LETTER: Keep Mary Tepas on school board

I am writing to urge the Kalispell community to re-elect Mary Tepas to the School District 5 Board of Trustees.

I know Mary as a leader and friend in the special-needs community. We both have children on the autism spectrum. She has a vigorous sense of responsibility for students and families with special needs and learning differences within our school system. She is extremely well-informed and has been a support and advocate, not just for her son, but for other students, school staff and our community.

Long gone are the days when a one-size-fits-all approach worked within our education system. And in order to reflect the changing populations of our schools, with more and more students either on the autism spectrum or facing other challenges to their learning and social skills, we need someone like Mary who can guide, direct and give experienced input to decisions and resources.

We need Mary to continue her service on the board because she fully understands the rights of students and how local and federal dollars are spent to support them. We have some excellent teachers and support staff in our schools. We need to keep someone like Mary in a position of leadership, as well. Mary understands the unique challenges of special needs, from both a parent and school leadership perspective.

Mary brings vision, expertise, and dedication to our public schools. I know that she wants every child in our community to have the same support and success that she desires for her son. We’re lucky to have such an outstanding leader, advocate and service-oriented person to vote for. Please vote for Mary Tepas in the upcoming election.

—Lorri Strand, Kalispell