Richardton-Taylor School Board approves hiring of Lindsay Gullickson as elementary principal

The Richardton-Taylor School District 34 board on Monday approved hiring Lindsay Gullickson as the district’s elementary principal and adopted a $75,000 annual contract that leaves additional duties to be assigned by the superintendent.

The board’s chair (S3) opened the meeting saying the committee had interviewed two candidates and was asking the board to confirm the committee’s recommendation. Board member (S5) moved to hire Gullickson, and board member (S2) seconded. "I'll make the motion to hire Lindsay Gullickson as our elementary principal," S5 said. The board approved the hire by voice vote; the transcript records members saying "Aye," but does not include a roll-call tally.

The measure to set the contract followed. Board member (S5) moved that the contract rate be $75,000 annually "with additional duties done by the superintendent," and a second was recorded. The board again approved the contract by voice vote. Contract language discussed during the meeting referenced sick leave of 12 days and personal leave accruals.

Members debated whether the position should be written as a principal with duties "as assigned" or as a titled district Title I coordinator or career adviser with a specified percentage of time. "I think we need to say you're a principal and you're gonna do what's assigned to you," one member said, urging flexible duties tied to changing district needs. Other board members pressed for clearer expectations and noted that Title I work can be time-consuming and historically had been split between the principal and superintendent.

Staff present described Title I work as largely set up in binders and calendars and said much of the ongoing work is about monitoring and coordination. One staff speaker noted that because the Title I systems are in place, the recurring annual duties may be easier to manage, but that responsibilities still require regular communication and delegation.

Board members also referenced a historical $10,000 compensation differential that had been split between administrators in the past and asked how any similar differential would be handled if Title I duties were reassigned. The transcript shows discussion but does not record a final, separate monetary adjustment tied to Title I duties beyond the approved base contract.

The meeting record includes some inconsistent candidate references: the chair said the committee "chose Missus Eliksen" in describing the committee process, while the hire motion and subsequent vote named Lindsay Gullickson. The transcript does not resolve that naming discrepancy.

The board adjourned after approving the hire and contract. The transcript does not record a subsequent timeline for contract finalization or a detailed, itemized job description for the position; the contract language approved leaves additional duties to be defined by the superintendent and administration.

Next procedural steps noted in the discussion: administration (including incoming superintendent Ziegler, referenced in the meeting) will finalize specific duties and any operational allocation of Title I responsibilities; the board’s approval establishes the hire and base contract but defers detailed duty assignment to the superintendent.