School District 6 Board Race: Keri Hill

Editor’s note: There are five candidates running for three seats on the School District 6 Board of Trustees this year. Barb Riley and Keri Hill are incumbents. Incumbent Dean Chisholm opted not to run for re-election. The following are their answers to e-mailed questions by the Hungry Horse News. Ballots were mailed out Monday.

Tell us about yourself.

Occupation:

I am an esthetician and the owner of two spas in the valley. One in Kalispell for the last 13 years, and I opened my Columbia Falls location one year ago.

Family:

I am the mother of three children. They are the fourth generation in both mine and my husband’s families to attend Columbia falls schools. LaKia, a graduate of Columbia Falls high school 2021, Jace, currently a Junior, and Jory an 8th-grader. I have been married to my husband Beau for 22 years. Beau and I are both 1997 Columbia Falls high school graduates.

Education:

I ventured to eastern Montana, Miles City, for college. I have A.A. And an A.S. Graduating in 2000. I received my Esthetics license in 2010. I immediately began my career as an esthetician. Soon after becoming an owner of my spa, and now another spa this last year.

Background:

My top qualification is that I am a mother. I care about kids. I want nothing more for them, then to be successful as they enter into adulthood. Each child is unique. Each child requires different tools. I have good relationships with staff in our district, I am involved in the community, and I have good connections with families and students. I want to continue to be their voice. Also, I have served as a school board trustee in Columbia Falls School district since 2017. I serve on our district’s long range planning committee, our disciplinary board and our policy committee. There is always more work that needs to be done. I am committed to that.

Why are you running?

I want to continue to serve as a trustee because I have a vested interest in our community, our school system, our staff and most importantly, our students. I want to advocate for our kids in this district. Every single child deserves a quality education. I want them to be successful when they graduate high school and enter this great big ever changing world. We have great teachers and I want to support them in providing innovation in our classrooms .

Priorities:

I want a path forward. As a hopeful returning trustee, I have gained a vision and understanding to our districts needs. This is what fuels me moving forward.

I want to represent our tax payers in providing the best education possible. My top priority is student achievement. Change is constant. We need to mindful of that. We can’t get stuck in ruts. We need to continue to listen. Our youth are growing up in an entirely different dynamic then I did.

On Curriculum/Growth:

Our district is growing. Our community is growing. Our world is changing.

I want to be proactive, not reactive! As we continue to move out of Covid years, I feel we need to have our eyes and ears wide open. We need to set goals. Goals within curriculum and our students achievements. We need to align recourses. We always need to continue transparency. Our goals and visions should flow. Achievement should follow. As we grow, I want to be a support with all stakeholders in implementing and achieving excellence. Every child deserves a quality education.

Is there anything the board can do to make it easier for teachers to find housing?

There are individuals and groups in our community that have affordable housing as a priority and have some ideas. It is not just teachers that need this option. It’s definitely a hot topic. At this point I think the district can only lean on the vested who are trying to create opportunities and options.