Levies, trustees on the ballots
Hilary Matheson Daily Inter Lake | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 8 years AGO
School elections are coming up May 2 and Whitefish School District is seeking general fund levies for day-to-day operations in addition to electing trustees.
Other districts will hold trustee elections only, including Bigfork, Columbia Falls, Fair-Mont-Egan, Smith Valley, and West Valley school districts.
Elections are canceled in Cayuse Prairie, Creston, Evergreen, Helena Flats, Kila, Marion, Olney-Bissell, Pleasant Valley, Somers-Lakeside, Swan River and West Glacier school districts due to uncontested trustee races and no levy increases that require a vote.
Whitefish School District is proposing a general fund levy of $232,100 for the elementary district. If approved, owners of homes with a taxable value of $200,000 may anticipate a $12.18 annual tax increase.
Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Whitefish School District Office, located in the lower level of Whitefish Middle School, 600 E. Second St.
Voters will also elect three trustee candidates to serve three-year terms on the board. Candidates are incumbents Shannon Hanson and Heather Vrentas in addition to Catherine Catina and Katie Clarke.
For more information call 406-862-8640 or visit www.wsd44.org.
Following is election information for area districts that have contested trustee positions:
Bigfork School District has two seats with three-year terms open. Candidates are incumbents Paul Sandry and Dana Whitney, Marie Duncan-Wagers and Monarae Tuhy.
About 4,300 ballots will be mailed out April 17 and are due by 8 p.m. May 2 at the district office, P.O. Box 188 Bigfork, MT 59911.
Incumbent Jessica Martinz will be seated by acclamation to a three-year term representing Salmon Prairie Elementary District in decisions regarding the high school.
For more information call 406-837-7400 or visit bigforkschools.org.
Columbia Falls has three seats with three-year terms open. Candidates include incumbents Dean Chisholm and Barbara Riley, Keri Hill and David Shaffer.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Glacier Gateway Elementary and from noon to 8 p.m. at Canyon Elementary School. Registered voters living in precincts 23 and 14 go to Canyon Elementary and all other precincts to Glacier Gateway.
For more information call 406-892-6550 or www.cfmtschools.net.
Fair-Mont-Egan has two seats with three-year terms open. Candidates are incumbent Jennifer Stebbins-Han, Chad Roth and Mark Thomas Siderius.
Polls are open from noon to 8 p.m. May 2 at the school located on 797 Fairmont Road in Kalispell.
For more information call 406-755-7072 or visit www.fmemontana.net.
Smith Valley has one position with a three-year term open. Candidates are Joshua Amundson and Robert Sutton.
Polls will be open from noon to 8:00 p.m. May 2 in the school gym.
For more information call 756-4535 or visit www.smithvalleyschool.org.
West Valley has one position with a three-year term open. Candidates are Tad Lisowski and Erica Wirtala.
A mail-ballot election will be held. About 2,711 ballots will be mailed out to active registered voters on April 13 and must be received by 8 p.m. May 2 at the school located at 2290 Farm to Market Road, Kalispell.
For more information call 755-7239 or visit www.westvalleyschool.com.
The following school districts have canceled elections and will seat candidates by acclamation due to the number of qualified candidates equaling the number of open positions:
Cayuse Prairie — incumbent Pam Skonord and Alicia Scofield, three-year terms.
Creston — Nancy Keeton and Julie Tikka, three-year terms.
Evergreen — Jon Wilson Sr. and Jim Waggener, three-year terms.
Helena Flats — incumbent Keith Nelson and Crystal Christoferson, three-year terms.
Kila — Amanda Chin, three-year term. Without enough candidates filing for open seats, someone will have to be appointed by the board to fill another three-year term.
Marion — incumbents Melissa Coscarelli, one-year term, Sandra Engeland, two-year term and Shannon Kvaalen three-year term.
Olney-Bissell — Gregory Zuckert, three-year term.
Pleasant Valley — Bambi Wilson, three-year term and incumbent Ryan Wade, two-year term.
Somers-Lakeside — incumbent Meredith Coopman, three-year term.
Swan River — incumbents Dan Elwell, Brooke Hansen, both three-year terms and Nels Hammack, one-year term.
West Glacier — Will have to appoint three people to a one-, two- and three-year term since no candidates applied.
No information was available regarding the May election for Deer Park, which has three trustee positions open for two, three-year terms and a two-year term.
Reporter Hilary Matheson can be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.
This article was updated to reflect the Bigfork School District board April 12 decision to not request a levy.
MORE IMPORTED STORIES
ARTICLES BY HILARY MATHESON DAILY INTER LAKE
No headline
The University of Montana is still in the early stages of transformation under the leadership of university president Seth Bodnar.
No headline
A lifelong learner
After 11 years at Edgerton Elementary, Merisa Murray will open new doors in her career as principal of Rankin Elementary when it opens in 2018.