School District 6 board race: Heather Mumby

Heather Mumby is from the Flathead Valley and graduated tom Flathead High School. She moved to Columbia Falls 11 years ago and has served as the district clerk for Cayuse Prairie School for the past 12 years. She has a son who attends Glacier Gateway and she also volunteers on the district’s long-term planning committee.

Mumby said her experience as district clerk at Cayuse Prairie School would be an asset if she were elected.

“I think that I can really contribute with my knowledge of school finance, being a community member and also being a parent with a child in this school system,” she said. “I have been impressed with the school district. I haven’t had any qualms and I love what they are doing in our schools. I was really impressed a few years back how the school and community came together during the cyber attack. I had a unique perspective as both a parent and as an employee at a different school. I never had any worries about my son going to school after that happened. It’s a good opportunity. There is a lot that I don’t know, but I love how this school has a great balance of recognizing achievements in both sports and academics. That is something you don’t always see at every school. I really like that.”

On the issues of elementary building and partnering with the Boys and Girls Club, Mumby says she is in favor of both.

“I really think that we need to build. I am appalled that we don’t have enough space at Ruder for kindergarten to have P.E. I just couldn’t get past that,” she said. “My son is on the ‘longest school hallway in the state of Montana’ and I think they do an amazing job with what they have, but you can tell that it is not going to last much longer. I also think putting a Boys and Girls Club facility at Ruder is a great idea. I actually worked for the Boys and Girls Club in Ronan and our son has been in their program. I think having a good after-school program is very important and I wish we could have a before-school program as well.”

As for arming teachers, Mumby said she is undecided.

“I go back and forth on that issue. I am both a parent and a gun owner as well as a school staff member. There are some pretty stringent rules in that bill as far as training in involved. I think it is dependent on the philosophy of each individual school and how the community feels about it. There also some details in that bill that need to be figured out,” she said. “The way it is written now, it has to be a full-time employee, so I am not sure how far that bill is going to go. I think the school and the SRO do a good job of keeping track of the kids right now, so I am not sure it would be needed here anyway.”