Hanson represents those not always heard

Shannon Hanson is running for another term on the Whitefish School Board to represent those not always heard.

“I want to try to be a voice of the under represented student,” he said.

Hanson said that was one of the reasons he first joined the school board six years ago.

Hanson pointed to the district’s policy that bars students from having unnatural hair color or style, as well as the district’s drug policy as two reasons he wants to retain his seat on the board.

“I believe authoritarian rules get in the way of education,” he said.

“I would like to see a time when education is engaging enough that we’re not concerning ourselves with things like hair.”

Hanson said he believes the school district is moving in the right direction as it puts more focus on 21st Century learning, which involves preparing students to be good citizens.

Hanson has also filed to run as a Democrat for Senate District 3. If elected to the Senate, he said he will resign from school board.

Hanson has lived in Whitefish since 1983 and is the owner of the Computer Doctor. He also teaches social media classes at Flathead Valley Community College

Ultimately, Hanson said his focus is on providing the best education for all students. He admits not being the best student in school and would like to increase the opportunity for students who might be like he was.

“I want to work for equality,” he said. “For the rich and poor. For the haves and the have nots,” he said. “There’s a lot of different styles in which kids learn.”

“Some students want to go to Glacier and if that’s a better fit for them, fine,” he said. “We are going to fix our high school and I think that will correct some of that. If a kid goes somewhere else because it’s better for them, that’s fine — but kids just leaving school, that bothers me.”

One of the solutions for providing for students is the Whitefish Independent High School. He said he would like to see the limit on the number of students at the school raised from its current level of 30.

Hanson would like to see changes in the district’s technology policy. He calls the current policy “too restrictive.” For example, students are not allowed to use cell phones in school unless prior permission is given for a specific class activity.

“There is an appropriate use of cell phones,” he said. “We need to teach and correctly model the behavior.”

He agrees with the philosophy that school’s shouldn’t have computer labs, but rather integrate computers in the classroom. “We need to take technology to the classroom and not the classroom to technology,” he said.

Hanson said he would like to stay on the board and be involved in the construction process of the new high school.

“Having been involved in the process since the beginning I think I am in a unique place to guide the process to get the high school the people wanted,” he said.

On the school district’s budget, Hanson said the district has very little power when it comes to its budget because funding is determined at the state level and much of the budget is made up of salaries.

“But what we can do is look at our priorities,” he said. “For example, we have to consider whether it’s important to keep an extra-curricular activity over hiring a teacher.”

The school board does have some power, he noted.

“The board needs to be an advocate for education and be the voice of the school district at the state level,” he said. “We need to make sure that education is the priority. We need to inform the public about the need for education funding.”