Candidates compete for two open school board positions

Bigfork Eagle

Residents will have three candidates to choose from next week for the two open positions on the Bigfork School Board.

The two three-year term positions for the elementary school district are currently held by Thaddeus Jordt and Mike Roessmann, both of whom are running for re-election. They will be challenged by Heather Postlewait.

Voting will take place Tuesday, May 4, at the ARK at Bethany Lutheran Church. The polls will be open between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. for registered voters in the Bigfork district.

The Bigfork Eagle posed a number of questions to the candidates. Here are some of their responses.

THADDEUS JORDT

-Background: I was born and raised in Kalispell. I married and then moved to Bigfork. I've lived in Bigfork for 18 years. I work in the timber industry — I own a logging business.

I have three boys and a little girl all in the Bigfork School system.

-Why do you want to serve on the Bigfork School Board?

One of the main reasons is that I have kids still in school. When doing the superintendent search, the school board put in lot of work in that whole process. Everyone decided we'd try to stick it out for another term to get some stability with the board with a new super coming in.

-What experience have you had with the schools and the school board?

It's been a huge learning experience. I've served one term of three years. It seems like I'm just now figuring out what's going on.

I also coach the younger kids in the Flathead Valley football program and basketball traveling teams — elementary and middle school ages.

-What do think are the major strengths of the Bigfork School District?

The student-to-teacher raio — I like the smaller classes. I think it's a great school for my kids to be in.

-What are the district's greatest challenges at this time?

The biggest challenge I think with everybody is budget constraints. A lot of that is contributed to losing kids. If you look at all the kids in the Valley, it's all over. The VHS, Virtual High School, program is drawing some kids, so that's good.

-Why should someone vote for you over one of the other candidates?

I've been on the board. I want my kids to grow up in the schools and I want my kids to have great opportunities. I think we've got a good board. Only being there one term, it takes awhile to figure out what all goes on in the school.

HEATHER POSTLEWAIT

-Background: Although I was born in Bozeman, I grew up in the Washington, D.C., area with my mother and stepfather. I came to the Bigfork area to visit my mother after my step-father died, met John Postlewait, and the rest is history.

I have lived in Bigfork for nearly 20 years, have been married to John for 15 years and am the proud mom to two boys, Grayson (13) and Fletcher (6).

I am currently the estate manager for Betty Wetzel, a local resident, and before that, managed a wholesale manufacturing business in the area and worked as a substitute teacher for Bigfork schools.

I am also the property manager for a large summer rental in Yellow Bay. I am an active parent at school and in the boys' sports — baseball, basketball, football and soccer. John has been a baseball coach for many years.

I was raised to believe in volunteerism. My great-grandfather was a county commissioner for Gallatin County, my grandfather was very active on both the school board and in his church, and my father is currently running for county commissioner in Madison County. My mother has also volunteered for many organizations over the years, both in Kalispell and Maryland.

My family has always been active, and continues to participate whenever they can.

-Why do you want to serve on the Bigfork School Board?

I decided to run for the Bigfork School Board because I am concerned about the constant, steady flow of our students to Kalispell schools, especially for high school. I am concerned with further loss of funding for all of our students should this problem not be addressed.

I believe that our schools and students are doing a fine job academically, being that BHS received the highest test scores for four years running, compared to other Valley schools, for the No Child Left Behind Program, and the rate of college attendance and completion. The Virtual High School program also looks very promising, regarding course availability, and I believe it is the only such program in the Valley.

Being a smaller school can be a benefit to kids and parents as students navigate the sometimes turbulent school years and we need to promote these positive aspects of our schools within our community.

I decided to run because I saw the articles in the Bigfork Eagle and The Daily Inter Lake within days of each other. It is something I had been thinking of for awhile.

-What experience have you had with the schools and the school board?

I have been an involved parent for both of my sons at school, by volunteering in the classroom, trying maintain an open line of communication with the teachers my children have, and keeping an eye on what is generally going on in the school as a whole.

Being a substitute was really helpful in witnessing the day-to-day workings of the schools and some of the struggles teachers and students face, although there is much to learn. I was also a student advisor for Junior Friends of Bigfork Schools during my son's third grade year, and I helped to get the local Cub Scouts Troop going for that age group.

I think the best, and perhaps only way to get school board experience is to be on the school board. Other than what is available to read and research, I imagine it's a learn as you go process, but watching my grandpa and other family members serve on their school boards, I understand the seriousness and dedication it requires.

-What do think are the major strengths of the Bigfork School District? As mentioned earlier, I believe Bigfork schools have many strengths. Not the least of these, parent/teacher involvement and dedication which is not always possible in large schools. Having attended a larger schools myself, I really value the smaller class sizes and hometown feel, but we also need to look forward to the future in order to stay competitive and allow our kids to excel in any arena they choose to enter.

-What are the district's greatest challenges at this time? How do you plan to approach and/or deal with those challenges? As with all areas of the economy, obviously the budget, and fiscal responsibility is a major concern. Trying to find ways to save without cutting favorite programs will, I'm sure, be very difficult. My business experience will be helpful.

Also, bullying has been a concern for some students and parents, and I am glad to see it is now being addressed out in the open. The days of a bully stealing your lunch money are gone. Rude texting, Facebook and instant messaging have taken their place. Acknowledging a problem is key. We must be diligent and open minded to be able to protect and teach our children how to survive in our ever modernizing world.

Since change is difficult during the best of times, I believe that decisions can sometimes take longer to make than is desirable. I believe that my decisive nature would be an asset to the board's decision-making process.

-Why should someone vote for you over one of the other candidates?

My children are my highest priority, and since I have two sons in school, I think I would be a good candidate for the board because I have a vested interest in the schools' futures for many years to come. It is our responsibility as parents and citizens to do whatever we can for the betterment of their future and our community. Also, it is many times a good thing to have a fresh perspective for some situations, and that is not always possible if the board roster does not change.

MIKE ROESSMANN

-Background: Our family moved to Bigfork 18 years ago from Colorado. I'm married to Pam (wife of 27 years' and we have three children, Nathan (22), Celia (18 and a senior at BHS), and Seth (15 and a freshman at BHS). All three kids have been at Bigfork since kindergarten.

I'm a general contractor and have owned Snow Country Construction for the past 16 years.

-Why do you want to continue to serve on the Bigfork School Board?

When I first got on the board, it was to fill a seat that had been vacated mid-term. I hadn't made a conscious decision to run, but I felt like I was doing my civic duty.

After six years, I've really started to feel like I have begun to fully understand the nuances of the trustee position. It takes quite a bit of time commitment, but in the end it's a very rewarding and fulfilling position. I really questioned whether to run this term mainly due to the time constraints, but the final denominator for me was the fact that we were going to be getting a new superintendent and I felt this really wasn't the time to leave.

-What experience have you had with the schools and the school board?

I currently chair the facilities committee and I'm also the activities liaison between the activities director Matt Porrovecchio and the school board. While on the facilities committee, it has been a real treat to work alongside Russ Kinzer. He has taught me so much about the management of the campus even with limited funds. Over time the buildings and infrastructure need serious maintenance; being proactive and having good continuous upkeep is critical. Being the liaison has also been an interesting and eye-opening proposition. I wish sometimes that the same time and energy that parents put into the activities would also carry over to the academic arena.

-What do think are the major strengths of the Bigfork School District? Our greatest strength is the commitment to a quality education. We have made concerted efforts to get bright and energetic educators into our schools. We also try to keep class sizes at reasonable levels to ensure maximum attention and limited distraction. Our HPT (High Performance Teams' are continually working to align curriculum K-12. Education is fundamentally very basic the object is to educate the students coming through the system. However, when you break it down to more specific levels you start to see the absolute relationships between the progression the student makes year to year depending on what he learns and when. I'm very excited about the prospects of having the three schools on this campus having complete synchronically with each other. The Virtual High School (online classes' has also been a great addition to our curriculum opportunities. With budgets being limited and the prospect of even greater shortfalls looming in the future, it's important to look at options that will be economical yet continue to provide students with opportunity for greater academic advancement. This program fits that bill and my hope is that it will continue to grow year by year as the students and parents recognize it's potential. All in all our greatest strength is our energy and our positive outlook. We have been through much adversity over the last few years and through it all we have become more focused and resilient

-What are the district's greatest challenges at this time? How do you plan to approach and/or deal with those challenges? Primarily financial issues will the major problem plaguing our schools over the next few years. This is not a problem that is specific to Bigfork schools, but the impacts will be. We have already gone though one RIF 'reduction in force) process this year and it may not be our last in respect to next year. You work so hard to establish a faculty that is top notch and then given financial circumstance you are forced into letting staff go. It's a bitter pill to swallow yet we need to regroup and plan for the future regardless of circumstance.

-Why should someone vote for you over one of the other candidates?

My grade school and high school educational experience was parochial. Parents played a very limited role in the process and for the most part showed up for band concerts and sporting events. When we came to Bigfork, it became evident that parental involvement was encouraged and governance of the school fell squarely in the hands of the community. Participating in the school board process for the last six years has been a real eye opening and stimulating opportunity. I've had a tremendously positive experience. More often than not when people find out that I'm on the board they offer their condolences which makes me laugh. Personally, I'm very heartened to participate in such an important process and I don't view it as burden or inconvenience. Yes, there are times that you wish circumstance that we deal with were different, but that's life.

My hopes and goals for this school are fundamentally basic: provide a safe and purposeful environment for kids in this community to get an education. Whether the student plans to continue on to a higher level of education doesn't matter to me. What does matter to me is that the Bigfork graduate is prepared to move forward and prosper. In this day and age, students who plan to join the work force still need to be well educated and capable. A good education is the foundation for all that you can become. My job is to enable the administration and faculty to do just that. All I can offer is my promise to continue to work in the best interests of this school district and all of its students.