By Jason Stuart
Ranger-Review Staff Writer
A new opportunity has opened up on the Glendive Unified School Board as locals interested in running for their school board can begin filing as candidates this Thursday, Dec. 8.
Following years of going vacant, the two Lindsay high school districts with seats on the GUSB are being combined into a single district. In lieu of the two separate districts for Lindsay, a new “at large” district has been created encompassing both the Lindsay and Deer Creek high school districts.
According to an email sent by Dawson County Superintendent of Schools Steve Engebretson, the change in the Lindsay districts was not made due to the fact that they have gone without representation for so long, however, but rather due to a change in property tax valuations. Engebretson could not be reached before press time to further explain the reasoning behind the change.
The currently vacant Lindsay high school district seat on the GUSB will carry a one-year term if someone fills it this election cycle. The new “at large” seat for the Lindsay and Deer Creek districts — open to any registered voter residing in those districts — will be up for a two-year term.
As for GUSB incumbents facing re-election this cycle, chairwoman Jeanne Seifert, who represents the Glendive elementary/high school district, and Mandy Hoffman, who represents the Deer Creek high school district, are both at the end of their current terms. Both Seifert and Hoffman’s seats are up for a full three-year term.
In Richey, incumbents Jay Trotter and Jana Olson are both up for re-election to new three-year terms. The Richey School Board also has a long-standing vacancy for the Bloomfield West high school district, which is up for a two-year term should someone fill it this cycle.
Deer Creek Elementary also has two of its board members up for re-election in 2017. The terms of incumbents Paige Oakland and Craig Bialorucki are expiring. Both of their seats are up for a new three-year term.
In Bloomfield, a single board seat is up for election this cycle, that being the seat of current board chairman Shawn Walker. That seat is also up for a new three-year term.
Lindsay Elementary School also has a single seat up for election on its board. That seat is currently held by Jay Phalen and is up for a three-year term.
The Dawson Community College Board of Trustees will also have two of its seats up for election in 2017. The terms of incumbents Becky Hicks and Mike Wilondek are expiring. Both Hicks and Wilondek are completing their first term on the DCC board, having first been elected in 2014.
As noted, anyone wishing to file as a school board candidate must reside in the respective district of the seat they are seeking to fill and must be a registered voter. To obtain a school board candidate nominating petition, contact your school district’s clerk or Engebretson at 377-3963.
The filing deadline for local school board candidates is 5 p.m. on March 23, 2017. The school election will be on May 9, 2017.
Reach Jason Stuart at rrreporter@rangerreview.com.