Voters in the Ronan School District will receive different mail-in ballots, depending on their address. Those who live in Ronan proper and along Hwy. 93, identified as District 30/1, will choose between two candidates, while those in District 30/2, which encompasses the surrounding rural areas and Pablo, will elect two trustees from among four candidates.

All responded to questions emailed by the Leader, asking about their connection to the school district, relevant experiences, the main issues facing Ronan schools, top priorities if elected and how to navigate tight budgets. Not everyone sent photos to accompany these profiles.

Ronan School District 30-1

Lloyd Irvine and Dakota DesJarlais are competing for one seat on the Ronan School Board representing the downtown area and the Hwy. 93 corridor. A third candidate, Carli Hughbanks, informed the Leader on Saturday that she has withdrawn from the race.

Lloyd Irvine: Student-centered support

Irvine is a long-time resident of Ronan and the parent of two students currently enrolled in the Ronan School District. He’s worked in several areas of the federal government for 20 years, most recently in a management position for the National Interagency Fire Center which specializes in coordinating national-level support for wildland firefighting across the U.S. He’s also a small business owner.

Irvine describes himself as a strong advocate for volunteerism and says he regularly invests his own time and resources to support the youth and families in the community. Specifically, he’s coached sports and mentored, trained and employed the youth in his business. 

Irvine also offers youngsters the opportunity to learn to maintain and care for healthy, well-trained horses during the summer months. 

If elected, he aspires to bring “a more student-centered support environment” to the district that enhances youth development and strengthens positive partnerships with families and educators. He also hopes to prioritize student mental health and ensure students have access to supportive services. 

Irvine firmly believes that school districts should promote a safe, inclusive learning environment where every student feels valued and supported. Those goals can be accomplished, he writes, by supporting programs that expand academics, extra-curricular activities and career readiness and by encouraging cultural enrichment for students.

If elected, Irvine writes that he will be “strongly invested” in ensuring that the Ronan School District’s decisions are transparent and fiscally responsible, and that the administration provides informative data, encourages inclusiveness and is focused on the long- and short-term goals of students and educators. 

Irvine writes that he values collaboration and believes that strong partnerships between the district and families are essential to student achievement.

Dakota DesJarlais: Putting our children first

DesJarlais was born in Ronan but spent most of his childhood and adolescence in Arlee. He moved back to Ronan in 2016 to start a family and a business.

“I come from a long line of local educators, entrepreneurs and ranchers,” he writes.

His wife is a counselor at Ronan Middle School and their daughter is a student at K. William Harvey Elementary.

“Coaching youth sports and giving back to youth programs in our community have quickly become a passion of mine,” he writes. “I feel it is my duty as a parent and a mentor to be involved.”

As a school board member, DesJarlais hopes to help provide a brighter future for Ronan students. “This understanding has led me to throw my hat in the ring for a seat on the school board,” he writes.

As a first-generation descendant of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and a lifelong resident of the Jocko and Mission Valleys, DesJarlais believes he can contribute “an appropriate representation of our community as a whole.”

If elected, he writes, “I vow to listen to the people, learn to do the job to the best of my ability, and put our children first in future decisions.”

Ronan School District 30-2

Four candidates are vying to represent Ronan’s District 30-2, which encompasses Pablo and the district’s rural areas, including current board chair Bob Cornwell and incumbent Levi Read, as well as Jamie Baldwin and Silas Perez.

Jamie Baldwin: Passionate about early intervention

Baldwin has lived in the district for four years and has been actively involved in several leadership roles involving early childhood education, including work with the Title VI Indian Education program for the school district.

“My passion for early intervention drives much of my work,” she says. Baldwin is engaged in multiple state and local organizations and coalitions focused on early childhood development, special needs services, and family support. She says these roles have fostered insight “into the broader systems that impact our students, as well as the tools to help families understand and access services.”

Her child currently attends the district and receives special education services after being diagnosed with autism.

“Through this journey, I’ve actively advocated for his needs, collaborated with educators, and navigated the special education system firsthand,” she writes. “This experience has strengthened my commitment to ensuring that all Native students and families have access to the support, guidance and resources they deserve.”

According to Baldwin, key issues facing Ronan schools include ensuring strong, consistent support for the Indigenous community. “Many Native students face barriers that can be reduced when schools build culturally responsive systems and relationships,” she says.

She also is a proponent of building stronger collaborations between parents and educators, and notes that families often want to be involved but may not know where to start or may feel disconnected from the school system – a situation that could be improved with better trust and communication.

Baldwin also believes the district needs more Native American representation and support within the schools. “Having Native staff, advocates, and culturally informed resources helps students feel seen, understood and supported,” she writes. “Representation matters, especially in a district with a large Native population.”

If faced with tighter budgets, Baldwin says she would prioritize spending that has the greatest direct impact on students by “supporting the educators who are on the front lines every day.” Teachers, paraprofessionals, and support staff “are the backbone of our schools, and ensuring they have the resources, training, and tools they need is essential for student success,” she says.

Bob Cornwell: All students need opportunity to succeed

Cornwell, who currently chairs the Ronan School Board, and his wife have lived in the Ronan community since 1999, and both of their sons attended and graduated from Ronan schools. In addition to serving on the school board since 2010, he’s spent many years coaching baseball, soccer and leading 4-H, giving him the opportunity to work with many Mission Valley youngsters in different settings

Cornwell’s wife has taught in the district since the couple moved to Ronan, and their sons were involved in many different areas of academics, athletics and extracurricular activities. Those connections within his family and to his community help him “look at issues from several different perspectives.”

According to Cornwell, “Education will always be an issue. I am not just referring to the classroom but the continuing education of our administration, board members and community to ensure that we are well informed to deal with issues as they present themselves.”

He noted that during his tenure on the board, he’s learned the value of listening to the concerns of others. He also understands the importance of making sure that problems are handled “appropriately according to school policy and state and federal law.”

At the same time, school trustees should to be open to modifying policy “if needed to better suit the best interests of our student body.”

His says his top priority as a school board member is “making sure all our students have the opportunity to be successful.” That includes providing “a good education with as much variety as possible to make sure that we have options that fit as many of our students as possible.”

Cornwell says the board and administration in Ronan “have done a great job” over the last decade of maintaining facilities and expanding educational opportunities for students. Those actions have helped the district avoid some of the financial woes affecting schools across the state and nationwide.

“While many surrounding districts have had to make cuts in the last few years, the Ronan School District continues to be in good financial condition,” he writes. “If we continue to be responsible with our resources we should not have to worry about budgets being tight.”

Silas Perez: Communication a must

Perez has lived in the Ronan School District since 1988. His children attended school and graduated from Ronan, and he currently has 13 grandchildren who are attending kindergarten through 12th grade in Pablo and Ronan schools.

He’s worked with middle school and high school students through TRIO, a federal program that aims to increase access to higher education for economically disadvantaged students, as the Educational Talent Search coordinator. His job has connected him with students in Ronan, Arlee, Polson and St. Ignatius.

Perez also worked at Salish Kootenai College as a financial aid advisor, and then as the director of Disability Services and Veterans Affairs. He currently works for CSKT’s Tribal Education as an advocate in St. Ignatius, Arlee, Dixon and Hot Springs.

Perez says adequate funding is always an issue for schools. “Familiarity with the budget and where resources are being spent will be important for me,” he said.

As a trustee, he would also look for ways to improve the learning environment for children so they can experience academic success.

He says trustees need to be responsive to their constituents. “I want to see a school board that will be receptive to the concerns of the students and parents when matters are brought to their attention.”

Perez says that since 60-70% of the student population in Ronan is Indigenous, “building trust and communication is a must.”

“It cannot be performative,” he adds. “It must be genuine and inclusive.”

Levi Read: Back to basics

Incumbent Levi Read was born in St. Ignatius and lived in Ronan as a child. He’s resided in the district for the last 22 years, working in law enforcement.

Read is the father of three Ronan students – two attend high school and one is in middle school. His wife is the attendance clerk in the middle school.

Read has served on the school board for three years, and says the experience and knowledge he’s gleaned “will continue to allow me to develop into a better and more effective trustee.”

Read also believes his career in law enforcement gives him “unique insight into challenges our community faces that directly impact our schools.”

According to Read, “the changing face of education” is among the most significant challenges facing the Ronan school district. The issues educators face include Artificial Intelligence and its impact on the classroom and the advent of non-traditional schooling, such as Ronan’s new charter school.

He says teacher compensation and affordable housing are also issues that the board must continue to address.

Read writes that his priorities, if elected, “are to ensure that students continue to learn the basics of reading (out of books), writing (on a piece of paper with a pen or pencil), mathematics, science and history.” He’s also a proponent of physical education, theatre and the performing arts, and wants to make sure those “continue to be robust programs” in Ronan. 

If the district were confronted with tighter budgets, his approach would be “to prioritize the foundational educational basics” and make sure the district is providing a living wage for employees.

    Silas Perez – Ronan District 30/2
  

    Jamie Baldwin – Ronan District 30/2
  

    Dakota DesJarlais – Ronan District 30/1
  

    Bob Cornwell – Ronan District 30/2