School board race: Keri Hill

Editor’s note: This year four people are running for three seats in the School District 6 board election. The following are their views on education and serving on the board. Ballots were mailed out to registered voters last week. There is no walk-in vote due to concerns about spreading novel coronavirus.

Keri Hill...

Tell us a little bit about yourself, what you do for a living, family, etc.

I have been on the school board for the past three years. I’m an esthetician and spa owner. I have a husband, Beau, daughter LaKia, two sons Jace and Jory. As a family we love filling our time with sports, camping, fishing, hunting and hiking.

Why are you running? I am committed to finding ways to give back and continue to provide our students with every possible opportunity to grow and succeed. I want to continue my position to help foresee unfinished projects and goals.

What are your qualifications? Served in multiple capacities for different youth organizations throughout the county; elementary and junior high coach; paraeducator and substitute teacher, foster care parent; Head Start president of parent board; PTA president and member; youth grant writing committee; and after-school program board member and volunteer. Lifelong Columbia Falls resident. My children will be fourth generation Columbia Falls graduates.

What’s your greatest concern with Columbia Falls education? I have no great concerns on the education front. I would however like more support staff on the student and family advocate front. We need an advocate in each school. I think a huge part of a students’ success in the classroom has to do with staff relationships and communication with the kiddos and their families. A student and family advocate helps bridge that gap. I think our staff is doing a great job conquering this — they want to have good relationships with their students. An advocate would just help lessen that burden. Absenteeism is low, test scores are good, we show growth. As we keep caring, (providing an advocate) we will keep surpassing the standards.

How can Columbia Falls schools be improved? Our community has stepped up each time we have come to them with a need. As a board, we do not do this frivolously. There is many months of deliberation, community involvement, back and forth conversations.

Our school district is in great shape with the new construction happening at the elementary schools and the safety addition at the junior. high, and also the new playing fields. We also integrated some new quality technology with our recent tech levy. Improvements can always be taking place. And so can responsible management. We always want to be showing we are good responsible stewards of the taxpayers’ money.

Do you have any goals you’d like to see the district accomplish during your tenure? In education there is always a challenge! One challenge I see, is our educators are preparing our students for jobs in the future which have not yet been thought of. It is one of my goals, to continue to keep supporting our district in being innovative and forward thinking!