Helena school board approves $163,000 contract for new superintendent
Helena schools will pay a new superintendent $163,000, above the district’s 2024 top salary of $131,000. The unanimous vote puts a price tag on the board’s next leadership test.
Helena school board members unanimously approved a contract and $163,000 salary for the district’s new superintendent, setting a compensation level that stands above every salary listed for Helena School District 1 in the district’s 2024 public pay data. The decision gives Lewis and Clark County taxpayers a clear benchmark as Helena Public Schools enters a new leadership phase.
The district’s 2024 salary records show the highest pay in Helena School District 1 was $131,000, with 161 employees on the books, an average annual salary of $40,352 and a median salary of $39,256. The new superintendent package exceeds that top figure by $32,000 and comes in above the Helena-area average superintendent salary of $143,406 listed by Salary.com as of July 1, 2026.
The contract approval lands in a district where superintendent oversight is already spelled out in board policy. Helena Public Schools posts its superintendent information publicly, along with Board of Trustees agendas and a policy manual that includes the board-superintendent relationship, underscoring that this job is not just ceremonial but central to how the district runs.
The compensation decision also arrives after recent attention to administrator pay. In an October 22 letter, board chair Siobhan Hathhorn said a September 25 Independent Record article about administrative pay increases left out critical information and created a false impression. The board had unanimously voted during a trustee retreat to increase administrators’ salaries by 2% for one year, a move that showed how closely compensation decisions are watched in Helena.
For parents, teachers and staff, the superintendent’s first tests will go beyond the salary figure. District leaders will be looking for stability in budgeting, staffing, academic performance and public communication, all areas that fall under the superintendent’s role in shaping district culture and carrying out board policy across Helena schools.
Because the board voted unanimously, the message is one of alignment around the hire and the price attached to it. The harder question for Helena residents now is whether the district’s $163,000 commitment produces steadier schools, stronger leadership and better results than the turnover and scrutiny that have surrounded recent compensation decisions.
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