School District 6 election: Jonathan Foust

Editor’s note: There are five candidates running for two seats on the School District 6 Board this year. Incumbent chairwoman Jill Rocksund is running for re-election and incumbent Jim Henjum is not seeking re-election. The election is May 8. Polls are at Glacier Gateway School only this year. Absentee ballots have been mailed out. Here’s a look at the five candidates.

Jonathan Foust is a relative newcomer to School District 6, though he’s lived in the valley since 2000 and is a Montana native. Foust, his wife Dawn and his two children have lived in the district for the past three years.

Foust, 40, is active in several valley organizations, and is the president of the Evergreen Fire District.

“I have a strong desire for community service,” he said. “That’s why I joined the military.”

He’s been in the Army Reserves for the past 17 years and currently has the rank of Staff Sergeant.

Foust has two children attending schools here — one in the high school and one in Ruder Elementary. Dawn owns Farmer’s Insurance in Columbia Falls.

Foust said his tenure of the Evergreen Fire Board has given him valuable experience working with the public.

“Education is pretty important. It’s like fire and emergency services. It’s something you have to have,” he said. In addition to being president of the Evergreen board until the end of May, he also spent six years as a volunteer emergency medical technician.

Foust works for the city of Kalispell Public Works Department and has a background in construction. He is the president of the AFSME Local 256 Union, vice president of the NWTF chapter of the Glacier Gobblers and is a member of the American Legion Post 72 in Columbia Falls.

When he’s not working, he likes to hunt and fish and spend time in the outdoors with his family. He said he doesn’t make decisions without going over plans and doing research, a trait he’d bring to the board.

“Make sure our tax money is being spent well,” he said.

He said he supported efforts for the Boys and Girls Club to build a community center here.

“I think it’s an excellent organization,” he said, “My daughter was in it for years.”

On the subject of arming teachers, he said it was possible, with the proper training, but the greater issue was school security and school resource officers were a great asset. It really comes down to staffing and what taxpayers want and are willing to pay for.