Regarding “How Basin’s School Bell Fell Silent,” (July 9):
In 2018, after my military service, I returned to what I always considered my hometown. Upon enrolling my boys into school, I was asked to become a part of the Basin School Board. I accepted that invitation and have been serving as a part of the board since then. I served as a trustee until 2021, when the acting board chair stepped down.
Discussions were held with the acting board members and I assumed the position as board chair. In 2025, with our school facing an uncertain future I was asked if I wanted to run for re-election. I choose to run again and serve the community school I had been a part of the past five years. In May 2025, I was elected by acclamation.
During my time on the board, we have faced many situations that challenged the existence of the Basin School. Student/staff numbers and the needs of an aging building are under continuous consideration. I have worked diligently with my fellow board members to ensure the safe and educationally inviting environment for all of the students in the Basin School district.
Unfortunately, in April, 2025 our only teacher resigned. An ad for a new teacher was immediately placed, but no applications were received. Due to budget considerations for the upcoming school year, it was necessary for the school to go into non-operational status. I encourage those with a genuine interest in the future of Basin School to attend our next meeting at 5:30 p.m. on July 17.
Shannon Phillips, Basin School Board Chair
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It is clear Jack [Lundberg, the article author] is hijacking yet another Basin board. At no meetings did Jack ask what is best for students. Not a single parent of an enrolled student has attended these meetings. No one has asked about academic programs, the number of students with needs, can they be serviced in Basin, or the school’s lack of a potable water supply.
The piece was filled with inaccuracies. Small things like inflating the number of staff by one or two, or falsely claiming he founded a government agency seem like minor details, but facts matter. He failed to mention that salaries are low despite demanding multiple roles from staff. Issues about curriculum are vague. He states problems started in 2020 without mentioning the majority of students suffered due to COVID restrictions.
We’ve seen his playbook before when Jack led, with blind ignorance of facts, the charge to disband the Basin Water Board. He threw accusations and then demanded the removal of the board. The end result was what the original board had approved, a new water system for the city. Montanans are capable of managing our own boards.
These school board members volunteer their time. They deserve the decency of understanding because they have dedicated hundreds to thousands of hours. I know tears were shed at the board meeting when the decision was made to shutter the school. Basin deserves better than this divisive, ill-informed rhetoric.
Jennifer Adams, Basin born & raised, Midvale, Utah
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Something very telling to me about the general makeup of the people coming to the Basin School board meetings is that the parents of school-aged children are not attending. There is a sizable number of school-age children living in Basin who are attending school in Boulder. Many have attended Boulder since Pre-K and Kindergarten. Parents’ choice!
In one of the stories The Monitor printed, a Basin resident spoke of the Basin School Christmas program that usually generated a lot of community support. This past Christmas, other than the County Superintendent of Schools, board members, and families of students, one individual from the community showed up.
My children and many, many others that attended Basin school went on to high school, college and other career choices and have been very successful in their lives. That’s what makes this such a difficult time. So many other schools are facing this issue – Basin is not alone in this situation. Sadly, people are saying awful things and behaving so badly that it’s becoming even more of a tragedy.
Kay Heaton, Basin (The Monitor edited this Letter to the Editor)
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Although I am a current trustee on the Basin Elementary School Board, I would like to address Jack Lundberg’s opinion piece in The Monitor as a private citizen. Opinions are just that and not necessarily factual. However, one key fact is that it is becoming increasingly more difficult for small rural schools, and public schools in general, to operate. Due to current legislation, this will only continue.
Having worked in elementary education for over twenty years and understanding confidentiality protocol, I was appalled that Jack, having never witnessed a Basin classroom situation, would tell a “story” about a student as related by a third party. It was, in my opinion, irresponsible. No one is happy with our current situation, but the approach to continuing our school’s operation needs to be a positive one, rather than trying to create blame. Facts are facts and opinions are opinions and it is up to the responsible individual to recognize the difference.
Terry C. Heaton, Basin
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I am writing in support of the Basin school board and their community volunteer work for the school. In this small town we rely on volunteerism for many aspects of everyday life.
In a recent opinion piece in The Monitor, Jack Lundberg accused board members of apathy and mismanagement while suggesting that the board harbors a hidden agenda. The world is changing rapidly and every person who steps up to fill a public role has felt the strain of shifting job markets, reduction or withdrawal of public education money and the decline in student enrollment in public schools, to name some of what must be considered.
My question has always been, why do we turn on our fellow citizens with anger and accusations? How does this help in solving problems that arise from a changing reality? How can we be helpful and collaborative in solving community problems? I am grateful to the board and school superintendent for persisting in this difficult situation.
MJ Williams, Basin
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Jack Lundberg responds:
As detailed in my article last week, problems at Basin School began around 2020, with teacher turnover plus low student proficiency scores. By 2023, Superintendent Sarah Eyer was imploring the community, in the Monitor, to “step up and support the school.” It didn’t happen, and last month the school shut down.
The board has continued to hold meetings, hoping to find a way to reopen. Last week, 16 people attended—community members, parents, and a student—and again the board kept comments to no longer than three minutes. The idea is to ensure all meeting agenda items are addressed and everybody has time to speak. In practice, attendees, including myself, were silenced before any meaningful discussion about school closure could take place.
When the board sought to move on to the next agenda item, a handful of attendees expressed their dissent. Tempers soon flared and Board Chair Shannon Phillips abruptly brought the meeting to a close, rescheduling for this Thursday. The time limit, a worthwhile idea in theory, has become a kabuki theater that mostly enables the board to blithely ignore the community.
On the issue of child safety and a January student-staff incident detailed in my recent Monitor op-ed, I didn’t speak to a so-called “third party,” as some alleged. I spoke directly with the paraprofessional involved and later dismissed. In addition, the para’s teaching of the student in isolation was confirmed by another former school staffer.
The board could have been transparent about this incident and shared all public documents. The board could have spoken directly with local parents who’ve chosen to send their kids to other schools, learned their reasons for doing so, and worked to address them. The board could have prioritized community collaboration, uniting the town over an urgent concern.
For whatever reason, they did not do these things. Their inaction – and I admit, the community’s inaction as well – failed the students, and Basin’s beloved school. The community has repeatedly expressed a willingness to work with the board to save the school. Collaboration, teamwork, and innovation are key to solving these issues, and I hope we can start down that road at Thursday’s meeting.
