Board member wants phone calls, no emails

School board member Larry Wilson wants people to call him and talk directly if they have an issue, not via email or social media.

“I want to talk to them. I want them to talk to me,” he said during a board meeting last Tuesday.

The issue came up when a parent called the district offices recently concerned about teachers recognizing “Red for Ed” day, where they wore red clothing to support public schools and protest the nomination of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.

DeVos was opposed by school teachers because she supports taxpayer dollars for charter and private schools. Despite protests nationwide, DeVos was confirmed by the Senate earlier this month in an historic 51-50, with Vice President Mike Pence breaking the tie.

In response to the parent’s request, the school administration staff suggested each board member utilize a new email address.

But Wilson was opposed. He said he wouldn’t use it, even if they gave it to him.

“Even if I wanted to (use email),” he said. “I don’t want to.”

The school district web site lists the board members and their biographies, but it doesn’t list contact phone numbers or email addresses for that matter.

Trustee Dean Chisholm said he still checks the old school email he used to have. It’s supposed to be defunct, but he said it still works.

Chisholm recalled getting 1,700 mostly angry emails from across the country the last time there was a controversy in Columbia Falls. That case centered around a girl who left a hunting rifle in her car trunk while she was at school.

In 2010, Demari DeReu, a 16-year-old junior, was suspended and faced expulsion after telling school officials about an unloaded gun she had forgotten to remove from the trunk of her car.

The school did not expel her — though bringing a gun on school grounds can cause for expulsion under school policy. The case brought national attention to the school.

The board made no formal decision on whether to go forward with new email contacts. Junior High Principal Dave Wick suggested there should be a form on the school’s web site that people fill out and it sens an email to the board member.

That sort of system cuts down on spam, too.

In other board news:

• The board formally set the school board election. Up for re-election this year are Barb Riley, Chisholm and Lyle Mitchell. David Shaffer, a former teacher, has formally applied to run as well. Anyone else who is interested in running for school board has until March 23 to file at the school district offices. The election is in May.

• The board learned that to replace the bleachers in the high school gym it would cost about $114,000 according to one quote the district received. The board took no action on the matter.

• The board also approved several new hires, including, Penni Anello, Glacier Gateway principal for the 2017-2018 school year; Tracy Swope, elementary special education teacher, Jenny Jarvis, junior-senior high elementary education teacher, Tamara Sundberg, at risk student and family advocate.