Dr. Erwin Garcia, the new Superintendent of Billings School District, gets to know the community

Billings, Montana – Dr. Erwin Garcia, the new Superintendent of Billings School District, is touring the Magic City to meet with teachers and parents in order to establish a trusting connection with the community.

Dr. Erwin Garcia met with parents at Riverside Middle School on Tuesday evening. Dr. Garcia stated that these meetings are an opportunity for him to interact with the community and learn about their concerns as well as what techniques are working for the future success of SD-2 as a whole.

Dr. Garcia stated that he is looking forward to not just interacting with professors and staff, but also working with parents to ensure that their child has the best learning experience possible.
“That’s going to help inform us as we think about the 5-year strategic plan. How is that mission that we have in billings, which is to inspire, educate, and empower; how are those three vital values connected to the 5-year strategic plan, and what better way to understand where we are headed than if we know what the community really wants,” said Dr. Garcia.

Tonya Brayton, a Special Education teacher at Newman Elementary School, believes Dr. Garcia will make beneficial improvements that will benefit the entire community.

“His contract doesn’t start until July 1st so for him to come and devote his time to this even before starting; I think is super great and helpful. he was asking questions like what is working and what isn’t, so to get that feedback before he even comes on to the job is great and I think that is a great start,” said Tonya.

According to Dr. Garcia, listening to and learning from the community is essential for creating trust.