Ben Meyer
My name is Ben Meyer, and I am running for a three year position at Stevensville.
I’m a product of Stevensville Schools having completed my K-12 education here. My grandmother and father both were career educators in the Stevensville School District dating back to the 1960s. I’m an educator by training and taught high school agriculture science and government in Conrad and Ronan. I previously worked for the Idaho State Board of Education overseeing Idaho’s agriculture education programs and I currently work for the National FFA Organization as a regional administrator. My wife Michelle and I have two daughters in the Stevensville School system. We live on the family ranch east of Stevensville.
I’m running to retain my seat on the board where I serve as the vice-chair. As a trustee, I’ve served on the district’s policy and calendar committees as well as the labor negotiations committee. In the community, I’m the organization leader of Stevensville’s largest 4-H club, a member of the Ravalli County 4-H Advisory Council, an officer of the Stevensville FFA Alumni & Supporters, and an active member with Montana Farm Bureau and Montana Farmers Union. I am one of three school trustees serving on the Montana Office of Public Instruction’s K-12 Data Task Force. I volunteer at the school and fill in as a substitute bus driver.
I am a career educator and I understand education both from a pedagogical and business standpoint. I strongly believe that school board’s function is to hire and support good administrators and teachers with a responsibility to equip them with the resources they need to teach. Stevensville teachers carry out amazing things when properly supported by a visionary and forward-looking school board. My support is coupled with a solid sense of fiscal responsibility to the Stevensville taxpayer. Monitoring, understanding, and governing the business decisions of the school district are a key component of my board position and a critical aspect of why I want to continue to serve on the school board.
Service to the community of Stevensville. As a product of the Stevensville Schools and a father of two daughters in the school district, I take my connection and commitment to the community of Stevensville seriously and sincerely. As in so many Montana towns, the school in Stevensville is a critical part of the fabric of the community. It is my vision as a board trustee to continue to find new partnerships and opportunities for collaboration between the school and the private sector. Students benefit from community and workforce interaction and public education is more than curriculum and instruction. I hope to advance Stevensville Schools as an institution that produces graduates who can readily find their place in the workforce and network of our community or wherever they settle in life.
I believe in a school system that produces graduates who are career and college ready. As a former career and technical education (CTE) teacher, I know first-hand the value in producing students who are academically successful and have a working knowledge of hands-on, real-world skills. The 2019 school bond that built a modern and flexible CTE department focused in agriculture and industrial trades is a perfect path forward for Stevensville students. I hope to continue advancing this part of our district to make Stevensville the premier school in the valley for graduating students who are both career and college ready.
I believe in Stevensville’s commitment and investment in Career and Technical Education. I believe that preparing students for high skill/high wage careers while in high school will only continue to grow in importance and Stevensville is poised to lead the valley in this effort. I helped author Stevensville’s new policies that encourage work-based learning by sending students out into the community for structured career development experiences while earning a grade. I hope to continue supporting the expansion and growth of this program.
I believe in Superintendent Thennis’ call to action to ramp up early childhood education, pre-K through grade 3, to ensure that students have the foundational building blocks to succeed all the way through school and beyond.
I believe in the exceptional volunteer corps that step forward to help during the school day and with the myriad of extracurricular and youth activities that take place at the school beyond the school day. I believe in the school’s current approach that supports this community involvement and the positive development its having for our students.
I acknowledge the district’s declining enrollment and the changing demographics of our community. Stevensville is already, and will continue to be faced with, doing more for our students with less in the budget. I carry a strong sense of duty and responsibility to the taxpayer into decision making processes in recognition of the changing environment Stevensville Schools are facing.
I rely on the notion that throwing money at an issue almost never fixes the issue. Instead, bright ideas and a willingness to find new solutions to both existing and new problems will see us through.
Dan Mullan
My name is Dan Mullan and I am a candidate for one of the two, three year trustee positions on the Stevensville School board.
My Personal background is that I have been a resident of Stevensville for 38 years. I am a retired educator with 34 years of experience in public education. I have 26 years in the Stevensville School District. I was the principal of Stevensville Junior High School. I was Vice Principal of Stevensville High School. Past District Special Education and 504 Director. I was a classroom instructor (teacher) teaching government and U.S. history. My other applicable Notes:
-President of the Stevensville Teachers Association
-Junior high head football coach
-High school assistant coach
-Eight years as a classroom instructor (teacher) at Victor School District
-Retired from the Montana Army National Guard after 24 years of service
-Board experience
-Elected to a one year term on the Stevensville School Board 2021 through 2022
-Elected to two terms on the Victor School Board while a resident of Victor
As an experienced school trustee I understand the duties and responsibilities associated with being a school board member
My educational background experiences coupled with my previous experiences as a school board member provide me with a unique insight into the operation of a effective school district.
I am running to ensure the district provides and supports educational and co-curricular opportunities and experiences that assists students in transitioning to the next step. To create well thought out goals for the board and school district that reflect and serve the needs of the school and community. To promote a greater role for those associated with the school district and providing input that assists the board in the decision making process. To ensure that procedures and protocols are in place in order to provide a safe environment for students and all employees while at school.
Some challenges and issues the district is facing are school financing and budgeting, including failure of current funding sources to keep pace with the operating costs of the district will create significant financial issues for the district. It is critical that the school district plans to use resources effectively and efficiently to accomplish the district goals. Careful planning of the budget and monitoring of expenditures will be key if the district is to continue to provide the best education opportunities for our students. The question of future funding will be a significant challenge. A concern the school board and district will face will be whether there will be a need to run a mill levy as a source of future funding.
Kristopher McKoy
My name is Kristopher McKoy and I’m running for Stevensville School District, School Board Trustee. I am a fifth generation Montanan, born and raised in Northwest Montana. I have two children who attend the Stevensville School’s and both are active in school and community programs. I manage the Montana division of a commercial design and construction firm and work with schools across the state helping improve their facilities. I’ve been fortunate in my role as trustee to be able to participate and lend my knowledge to our recently finished renovation project here at the Stevensville schools.
I am dedicated to advocating for our students, teachers, staff, and for the families of the Stevensville School District. If elected to continue in my role as a trustee, I will continue to focus on:
1) The Stevensville School District providing an excellent education for every Stevensville student.
2) Providing support for our superb teachers and staff, so that they can focus on and excel at their critical roles in educating our children.
3) Ensuring that our students and staff have a safe school to learn and teach in.
4) Ensuring that the Stevensville School District uses our resources to their fullest and is transparent and accountable to our community for our school’s operations.
Schools including ours are faced with many challenges with a lot of them stemming from funding shortfalls. Our school is challenged by ever increasing operating costs with funding that rarely keeps pace. My experience in managing a successful business gives me the tools and experience to make educated, cost-effective decisions with our limited funds. We need to continue our mission to provide quality facilities paired with our first class teachers and administration so we can continue to provide the best education and opportunities for our students. I am committed to always optimize and leverage the resources we have to their fullest. I would appreciate your vote to retain me as a trustee.
Stacy Kampka
My name is Stacy Kampka and I am running for the Stevensville School Board of Education. My husband and I own and operate Kampka Drywall and Deep Ground Roots Coffee in the Bitterroot Valley. We have five children, one of which have graduated from Stevensville High School, and three who are currently enrolled in the district. Since the early 1900s, my family has played pivotal roles on school boards, booster clubs, and various community organizations to bridge the gap between the district and the citizens of Stevensville.
If I am elected to the school board, I will be an advocate and voice for our most valuable stakeholders: our students, teachers, and the citizens of Stevensville. This role will require us to work together to achieve better transparency, accountability, and safety for our students and staff.
As I’ve visited with members of the community over the years, I’ve heard their concerns firsthand. Though not an all-inclusive list, some if the biggest concerns are the PHQ9 Depression Questionnaire and Youth Risk Behavior Survey administered to our students in an effort gather information for bureaucrats regarding our students’ sexual lifestyles, mental health, and other self-incriminating behaviors, all of which was administered without proper notice to parents, a violation of the US Department of Education regulations. Another common concern I hear from citizens is our students’ lack of preparedness for post-secondary education. Currently, the district’s average ACT scores fall below both the state and national levels, a critical metric utilized by all major colleges and universities to gauge the quality of their applicants. The district proficiency at mathematics is currently at 52%, reading at 45%, and science at 28%, all below the national averages. We can do better, and we must do better.
If I am elected, my commitment to hard work on behalf of our children will not stop until each child is afforded the opportunity to reach his or her full potential. The first step to reaching that goal begins with your support and your vote on Monday, April 17th.
Go Jackets!
Sean Lenahan
My name is Sean Lenahan, and I am seeking reelection to the Stevensville School District Board of Trustees for the 2023 School Trustee Election. I have served as a School Board Trustee in Stevensville for several years, and it has been an uncommon honor to represent the Stevensville community and reflect the will of our families in my role on the School Board. My mission as a Stevensville School Board Trustee is to faithfully represent the families of our amazing community with objectivity, clarity, and wisdom to ensure our children have the greatest opportunities to flourish and grow. I firmly believe that now, more than ever, our kids need stability, consistency, and accountability modeled to them in their daily lives. I have had the unique opportunity to develop and display these traits while serving our country as a United States Marine, my communities as a police officer, my customers as a business professional, and, during the course of the last several years, as a School Board Trustee in our amazing school district.
For several years, our community has contended with dynamic challenges. Navigating COVID-related restrictions and their effects on our kid’s daily lives, the historic and existential changes in how our students learn, and the cultural and moral decay that has infiltrated every aspect of our children’s formative experience has presented all our families with challenges uncommon to previous generations. During all of this turmoil, I have had the unique privilege to stand on the courage of my convictions and speak truth on behalf of our students and families. This is a responsibility I take very seriously, and I am willing to defend the uniquely inalienable rights of our parents, families, and students to be equal partners in the educational process.
Our community is a unique, beautiful blend of families with varying perspectives and experiences. It has been my distinct pleasure to see so many of our community members come together to solve seemingly insurmountable challenges to achieve spectacular outcomes for our kids. I would be honored to continue to serve your families and students as a voice on the Stevensville Schools Board of Trustees.