Victor
Marci Smith
My name is Marci Smith and I am running for Victor school district.
My husband, Dave and I live on a farm in Victor that was homesteaded by Dave’s grandfather during the Dust Bowl years. Over the years, we raised sheep, goats, chickens, horses and countless other critters including two wonderful kids. Both of our children attended Victor School. Our daughter is finishing her junior year at MSU, and our son graduated in engineering from MSU last spring. Over the years I have volunteered hundreds of hours at Victor school, fundraising, chaperoning, reading volunteer, etc. I also was a co-leader of Victor’s 4-H Clover Club for many years.
I own a Communications firm and have been a graphic designer/art director for nearly four decades. I am currently also the board chair for the Bitterroot Valley Community College.
I have 16 years experience as a K-12 Trustee, and have attended multiple trainings and conferences with the Montana School Board Association in Helena to better understand the complexities and legalities of policy development. Being a School Board member, our prime job is to create and approve policies to guide acceptable behavior and ensure that the school environment is safe for students, teachers and school staff. School policies also help create a productive learning environment. After many years serving as Victor’s Vice Chair on the Board, I have become a firm believer that it is not the Boards’ role to micromanage the day-to-day details in our school. As long as appropriate policy is in place as guardrails, it is our job to hire the best teachers and staff, and allow them the autonomy to teach.
I am an avid supporter of public education that gives our young people a foundation to become well-rounded, open-minded and curious life-long-learners. To quote a Chinese proverb: If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people.
I am running to continue my service as Trustee because of my sincere appreciation of our school. Both of my children attended Victor, and were well-prepared for their respective college challenges and life beyond. Victor school being quite small allows for intimate knowledge of each and every student. Children rarely, if ever, fall through the cracks.
What are the issues facing your district? Money. Victor is the only school district in Ravalli County that operates 100% from a base operating budget and has no additional dollars generated from levies or bonds.
Our budgeting is challenging and will become much more so when ESSER funds sunset, and if rising costs of living continue at the current rate. It’s difficult to find and keep staff when we cannot be competitive with other district salaries.
As with other K-12 schools in our county, we will need to sharpen our pencils and tighten our budget even further. But there will come a time where we can only cut so much without sacrificing our students’ needs, and we will likely have to reach out to our district voters for funds. The importance of eduction cannot be understated, and as a society it is an investment in all of our futures.
Brooke Crutcher
My name is Brooke Crutcher, Payroll Specialist/Grants Coordinator For Government agency.
I am running for Victor School Trustee for personal reasons, as my 2 children go to Victor School. My current and previous employment I have dealt with budgets, government regulations, strategic planning and personnel, if elected I will make sure there will be proper questions asked and accountability for where our taxpayer’s dollars are spent. I want to ensure that others have a voice in making educational and administrative decisions. I want the students in Victor to have the same opportunities that kids in a large district have. I want our school to be successful for them, their friends, and all of our students to prepare for their futures. I believe I am able to serve the district as an ethical, compassionate, accountable and fair Board Member in order to meet the needs of the district.
One of Victor’s biggest challenge is getting parents involved full circle. In board meetings, showing up to sporting events, and community events. As Vice President of the newly created Parent Teacher Organization, we are striving to get more parent involvement and do more things for our children. I want to encourage the community of Victor to be involved with the school, especially if your children attend. We need everyone’s input and support to make it a successful place to learn.
Lone Rock
Gary Leese
I am Gary Leese and I am running for a seat on the Lone Rock School District #13 board.
My family moved from Idaho Falls to the Bitterroot Valley in 1949. I attended school in Corvallis, Lone Rock, and Stevensville. I went to college at U of M and at MSU. I enlisted in the Army for 3 years, serving during the Vietnam era. When I returned home in 1964, I began farming with my parents in the Three Mile area. I share four generations of farming and agriculture in this community. I was a 4-H member for 12 years and a 4-H leader for 42 years. I have always believed in the value of education and taking advantage of opportunities when they arise. These experiences allow you to become better prepared and more self-reliant to pursue future endeavors.
I have served as a school board member for over 30 years since the 1960s. I also served on the Fair Board, the County Planning Board, the State 4-H Executive Committee, and still serve today on the Ravalli County Park Board. I helped in the creation and funding for the Lone Rock Community Park and later the Ambrose Community Park.
When I returned from my service in the Army on the East Coast, I realized how great it is to live in western Montana. I made a promise that I would do whatever it takes to be an active and involved member of my community. I feel with my years of experience and my wealth of knowledge, I can continue to serve the Lone Rock School community with honor and dedication.
We are faced with many of the same issues as other schools today. I feel the COVID funds were an asset in helping offset the costs of distance learning as well as providing adequate nutrition for all students. However, in the past 7 years, we have encountered between 20 to 25% COLA increases. We are seeing rising costs of all services regarding the operation and maintenance of our school. When the ESSER funds ended, we found that due to inflation the state & federal monies were not adequate to cover our expenses. In addition, we encounter issues with providing adequate staffing for our school.
We are also in an electronic/technology-based world. In the past textbooks would last 10 to 15 years. However, most electronic devices in our schools today have a lifetime of 5 years at the most with a much higher price tag. This new way of life brought about with electronics and high speed requires a constant review and/or revision of policies as we continue to make the necessary adjustments to adapt to these changes. I was advised back in the 1960s “School board is the toughest job in politics and you serve as a volunteer”. Volunteering can be a very rewarding experience and it has provided an opportunity for me to give back to my community.
Hamilton
Jeni Seifert
My name is Jeni Seifert and I am running for Hamilton School District. I have lived in Hamilton for 20 years with my husband and I have owned Bitterroot Drug for 16 years and Mainstreet Toys for 8 years. We are blessed to have three girls ages 20, 17, and 12 who all have attended school in the Hamilton School District.
I am currently serving my 6th year on the Hamilton School Board and am also a board member of the Hamilton Downtown Association. I have been involved in several organizations in the past in SAFE, Families For Education and BEAR.
Hamilton schools are facing numerous challenging issues as well as exciting opportunities and it is crucial for our community to be actively involved in the decision-making processes. Difficult choices lie ahead with budgetary constraints and infrastructure needs resulting in a proposed bond and levy. We need to be mindful in regards to how our tax dollars for education are most efficiently utilized, while still ensuring high quality and well rounded educational opportunities for our youth remain a top priority.
I want to support teachers and administrators in creating a nurturing, safe, and challenging learning environment in which all students of all abilities will have the opportunity to succeed and meet their maximum potential. Our schools define our community and it is imperative we maintain a connectivity and strong partnership between the two.