Challis superintendent named to state position

Challis school administrator Peter McPherson has been appointed Chief Deputy to State Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra.

McPherson, 45, is currently superintendent and federal programs director of the Challis School District. He has held the post since 2014.

“One of the qualities that makes Superintendent McPherson stand out is his passion for supporting students to achieve and his focus on personalizing education,” Superintendent Ybarra said. “He also brings an innovative mindset born from the necessity of serving children in remote, rural areas as a well as broad educational leadership experience.”

McPherson has been superintendent at Challis since January 2014 and replaces Pete Koehler, who is retiring from the post on June 29.

As chief deputy, McPherson will oversee day-to-day management of the department. He joins Deputy Superintendent Tim McMurtrey as the superintendent’s senior leaders in the State Department of Education.

“I knew early in my life that my calling was to serve children. What I’ve learned working in both public and private education systems is: Kids are kids and teachers are teachers. We all care about the children and want them to become successful adults and contributing citizens. We also both value the trust parents and the public place in us and we want to deliver a return on investment, whether it’s tuition or tax dollars,” McPherson said.