[Note: This story has been amended to include Clint Rieder, who will be elected by acclamation to the Jefferson High School Board of Trustees.]
As of the filing deadline April 5, school board races in Clancy, Whitehall, and Boulder have confirmed slates of candidates. Elections will be held county-wide on May 7, with winners seated to board seats for terms of 3 years. No elections will be held for Jefferson High School’s board, or for the Cardwell, Montana City, Basin, and Whitehall Elementary districts. Candidates for these races will be seated by acclamation, as they are uncontested in their elections.
Boulder Elementary School’s board has two vacancies, and a field of candidates competing for the open positions. Cheryl Hecht, a current trustee seeking re-election after her first term in office, and Melody Grant, who taught 5th grade at Boulder Elementary for 32 years and who herself graduated from the school, are joined by Lance Hoover and Ray Woods as candidates to the board.
“Since I trained my first horse when I was 12, I’ve been working in training and education for 55 years,” said Hecht. “I have a passion for teaching, and a passion for children.” Hecht, should she be elected to a second term, intends to focus on improving community involvement and financial reporting transparency. According to Hecht, as of July, 2023, Boulder Elementary reported a $112,000 operating deficit in the previous fiscal year, which has, according to Hecht, caused some residents to be concerned about the school’s long-term financial planning.
“We need to be flexible and creative in our budgeting and funding planning,” said Grant. “We have a lot of quality programs, and teachers, here. I’m running because I still care deeply for my school, and I have a lot of knowledge about our history that could be useful.”
Hoover, a retired Lowe’s store manager with a breadth of corporate leadership experience, is father to two Boulder Elementary graduates and one current student. According to Hoover, he is running to more actively foster board support for school faculty members and staff, while lending his managerial experience to the district more broadly.
“I just love Boulder,” said Hoover. “And everyone always says that the two toughest professions are teaching and law enforcement. No one goes into them to get rich. We need to support our staff. We’ve lost 3 superintendents in 4 years here; something needs to change.”
Woods, a Boulder native and elementary school graduate presently working as an environmental consultant in Helena, is also concerned with community culture at the school. “People need to be able to work with each other,” said Woods. “We need to create some stability, and make sure we can retain staff for the long-term.” Woods also hopes to ensure fair compensation and treatment for employees, while advocating for more equitable evaluation tools for teachers and students alike.
While both Whitehall’s and Boulder’s races are administered by Jefferson County, Clancy Elementary School will administer its own school board election this spring, where Dan Johnson and Marci Parks will compete to fill a single vacancy. Johnson, a loss control consultant for the Montana State Fund, and Parks, an educational consultant, are both inspired by an intense admiration for Clancy Elementary School and seek to more actively involve themselves in their community.
“Clancy is excellent, and there’s real longevity to that reputation,” said Parks. “Yet you never really arrive in education; we can always strive to do more.” Parks, having worked extensively with teachers and administrators across the state, hopes to provide Clancy staff with high quality professional development and improved professional resources.
“I’ve always been a community driven individual,” said Johnson. “There’s a lot changing in Clancy: our new superintendent, for example. There’s also talk of new growth opportunities, like building an addition to the school or providing our students with early exposure to trades programs.” Johnson emphasized the importance of balancing new growth with responsible fiscal planning.
Whitehall High School’s board district has one vacancy, and will be determined in a head-to-head election between Whitehall parents Robin Becker and Questa Edwards. Becker is a psychiatric nurse practitioner, currently serving on the Whitehall High School board as a 2022 appointee. This is her first contested election.
“These are rapidly changing, challenging times,” said Becker. “I am deeply committed to improving educational outcomes for our students, and in preparing them for the unique challenges that lie ahead.” Becker also emphasized her focus on expanding youth access to mental health resources, and how her experiences as a healthcare professional and acting board member have prepared her for the role’s many varying responsibilities.
Edwards, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Reserves with 24 years of service, has centered her campaign around the day-to-day challenges of educating children, such as class sizes, teacher workloads, and the maintenance of a positive, safe learning environment for students. In an interview with The Monitor, she spoke to the potential impact of House Bill 203, which allows students to enroll in any neighboring school district they so choose, may have on Montana school boards.
“The bill forces schools to maintain a positive relationship with their constituents,” said Edwards. “School boards have a responsibility to implement long-term policies that are responsible, and also attractive to families.”
Without an election necessary, the following candidates will be seated by acclamation: Jefferson High School’s Clint Rieder, Camilla Robson and Erika Morris, Montana City Elementary’s Stephanie Boysen and Michael Wilkerson, Basin Elementary’s Scott Brock, and Whitehall Elementary’s Rico Patacini and Aaron Hildreath
