ELECTIONS: New school board members move cautiously forward

LAKE COUNTY – Newly elected school board members are reserved the various issues facing education in the Mission Valley.

Rich Janssen, with 679 votes, and Bob Cornwell (649) out-polled Mark Clary (454) for two seats on the Ronan School District’s No. 2 board.

Janssen said he was “humbled” to be elected and the upcoming teacher contract negotiations are the most pressing task.

Challenger Mark Cheff (101) claimed Ronan’s No. 1 board’s crowded race, defeating incumbent Carmel Couture (32), Francine DuPuis (28), and Adam Wood (28).

Attempts to contact Cheff were unsuccessful.

In the Arlee School District, voters rejected four maintenance and operations levies but left Superintendent George Linthicum undaunted.

He said his next task was, “moving forward with the task of educating our children.”

No incumbents ran for re-election in Arlee, leaving Lisa Koetter (143 votes) and Wendy Forgey (134) to claim the two seats. Lori DeTienne (63) and Elias Peak (64) also ran.

Koetter has 18 years of experience educating students at Two Eagles School in Ronan. She has three children in the Arlee district.

“There are pockets of greatness there but the district can use a little help,” she said. “Parents are pulling kids from the Arlee district because of certain problems. Every family has a different reason.”

Forgey didn’t want to comment on the failure of the four levies.

“I am sure at this time I’d like to get in and dig around before I answer that question,” she said.

In Polson, none of the four seats were contested, leaving Chanel Lake, Caroline McDonald, Alan Anderson and Cynthia Lanier as incumbents.