Three newcomers vie for Whitefish seats
There are three three-year seats up for grabs on the Whitefish school board and four candidates in the running for those positions.
Dave Fern is the only incumbent on the ballot. Heather Vrentas, Tagen Vine and Shawn Watts are newcomers hoping to secure full terms as trustees.
Polls are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the district board room.
Name: Dave Fern
Occupation: Owner, Chimney Solutions
Background/experience: Has served on the Whitefish school board for 18 years, including five as chairman; has served on district negotiations and building committees; has served as president of the Montana School Boards Association; eight-year member of the Montana High School Association’s board of directors; three children graduated from Whitefish High School
Why he’s running: “It’s hard to believe, but I mostly enjoy the experience. I think I work well within the structure of a board. ... I think I understand that pretty well and hopefully have my eyes on the prize, which is the highest student achievement possible within our school district. ...
“I asked myself, after 18 years, am I still willing to accept new ideas? Because that’s so important in being on a school board and establishing planning ... while you honor traditional ideas and planning, it’s important to be open to new, innovative ideas. When I answered the question to myself, I thought, why not try it again, as long as I’m not tired and am willing to participate and do my homework and attend meetings — which I am.”
Name: Heather Vrentas
Occupation: General manager, Montana Coffee Traders
Background/experience: Experience as a business manager with team building and collaboration; Children’s House Montessori board member for three years, including one as board secretary; has 9-year-old twins in third grade at Muldown
Why she’s running: “I support public education. I am committed to investing my time and energy at the organizational level to further expand opportunities and excellence in our district’s education. I want Whitefish public education to be world class and produce the best leaders and lifelong learners prepared to compete in a global economy.
“I believe that local citizen guidance and decision-making in education is key to matching needs and goals of excellence with taxpayers’ concerns.”
Name: Tagen Vine
Occupation: Director, Northwest Healthcare Foundation
Background/experience: His parents, aunts and uncles were educators; experience with outdoor education and community planning; 11 years’ employment with Boy Scouts of America, including seven years as director for Boy Scouts in Western Montana; Rotary Club board member; Rotary Foundation board member; Montana Ambassadors board member; Montana Health Care Association board member; three daughters who will attend Whitefish schools, including a current first-grader at Muldown
Why he’s running: “This is a great time to get engaged. ... It’s a transformational time in education in our country, let alone in Whitefish, with a new superintendent and new trustees and the transition from 20th to 21st century learning with the tools available for that. It seems like a very exciting time to get involved in education. ...
“Service and philanthropy are two things I believe very strongly in. ... My belief in service and belief in education, the two came together in the school board. I have a passion for education programs and for seeing my friends and my family have the best experience possible in schools.”
Name: Shawn Watts
Occupation: Senior program manager, Plum Creek Timber Co.’s real estate department
Background/experience: Experience finding more efficient and effective ways of doing business, leading efforts to design process improvements and to design and implement new computer software systems at Plum Creek; Speak Up Whitefish parent representative; Whitefish Middle School scheduling committee member; parent group facilitator during superintendent interviews; Whitefish Education Foundation board of directors member; Shepherd’s Hand Free Clinic board of directors president
Why he’s running: “I place a tremendous value on education. And having grown up with a father that taught in the Minneapolis Public Schools system, I appreciate the real challenges faced by our teachers and other education professionals. I also appreciate the outstanding work they do in spite of those challenges.
“At one level then, my goal as a trustee would simply be to support the continuation of the good work going on in our district. However, I also believe that our system of public education locally needs to be transformed, reinvented. ... As a result [of globalization], the responsibilities and opportunities of effective citizenship are more complex than ever and require fundamental changes in the education system that prepares our students for such citizenship.
“The process that started with Speak Up Whitefish has resulted in a district strategic plan that is prepared to meet this challenge head on. ... It provides a set of overarching goals that are focused on curriculum and instructional method, facilities and community engagement. And it provides an implementation framework for the changes necessary to ensure student success.
“I am running for a position as school board trustee because I believe that I can make a positive and effective contribution to our community’s efforts to achieve that vision.”