Three candidates apply for open School Board seat

The Whitefish School Board is considering three candidates for the vacant position left by longtime trustee Dave Fern, who resigned after his election to House District 5.

Shannon Hanson, Katie Clarke and Josh Knight have applied for the seat. The board was set to interview the candidates in a special meeting Tuesday night.

Hanson served two previous terms on the school board and was selected to serve as vice chairman in his second term. He also served two terms on the state executive board for the Democratic Party and was appointed by Gov. Brian Schweitzer as one of two public members of the e-government advisory board.

In a letter to the board, Hanson said his experience as a marginalized student in high school makes acting as an advocate for similar students his priority.

Clarke has a variety of experience in education, first teaching marketing and DECA in the Cherry Creek School District in Colorado before teaching strategic communication at Hawaii Pacific University. She also taught at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks and volunteered in the Corvallis School District. Outside of education, Clarke also served as a director on the hospital foundation board at Marcus Daly Hospital in Hamilton.

In a letter to the board, Clarke said as a parent and community member she has a vested interest in the process and outcome of education in Whitefish Schools.

Knight has two children in Whitefish Schools and said his involvement in community forums for Muldown Elementary has made him want to be more active in the district. Knight is currently a board member for the Flathead Area Mountain Bikers formally known as the Flathead Fat Tires and has worked in other community groups like the Whitefish Range group, which worked with the Forest Service to create a resource management and recreation plan for the Whitefish Range.

In a letter to the board, Knight said he hopes to assist in helping to stake a path forward for continued growth and success for the district.

Each candidate had a 30 minute interview with the board, which was set to select the new trustee immediately after. The new trustee will be seated at the next board meeting on Feb. 14.