Three school board spots open

Three of the seven positions on the

Whitefish School Board are up for re-election this spring. The

election will take place on Tuesday, May 3, with polling at the

school district offices in the basement of the middle school.

The three-year positions for David

Fern, Eric Hosek and Brian McDowell are up for re-election. So far,

only David Fern has filed for election.

Fern is seeking his seventh term on the

board. Hosek and McDowell are not seeking re-election.

The deadline for candidate filing is

March 24. Candidates need at least 20 signatures from voters

registered in the school district. For more information on filing,

contact school district clerk Danelle Reisch.

The school board has not yet approved

putting a levy on the ballot because they’re waiting to see what

the Montana Legislature does about school funding, Reisch told the

Pilot. The deadline for the board to decide on a levy is April

8.

Facing a projected budget shortfall

that could be as high as $883,219, school administrators said in

January they will recommend a levy to the board this spring.

Voters must register by April 3. The

district has more than 7,000 voters, but voter turnout has

typically been low, from 10-15 percent. An all mail-in would likely

increase turnout, but it’s expensive, Reisch said.

Absentee ballots will be mailed out

April 13. Voters who are on the “permanent absentee” list will

receive a ballot automatically. Reisch said there are about 1,800

voters on that list.

Potential issues in the election

include the impact of shrinking enrollment and the recession on

school budgets, higher property-tax reappraisals in the Whitefish

area, and the district’s promotion of a new high school

building.

Not on that list will be a new school

district superintendent. The board will choose a replacement for

Jerry House, who will retire June 30, sometime in mid-April, Reisch

said.

The application deadline for

superintendent candidates is in early March.

The school board hired Omaha, Neb.,

consulting firm McPherson and Jacobson last fall to conduct a

search process for a new school superintendent.

Consultants William and Barbara Dean

have met with community, staff and student groups.

The school board will interview

candidates the week of April 4.