GREAT FALLS — As the Great Falls Public Schools wrap up their school year, Superintendent Heather Hoyer looks back positively on her first year in her new position.
With 29 years of experience in the Great Falls Public School District, Hoyer felt the job shift went incredibly smooth.
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Hoyer said, “The ease of moving into this position was easier than what I thought it would be.”
While she is still getting used to the new responsibility, she relies heavily on those around her.
Hoyer said, “I have an amazing administrative assistant. That's part of it. She really helps keep me on track.”
Gordon Johnson of the GFPS Board of Trustees said that Hoyer was a clear choice for the position.
Johnson said, “The thing about Heather that is so valuable to us is that she's been in the district for so long.”
Johnson said he appreciated Hoyer’s tenacity with which she came into the position.
Johnson said, “When Heather came into the job, she came running at full speed with all kinds of ideas that she wanted to implement.”
Hoyer’s big focus this year was the budget, and while that is an ongoing issue, the next school year brings a new complication.
Hoyer said, “We need to fill those teaching positions. We have teaching positions that are open here in Great Falls Public Schools.”
For Hoyer, it is more than just work.
Johnson said, “It's not a business for her. It's a passion. And that's illustrated time and time again.”
That can be seen clearly on her office door, which is filled with senior portraits of her past students.
Hoyer said, “If this is not why you do what you do, then you're in the wrong business.”
Hoyer is optimistic as she looks ahead to her second year in the position.
Hoyer said, “{I’m} looking forward to doing some problem solving with our staff and with our leadership group and with our community.”
