School board positions filled in most local districts

School board trustee elections in all but four public school districts have been canceled this spring.

In most districts, the number of applicants matched the number of seats that were open on the school board. When that happens, districts don’t have to ask voters to approve the candidates; instead, the trustees are elected by acclamation.

The only districts with more candidates than seats are Kalispell, Smith Valley, Columbia Falls and Whitefish.

In Kalispell and Smith Valley, trustees were elected by acclamation to some school board positions.

John Michael Myers and incumbent Frank Miller have been elected by acclamation to three-year terms on Kalispell’s elementary board. Mark Twichel was elected by acclamation to a two-year elementary position. Jack Fallon will fill a one-year seat on the high school board, representing the Evergreen and Helena Flats districts.

There is one three-year position open on the Kalispell board, a high school seat representing the West Valley, Smith Valley, Pleasant Valley, Marion and Olney-Bissell districts.

Tom Clark, the incumbent, and Greg Harris are the candidates for the seat.

In Smith Valley, incumbents Duane Dierenfield and Jerry Snell were elected by acclamation to one-year positions on the board. Incumbent Christy Berry and Robert Sutton are the candidates for a three-year seat.

Columbia Falls has six candidates for three open positions on the board. The three incumbents — Dean Chisholm, Scott Emmerich and Darrell Newby — are running again. Also running are Dee Brown, Jenny Draband and Lyle Mitchell.

There are four candidates for three three-year terms on the Whitefish school board. Incumbent Dave Fern is running again. Heather Vrentas, Tagen Vine and Shawn Watts also are on the ballot.

In those four districts, voters will choose trustees during the May 3 school elections.

Polls will be open that day at school districts that don’t have elections of their own. Voters in those districts will still have to decide on members for Flathead Valley Community College’s board of trustees.

Voters in West Valley, Pleasant Valley, Marion and Olney-Bissell also have to decide who will represent them on Kalispell’s high school board.

The following trustees were elected by acclamation:

• Bigfork — Doug Fraley (incumbent), three-year elementary term; Paul Sandry (incumbent), three-year elementary term; Dave Carlson (incumbent), three-year high school term

• Cayuse Prairie — Pam Skonord (incumbent), three-year term; Jason Rausch, three-year term; Allyson Bailey (incumbent), one-year term

• Creston — Shannon Kimball (incumbent), three-year term; Linda Addington, three-year term

• Deer Park — Gary Anderson (incumbent), three-year term; Cindy Barnes (incumbent), three-year term

• Evergreen — Jon Wilson Sr. (incumbent), three-year term; Jim Waggener (incumbent), three-year term

• Fair-Mont-Egan — Jeff Wilson (incumbent), three-year term; Willa Manger, three-year term

• Helena Flats — Kari Macken (incumbent), three-year term; Shawn Boelman (incumbent), three-year term

• Kila — Cynthia Frech (incumbent), three-year term; Tom Kopec, three-year term; Angie Giles (incumbent), one-year term

• Marion — Jesse Westphal, three-year term

• Olney-Bissell — John Piedmonte (incumbent), three-year term; Tony Hagadone (incumbent), three-year term

• Pleasant Valley — Bud Salyer (incumbent), three-year term; Janet Monk (incumbent), two-year term; Ann Marie Becker (incumbent), one-year term

• Somers-Lakeside — Alice Blasdel (incumbent), three-year term

• Swan River — Tamus Gannon (incumbent), three-year term; Eddie Crutsinger, three-year term

• West Glacier — Harold Price, three-year term

• West Valley — Rochelle Nicholson (incumbent), three-year term; Cory Hill (incumbent), one-year term