Who's running for school board?
Thirty-seven candidates are vying for 19 open seats on school boards in nine Flathead County districts.
School elections are May 4, but many voters already have received absentee ballots.
Following are brief profiles of trustee candidates for five of the districts.
Bigfork
Two three-year seats are on the ballot in the Bigfork Elementary District.
Thaddeus Jordt, incumbent
Age: 42
Occupation: owns a logging business
School board or school-related experience: three years on Bigfork school board; elementary football and basketball coach
Why he’s running: The amount of information he received in his first term on the board was “overwhelming; I’m still learning.” Jordt also said after hiring a new superintendent so recently, the two trustees whose terms were up decided to run again “to see this thing through. It was a lot of time put into that.”
On budget concerns: “The big thing is losing kids. All schools in the valley have lost a lot of kids. ... If [enrollment] numbers go down, we’re losing a lot of money.
“A big concern of mine is the high school. We tried to pass a bond for a new high school ... and it’s still a big concern, putting money into that old school. It would be nice to have a new one.”
Heather Postlewait
Age: 39
Occupation: estate manager; summer rental property manager
School board or school-related experience: former substitute teacher in Bigfork schools
Why she’s running: She sees a “disconnect between the schools’ positives [including high test scores and the Virtual High School program] and what the community is seeing.” Postlewait also said she has public relations experience, which she hopes can help improve communication between the board and the community.
She has two children, ages 6 and 13, in Bigfork schools, which she says will keep her active in the schools for some time. “I think I could bring a lot to the board, and hopefully I’ll be needed for a while.”
On budget concerns: “The taxpayers — a lot here are a retired group. ... I think there is a lack of information that would go a long way to help with levies, tax support, that sort of thing.”
Mike Roessmann, incumbent
Age: 50
Occupation: general contractor
School board or school-related experience: six years and two months on Bigfork school board
Why he’s running: He says he has experience on the board that could be useful, especially in terms of what it takes to run the school system and an understanding of school finance.
Roessmann also said having a newly hired superintendent played a role in his decision to run again. “I think a new superintendent and a new board is not necessarily the best recipe for progressing forward in difficult times. I thought it was worth sticking around for one more round.”
On budget concerns: We are doing the best we possibly can to look at the big picture and manage finances as best we possibly can without losing more [staff] than we should and provide a quality education. We want to keep the staff intact as best as possible; I think at this point we’ve struck a good balance.”
Columbia Falls
Five candidates are vying for two three-year terms on the Columbia Falls school board.
Brandee Padgham
Age: 29
Occupation: homemaker
School board or school-related experience: Canyon Elementary PTO member
Why she’s running: “My son just started school this last fall. I think it’s important to be involved with their education as much as I possibly can. School boards are right at the top. ... I would like to be a part of making the bigger decisions about what goes on, what’s going to be cut, what’s going to be kept at the schools.”
On budget concerns: “I believe something can be done to run our schools within our means. We need to take a hard look at where the money is really going and make sure we are putting it in places where kids are put first, [make] sure kids are our top priority.”
Barb Riley, incumbent
Age: 46
Occupation: owns a real estate brokerage company and an accounting and business services company
School board or school-related experience: 15 years on the Columbia Falls school board; immediate past president of the Montana School Boards Association
Why she’s running: “Passion. This is my contribution to the community. I very, very strongly believe that a strong K-12 education system is the backbone to our society. We have to give kids the best start we can to help them be productive citizens.”
On budget concerns: Columbia Falls has had to cut its budget all but one of the 15 years she’s spent on the board. “All but one year, it’s ‘Where do we cut? How do we hold on to programs?’” she said. “For 15 years it has been our goal that when we had to make a cut or go out to the community to see if they can support a mill levy, that was what had to happen to meet the needs of kids.”
Cassandra Schmidt
Age: 36
Occupation: stay-at-home mom; substitute teacher in the Columbia Falls School District
School board or school-related experience: substitute teaching
Why she’s running: “I feel the
people on the school board and the district aren’t listening to people and have their own agenda and aren’t willing to listen to others. I wanted to see how things are really run through the district office to see if changes can be made.”
On budget concerns: “I want to see if we can keep Canyon Elementary School open without cutting teachers and see if there is anything they shouldn’t be spending money on, to see if we can make cuts that way to keep the school open. ...
“We need to provide opportunities to the students through smaller schools like Canyon Elementary and have things to help them be good citizens and not live off the government.”
Melanie White
Age: 48
Occupation: stay-at-home mom
School board or school-related experience: volunteer in Columbia Falls schools; coaching with Parks and Recreation; Booster Club member
Why she’s running: “I feel the Canyon communities need representation within the school board, and I would like to see more unity between Canyon and Columbia Falls communities and decisions that are being made. I want to bring some fresh ideas to the school board.”
On budget concerns: “I feel that we really need to look at the budget with a fine-tooth comb and see what is a necessity and what is not a necessity — start from there. I think we need to keep as many of the programs as possible to ensure quality education for our students.”
White was involved in an incident at Columbia Falls High School in 2006 that resulted in her conviction for disorderly conduct. Her sentence included a $185 fine and a 10-day sentence with seven days suspended.
But that was almost five years ago, and now White said she has a good relationship with the administrators at the high school. “I get along with everybody; my situation at the school is great. I’m an active member of the Booster Club.”
Larry Wilson, incumbent
Age: 72
Occupation: retired, most recently from logging
School board or school-related experience: 24 years total on the Columbia Falls school board, including nine as chairman; 14 years teaching, mostly at Columbia Falls Junior High
Why he’s running: His most recent stint on the school board came from filling a two-year vacancy and was so enjoyable he decided to run again. “And with the drop in enrollment and tight finances, I just felt I had something to offer,” he said.
On budget concerns: “We are fortunate we’ve had an administration that has planned. They’ve been reducing the budget here for five years with declining enrollment. ... I don’t think we should be making decisions now. We should be making sure we look at all the possibilities and what will affect kids in the least possible way.”
Helena Flats
There are two candidates for one one-year seat on the Helena Flats school board.
Judi Hewitt, incumbent
Age: 59
Occupation: principal of Creston Elementary School
School board or school-related experience: 21 years at Creston; appointed to the Helena Flats board in March
Why she’s running: Hewitt has two grandchildren at Helena Flats and said the school “has been through some real difficult times in the last couple years. They have very new board members and a fairly new administrator. I thought the experience I have with education in the Flathead Valley might be helpful to them.”
On budget concerns: “Helena Flats decided not to run a levy this year. ... The board as a whole is very aware of the fact that the economy in the Flathead Valley is not especially booming and tried to look at other options rather than turning to taxpayers for more money.”
Principal Ann Minckler “has made great recommendations [for budget cuts] and I would like to see those through.”
Kari Mackin
Age: 60
Occupation: works in retail
School board or school-related experience: PTO president; Head Start parent board; seven children have gone through Helena Flats School
Why she’s running: Mackin says she knows what it takes to serve on the board; her husband was a trustee for years. She chose to run because “I like being active in the community, and I still have one kid there. It means something to me.”
On budget concerns: “I have been in business myself. ... I have experience budgeting and looking at big numbers and trying to make it work.”
Kalispell
There are two seats open on Kalispell’s school board: one two-year term on the elementary board and a three-year seat representing the Somers-Lakeside and Kila districts on the high school board.
Elementary seat
Brad Eldredge
Age: 35
Occupation: director of institutional research at Flathead Valley Community College
School board or school-related experience: director of institutional research at the Commissioner of Higher Education Office in Helena; managed the state’s Carl Perkins grants; some work with the Office of Public Instruction
Why he’s running: With two children at Hedges School and a third who will start next fall, “I have a vested interest there, and a professional interest in education in general — how can we make education more effective and make sure ... we educate kids so they’re getting ready for the world they’re going to face?”
As a taxpayer, Eldredge said he also wants to “make sure we use our resources in a way that is effective.”
On budget concerns: “Any school district has to be cognizant of the fact that people are really strapped right now. We need to try to do more with less as much as possible. If we have to look at the budget, we look at what the core mission is — to educate kids — and anything superfluous to that we look at first” to cut.
Heather Kobos
Age: 38
Occupation: dental assistant
School board or school-related experience: PTA, Russell School Swish program, volunteer in classrooms for reading, field trips and “mom-related stuff”
Why she’s running: “I just figured it would be good to have a parent of an elementary kid on the school board to give the kids a say. [Parents] know more about what’s going on in the elementary schools than an outsider.”
On budget concerns: “I think we’re asking enough out of taxpayers. Most of our taxes in the city go to schools,” she said.
Kobos also suggested looking at better organizing administration, since administrators’ salaries are high compared to many taxpayers’ paychecks. Such high salaries might be taking programs away from kids, she said.
High school seat
Jean Barragan, incumbent
Age: 61
Occupation: coordinator and director of the University of Great Falls teacher education program at Flathead Valley Community College
School board or school-related experience: two years on Kalispell’s school board; 13 years teaching at Evergreen Junior High; teaching in Australia, China and on exchange in Japan as an educational consultant; 18 years teaching history at Flathead High; seven years teaching at FVCC
Why she’s running: “I believe that we’re at a historic time for education because of the recession. It is also a unique time to scrutinize our curriculum and make choices where our funding dollars are used, especially with the projected shortfall for 2011-12.” (School officials anticipate a $2 million shortfall in that budget.)
On budget concerns: This year the board and administrators decided most cuts would come from anything “not student-related,” she said. “Next year we will have to cut deeper, evaluate all the programs, evaluate personnel. There will have to be some cuts in personnel; that includes ... administrator cuts and para-educator cuts.”
Rob Keller
Age: 47
Occupation: real estate broker
School board or school-related experience: Somers-Lakeside booster organizer and volunteer; seventh- and eighth-grade basketball coach; children active in Flathead and Somers schools
Why he’s running: “I believe the Lakeside, Somers and Kila areas need someone who is passionate about our young people and who will be a strong voice on their behalf,” Keller said. He said he has the Somers-Lakeside board’s support and will advocate bridging the gap between Somers Middle School and Flathead High.
“I am also running to be the voice for all the hard-working taxpayers,” he said, adding that his experience on his church’s board of directors and working with Crown Financial Ministries will help him contribute as a Kalispell trustee.
On budget concerns: “Take a no-nonsense approach to not only balancing the budget but work toward surplus. It will require the tough questions to be asked and the more difficult decisions to be made. It is not reasonable, especially in the current economy, to ask the taxpayer for more of their money.”
Kila
Six candidates are running for two three-year seats on Kila’s school board.
Angela Carlson
Age: 33
Occupation: customer service at Home Depot
School board or school-related experience: “I’m new to the game; my daughter is only 4. ... Most parents are on the PTO and I wanted to be more involved.”
Why she’s running: The schools Carlson attended growing up were among the state’s best in terms of test scores. “I would like to try to get us to a higher level with CRT testing,” she said. “That’s my goal, to improve our scores and our learning.”
On budget concerns: Carlson has fundraising experience from her job and said she would like to bring that to the school board, “doing different events and promoting income that way.”
She said she also hopes the school will focus on “small, achievable goals” rather than asking taxpayers for “an overwhelming amount” to meet their building needs.
Angie Gustine-Giles
Age: 30
Occupation: medical receptionist
School board or school-related experience: volunteers with reading groups in her son’s first-grade classroom; helps with other school activities
Why she’s running: “I want to reach out to the community members and listen to what their concerns are and help execute what’s on people’s minds, to be a representative for children and for our community.”
On budget concerns: “I think that we need to at least kind of get the word out about what projects we need to do,” she said, adding that she thought lack of communication with the community might be one reason the school’s bond request failed in 2009.
Lisa Hassett-Kaptanian
Age: 43
Occupation: sales associate and assistant manager at Herberger’s; also works at Majestic Valley Arena
School board or school-related experience: volunteer coach; volunteer in classrooms; volunteer grant writer for schools; co-president of the PTO
Why she’s running: “I thought maybe I would see if being involved at the board level would help more. I see a lot of the needs; I see kids in hallways trying to have reading instruction with special education and Title I. ... I am avid about the things the kids are needing there.”
On budget concerns: “We need to be ... using money the wisest way we can, and teachers need to be compensated so they’re staying there, so we don’t have high turnover. ... Kila probably doesn’t have as high salaries as some, but they do the best they can for a rural school.”
Tom Kopec, incumbent
Age: 60
Occupation: real estate broker
School board or school-related experience: three years on Kila board; former adjunct college professor
Why he’s running: “I want to hopefully focus the board on doing the best possible thing for the students as well as the taxpayers. The first thing is to, especially in this time of a relatively bad economy and reducing funds and things of this nature, to help keep the board focused on providing the best education we could.”
On budget concerns: “To some degree, after reviewing the potential budget, I think that the teachers are going to have to help us out there. ... Increases just aren’t what they used to be, and teachers just have to understand that. That’s all part of the budget. Do you pay more for the teachers’ health care, or do you go out and buy new books and new equipment for the students?”
Kami McAllister
Age: 38
Occupation: insurance agent
School board or school-related experience: used to work in Kila School’s latchkey program
Why she’s running: “I have always been active in Kila School, and I have two sons there. I was talking with a bunch of the parents there who would like to see some parents on the trustee board.”
On budget concerns: “They’ve been trying to get a levy passed for new buildings out there that I know they need. My thoughts would be maybe to look at some different options, maybe doing it smaller steps at a time.”
Judy Sommers
Age: 53
Occupation: insurance benefits plan producer
School board or school-related experience: former payroll clerk for Kalispell Public Schools
Why she’s running: Sommers is connected to the school, with children there. She also said her background working in a school district and working in insurance could be valuable.
She also said she wants to give back: “I would like to help the school and the community of Kila for years to come with the school for the next generation.”
On budget concerns: The school’s lack of space — including three teachers crammed into the basement and sick kids with nowhere to wait to be picked up but the front office — concerns Sommers. “We need to work together as a community to help the overcrowding of different buildings, and do it maybe one room at a time in this economy.”