, [and] we all were kind of going through different family troubles. She would have us for lunch once a week, talk to us about the books we were reading — about life,” Stolfus said.  

Books were important to Stolfus as reading remains her favorite pastime. 

“I was the kid that wanted to get my work done so I could read,” she said with a smile. 

With 18 years in education, she has worked as a special education teacher at Lakeside and West Valley schools. She spent nine years at the Flathead County Special Education Cooperative as a preschool teacher, behavior specialist, and for the past three years, as director. She said working in special education was especially rewarding because of the long-term relationships she built with students. 

“I love watching them face challenges and grow. One of the things about special education is that you don't have kids just for a year. You usually have them for longer periods of time. So that opportunity to really form a connection that lasts a little bit longer to watch them develop and grow, is there,” she said. 

MOVING INTO administration allowed her to support schools and educators on a broader scale. Stolfus said she thinks the timing in taking on a leadership role is right “when it’s not about the position, it’s about the people.” 

“I was ready for something just a little bit different. I enjoy administration, but I enjoy the support part of it more, and I think this role allows me to support schools and staff and teachers. That's the part of leadership that I like,” Stolfus said. 

She cited a book recommended by her mentor, “Leaders Eat Last,” by Simon Sinek as influential. 

“You're supporting the work of others to do the important work,” she summarized. 

The county superintendent has a general supervisory role over 23 public elementary and high school districts in the valley in the “areas of administration, legal issues, financial oversight, transportation, tuition, school district organization, classification, boundary adjustments, and centralized clerical and record keeping. The County Superintendent also fulfills state responsibilities for the home school population,” according to flatheadcounty.gov. 

Each year, the office compiles school district data, such as enrollment and budgetary information, into the Statistical Report of Schools. The office also serves as the fiscal agent for Flathead County Special Education Cooperative.    

The county superintendent serves as a liaison between state and local government, schools, school boards and the public, helping people "understand federal, state and local laws relevant to education." 

While candidates are typically elected to the position, Stolfus was appointed by the Flathead County commissioners in June following Superintendent Cal Ketchum’s retirement. Since the appointment, Stolfus has reached out to district administrators and parents to understand their goals and challenges. 

“My goal is at the moment just to hear where do people need the most support, and how can I facilitate that?” she said. 

She also wants to make connections outside of school hours. 

“I want to be invited to school functions. Invite me to the farmers market ... school plays, band concerts,” Stolfus said. 

Top concerns, she noted, remain staffing and funding — especially for specialized positions like speech therapists, which are hard to fill due to higher wages in the private sector. 

She’s hopeful that legislation like the Student and Teacher Advancement for Results and Success (STARS) Act, which aims to boost starting teacher pay, will help. 

Locally, she said it was also great to see the passage of Kalispell Public Schools’ high school general fund levy in May. It had been 18 years since a levy was passed in the high school district. 

“I think the fact that our taxpayers passed the high school levy really shows that the community came together to say, hey, taxes are hard, but education matters,” Stolfus said. 

At the federal level, she commented on the potential dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education. What responsibilities will be transferred to other federal agencies and states is not clear yet.  

“When you don’t have direction, that’s what makes it scary,” she said.  

“Education kind of goes on a little bit of a pendulum swing, sometimes with legislation too,” she said.    

With a background in special education, she spoke to the uncertainty of where those responsibilities will end up in consideration of federal law. The Individuals with Disabilities Act is a federal law that guarantees students with disabilities a “free and appropriate public education” in the “least restrictive environment.” 

“There’s been talk that it could go with the Department of Health [and Human] Services," she said. “So, where is that going to fall? I know a lot of concerns of parents and educators have been — they worked so hard for those special education rights and inclusion and the concern is for it not to be housed with the Department of Education and somewhere else, maybe takes away the piece of how important education piece is — not just disability rights." 

Stolfus holds a bachelor’s degree in special education from Arizona State University and a master’s in reading education from Grand Canyon University. She earned her administration certificate from Montana State University. 

Outside of work, she enjoys reading and spending time with her family — which includes goats, chickens, pigs and horses. Out of the animals, she's partial to goats. 

“They’re my entertainment, my cuddle time. They make me laugh. I’m the crazy goat lady and chicken lady,” she said, laughing. 

She and her husband Mike have three daughters: Hannah, who graduated from the University of Idaho; Grace, who is pursuing trick riding; and Emily, a student at West Valley School. 

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