School District 6 Board Race: Megan Upton

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/Education/Background/Education

Columbia Falls has been my lifetime home, where I attended School District 6, K-12. I graduated CFHS in 1999. I married my high school sweetheart and we have two children. I was a stay-at-home mom for over 11 years before I pursued my license for massage therapy. I was the owner of Columbia Mountain Massage Therapy for five years. I am currently a small business owner and co-owner at 406 Soap and Candle Company. Last year I had the opportunity to homeschool our son, and it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. It is truly magical watching a child learn in a structured setting! In our free time as a family, we love spending time outdoors and making memories in this awesome place we are blessed to call home!

Do you have children attending School District 6?

Our son is currently a freshman at Columbia Falls High School and he plays JV for our new baseball team. Our daughter graduated from CFHS in 2022.

Why are you running?

Being involved in the education of my children has always been important to me and a responsibility I am passionate about. The opportunity to seek a trustee position is valuable because I can be directly involved. I do believe the best trustees on a school board are those who have children in school, as they know and can immediately relate to the issues and challenges our kids are facing. Fresh faces, perspectives, and ideas are healthy and necessary in maintaining an impactful, hardworking school board that is beneficial to our kids. I will be a positive influence in advocating for academic success and a quality education for students. I want to find ways to support our teachers with more resources in their classrooms and I would like to see their pay increased to a competitive wage. I would also like to build stronger, more cohesive relationships between our parents, teachers, administrators, school board and new superintendent. Effective and respectful communication promotes educational excellence for our kids. Finding ways to improve the safety of our facilities and protecting our students is an issue that is crucial to all of us, especially when our children spend much of their day in school. There are many distractions in our classrooms, such as cell phones. Parents working with the district can come up with some positive solutions to all of the time taken away from instruction. Being a good steward of hard-earned taxpayer dollars and being transparent with these dollars will benefit all stakeholders. Reviewing, changing and expanding policy is also important in keeping with the current times.

Are there any changes you’d like to see in curriculum?

I am concerned as a parent for our children’s struggles to be proficient in reading and math. We should support the teaching staff with a curriculum that aides all students in becoming successful. With that in mind, we should always be mindful of improving assessments and testing to come up with ways to accurately measure their progress. If I am elected, I will be an advocate for promoting any curriculum or program that aides in the educational success and high achievement of our students.

What are your greatest assets?

I am a conservative woman of faith. My assets include, but are never perfect: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and self-control. I am a great listener and I take necessary time to process information. When I don’t understand something, I try and seek wise counsel to learn. I am a business owner which presses me to be prompt and detail oriented. My heart for helping children grow and become successful is huge, and protecting them from things that are unhealthy or not of value is essential.

With the housing crunch in Columbia Falls, is there anything the district can do to make it easier for teachers to find housing?

The housing crunch in our valley is a complex and diabolical issue that does not have an easy solution. I wish that it did. It is not only unique to our teachers; many people are struggling. I do not have any experience or knowledge about how a school board can help, but paying our teachers a higher wage and possibly negotiating with a local developer for affordable teacher housing may offer some relief. Perhaps, some outreach to homeowners who have extra housing and a heart for education would be a good start. It would give the younger staff a year or two to get acquainted with the community and find what they need. Giving a hand up is always a good thing. A hotline to call with available teacher housing may work in the short term.