Ronan, Charlo school board candidates
Ronan and Charlo’s school boards are holding contested elections. Mail-in ballots are due to the Lake County Election Office by 8 p.m., May 7. To learn more about the candidates, the Leader asked them:
1. Why are you running for a seat on your local school board?
2. What is your previous experience in local or state government?
3. What do you hope to accomplish if elected?
* indicates incumbent
RONAN: Two three-year seats open.
Brian Bocksnick
I am running for school board because I was born and raised in Ronan, and have always been interested in making things better for the kids. I believe I am open minded enough to look at all issues objectively and help find the best solutions. I don’t really have any experience in government, but I do manage the Carquest parts store in Ronan. So I have a lot of experience with dealing with people and employees. I also manage payroll and know how to run a business on a budget. My goal as a school board member would be to make decisions to benefit not only the students, but the faculty and the community.
Robert “Bob” Cornwell*
1. I am running for the school board because I feel that educating our children is one of the most important tasks that we have as a community. I feel strongly that one of the best ways to improve our local education system is to ensure that everyone has all of the information necessary to make the best decision possible for the students and community. I have learned a tremendous amount over the last few years and would like the opportunity to continue to serve our district and see it grow and improve.
2. I am just completing my first term on the school board. I really don’t have much experience with local government besides that. I do, however, feel that it is important to serve in the community when possible. I currently serve on the local water board in the Round Butte area as well as volunteer to help coach soccer and assist with other activities at the school and for our kids when I can.
3. I want to continue to ask questions and ensure that everyone has all the information possible to make the best decision for our students and staff. The current board has made a commitment to encourage community involvement and I want to see that goal reached. I believe that there are a lot of good ideas out there as well as some valid concerns that could help us make our district even better but we need to find a way to get those thoughts to the table if we want to continue to improve our district.
John Cote
1. K-12 education is a foundation that our children will build upon for the rest of their personal lives and careers. I am proud that I had that start here in Ronan and I am grateful to the many teachers, staff members, coaches, and mentors in the schools and community who were there along the way. I am running because I believe that it is time for me to give back by contributing my own skills and experience as a member of the Ronan School District Board of Trustees.
2. I attended Ronan K-12 and continued on to earn a BS in Computer Science from Montana State University. After college, I moved to Seattle and began a 20+ year career in software engineering and technical consulting, including three years on a research team at the University of Washington. During my career, I have held many organizational and small team leadership positions with a variety of public, private, and government funded organizations.
3. As a district trustee, I will work hard with the administration, teachers, staff, and community to understand and address the ongoing challenges facing our district. I believe that I can use my personal skills, experience, and background in technology to be an effective member of the Ronan School Board.
Jack Duffey
1. As of next year, I will have three children attending school in School District 30. I want to be actively involved in their education and decisions being made affecting the school. I want to continue to make the Ronan School District a positive environment for students, staff, and parents.
2. I am a professional land surveyor and deal with local government on a daily basis regarding land use and development issues.
3. I hope to retain good teachers and coaches within the district and provide quality education to the children. I want school to be a positive experience for all children.
Bradley P. Wirz
1. I figured that it was about time to have more involvement within the school system. My oldest two children struggled through the current school system, and I feel that it is time to get more actively involved in order to help implement changes to the current system so that our School District #30 children can get the education that is necessary for success.
2. I have no local or state government experience, but have been actively involved in local nonprofit organizations throughout the years within the Lake County community.
3. I hope to help implement changes, along with other school board members, that help bring School District #30 up to the standards that they should be. My hope is that the education that is received through our school district is more comparable, if not higher, than that of the national standard.
CHARLO: Two three-year seats open.
Dave DeGrandpre*
1. I believe in public service. Serving on the school board is a way I can contribute to my community. I also have 3 children in the Charlo schools and strongly believe in the value of education.
2. I have served on the school board for the past 3 years and sit on the finance and negotiation committees. I also run a small business as a community planner helping cities and counties plan for and respond to growth pressures. I have worked in this field for the past 14 years and have a good understanding of budgets, negotiations, personnel management, Montana law and ethical issues. I have contracted with the State of Montana, Lake County, the City of Polson, Ronan, St. Ignatius, Salish Kootenai Housing Authority and many other government entities.
3. The Charlo schools, parents and students are doing a lot of things right, despite the current enrollment dip and budget cuts. I don’t have an agenda. I am willing to put in the time and effort required to be a good school board member. The main goal is to provide a high quality education that will help our kids to be successful in the future. If decisions are made with that in mind, we will be on the right path.
Donald Shane Reum*
1. I feel that quality education is very important for our childrens’ future. As a school board member we need to always try and keep the children as our number one priority. During my last term, our economy had a big impact on our school and we had to make some tough decisions. I would like to stay on the board to see some of those decisions through and things turn around for the better.
2. I have served on the Charlo School Board for the past four years and have been the board chair for the past year. Previously, I also served on the Charlo Moiese Volunteer Fire Department Board for 2 years.
3. I do not know as a board member that you should try to accomplish anything specific, other than giving the kids in the Charlo School District the best possible education that we can. I don’t believe in having an agenda, you are there to represent the community and listen to both sides before coming to a conclusion. My goal for this next term is to try and work with administration to have a better understanding of our budget.
Terrance R. Rosenbaum
1. I have wanted to run for school board for several years. I feel that now would be a good time to give it a try. I feel I have ability to “look outside the box” when it comes to issues. I’m not afraid to ask questions and to state my opinion. But I’m also not afraid to admit I’m wrong too. I feel I have a lot to offer Charlo School, the students and the community.
2. I am currently employed by the Department Of Justice. I have been a MHP Trooper for the last nine years. I know with state and local government there is always paperwork that needs to be dealt with on a consistent basis. That’s just how it works, it can be frustrating at times and it seems like it takes forever to get things accomplished. But as I have learned there is process for everything and as long as you cross your “T’s” and dot your “I’s” you can get things accomplished no matter how difficult things are.
3. One of the issues I see is Charlo’s Special Education and how it is run. I would also like to see how Charlo School can recruit and retain students. I think it is very important to always be looking to the future and to make adjustments before having to resort in firing teachers. Charlo School has great teachers from K-12 and it is a shame to lose any of them. I feel that there are always ways to make any school better we just have to find that way.
Marv Stipe
1. I have a vested interest, I would like to give back to the community. I am a third generation taxpayer.
2. None.
3. I would like to make the least amount of impact on our students during a time of budget cuts.