Meet trustee candidate Pat Jarvi

The job isn’t quite done for Pat Jarvi. After 14 years of service on the Whitefish School Board, Jarvi has decided to run one more time for re-election.

“There are so many exciting and challenging things happening in the district,” Jarvi said. “It really has been a pleasure and a privilege to work with the school district — and I’d like to do it again.”

“Three more years, then I promise to quit,” she joked.

Jarvi, 71, served as a librarian in Whitefish before retiring with 25 years in the district working at all three schools. She attended school in Whitefish and has spent most of her life here. She graduated from the University of Montana with both a bachelor’s and master’s in education.

She currently serves as chairwoman of the board of trustees. Last year, she was selected by the Montana School Board Association as a Marvin Heintz Award recipient for her service. Only 10 trustees statewide were selected for the award.

The school board tackled a long list of projects during Jarvi’s most recent term. Most noteworthy, a $14 million bond to build a new Whitefish High School was approved and the $23 million school was constructed. The high school also ushered in a new block schedule and opened the Center for Applied Media Arts and Science.

Jarvi reflects on the past three years with satisfaction.

“Building the high school was a long and complicated process, and frustrating at times,” she said. “But when you see the product and see the kids in the finished product, it’s well worth all the difficult times and tough decisions. We’ve got a school to be proud of and a staff to be proud of.”

She says the block schedule has been well received by both students and parents.

“Most like it and think it’s been an advantage,” she said. “The students like having more time in class.”

“Like anything that’s brand new, there are a few glitches and we’ll work on that for next year.”

The next big task facing the school board is the search for a superintendent to replace Kate Orozco, who will leave the district at the end of the school year.

Jarvi says the board is looking for candidates with varied skill sets.

“A superintendent has to be able to wear several different hats,” she said. “We’re not just looking for someone who is strong in one area. We need someone who is able in many aspects.”

An ideal candidate is a good communicator, both internally and externally, she added.

“We need someone that will work well with the community, but also well with the staff and administrators,” she said.

One challenge facing the district that Jarvi wants to address is in its public relations efforts.

“I think we have fallen short,” she said. “We do not have the funds to hire a person, so it falls on everyone, and therefore it’s not the most unified approach. We’re working hard at changing that.”

Jarvi believes great things are happening within the district and that more people need to know about those accomplishments.

She says student retention — keeping students through high school — is another area of emphasis.

“There is more competition than there ever used to be,” she said. “There are some challenges to get our message out and make sure people know how good our system is.”

She notes that enrollment at Muldown is on the rise and that the elementary program is strong.

After more than a decade on the board, Jarvi has become accustomed to making tough decisions about budgets. She says it’s a job that can be heartbreaking at times with budget restraints.

“Pretty soon you run out of places to cut, except places that really hurt — programs, athletics, music, fine arts,” she said. “So you figure out how to make the dollars stretch.”

“It’s a constant battle and it’s not a new one.”

The relationship between administrators, the school board and teachers is in good standing, Jarvi said.

“I think the relationship between administrators and the teachers is getting better,” she said. “But change is difficult and we’re asking our teachers to make big changes. It’s only natural there is some uncomfortableness, but I think overall, things are working well.”

Jarvi says Whitefish has always backed it’s schools. Levy requests are rarely turned down, she said, and private donations have lifted the district to new levels.

She is proud of the new arts and technology center at the high school that was backed by millions of dollars in private funding.

“We know the music and arts programs are vital to the community,” she said. “We are doing all we can do to support them.”