Posted by (+3270) 11 years ago
Just a reminder...Remember to vote in the School Board election tomorrow from 12:00 to 8:00 PM. IMPORTANT!
Posted by (+247) 11 years ago
There were four candidates for board members. I don't recall seeing profiles or interviews of the candidates in the newspaper. Was this my oversight or that of the Miles City Star's?
Posted by (+3270) 11 years ago
I asked the Judge's why nothing was in the paper. They did not seem to know..one thought maybe it was illegal to put it in??? However, the Billings School Board election has been blasted all over the news so surely that can't be it. There is a small article on the bottom corner of tonight's paper saying folks can vote before eight. You vote for 3 out of 4 candidates...we went this afternoon.
Posted by (+259) 11 years ago
What is going on with your local press? Is it now owned by out-of-town folks? Certainly there are local people who would have at least put in profiles on the candidates. When I worked for the Star (summers and after school) elections, city council, police news, was my beat. Cannot believe they overlooked...
Posted by (+247) 11 years ago
Jeri, an election judge speculated that putting information about school board candidates could have been illegal? Well, bless her heart. 
If, as it appears, the paper failed to cover these candidates prior to the election, then the editor or publisher should clearly explain to Miles City what happened.
Roughly half of local property taxes are distributed to the school districts, including MCC. Yet, somehow school board candidates don't merit bios, interviews, or a forum in the local paper like candidates for the city council or the county commission? That's a pretty serious sin of omission.
If, as it appears, the paper failed to cover these candidates prior to the election, then the editor or publisher should clearly explain to Miles City what happened.
Roughly half of local property taxes are distributed to the school districts, including MCC. Yet, somehow school board candidates don't merit bios, interviews, or a forum in the local paper like candidates for the city council or the county commission? That's a pretty serious sin of omission.
Posted by (+3270) 11 years ago
You are right...it was just speculation on the part of the Judge and also a serious omission on the part of the paper to pay little, or no attention to an important election. Maybe it was devalued due to there being no Mill Levies in question??? Just good that there were those who did get out and vote!!
Posted by (+18766) 11 years ago
The Secretary of State or County Election Department should be required to publish and distribute a voter information pamphlet for all elections. Do you think large metro newspapers publish bios for school board candidates?
Posted by (+3270) 11 years ago
That was a great question, David. Being curious, I went to yahoo.com and took a look only to find much more than I expected. A lot of interest and on-line forums where you could ask a potential candidate questions and receive answers, etc. Newspapers also collaborating with the schools and businesses.
Posted by (+911) 11 years ago
Please, our M.C. Star person that weighs in on most forums, could you address this concern?
Posted by (+247) 11 years ago
Congratulations to Lindsay Faber-Bryan on her election to the Miles City Unified School District Board of Trustees!
The article in the Miles City Star:
Still, no explanation from the paper re: lack of candidate coverage.
At issue: Why is the tail wagging the dog on this board of trustees as the comments from the district superintendent within the article would indicate? By state law, the people elect the school board. The school board directs the district superintendent. If you're looking for a recipe for chaos, you'll find it where those roles are reversed.
The article in the Miles City Star:
Faber-Bryan elected to unified school board
By Don Cogger
The Miles City Unified Board of Trustees will include a new face for the 2012-2013 school year, as Lindsay Faber-Bryan was elected to the board yesterday with 327 votes.
Faber-Bryan will replace Matt Phillips, who received 296 votes.
"Matt was appointed to take Fred Scheid's place when Fred moved from the city to Kinsey," said Miles City Superintendent Jack Regan. "It was a really close vote."
With three seats on the board open, four residents declared their intention to run. Incumbents Jeff Donnelly and Erin Hould were re-elected to their seats with 315 and 331 votes, respectively. The 1,269 votes accounted for an approximately 10 percent voter turnout, according to Regan.
Faber-Bryan will bring energy and enthusiasm to the board, Regan said.
"She's a young person with a young child; she's obviously interested in the school district for that reason," he said. "She's a nurse with County Health, so she'll bring some ideas about children's health issues to the table."
Regan said Faber-Bryan will be joining a diverse board, with each member having found his or her niche within it, which is the way a board should always operate.
"Our board has been really good to work with; they really try to do what's best," he said. "I can't think of anyone on the board who really has an agenda outside of doing what is best for the students.
"If you go onto the board with that frame of mind, you're going to have a good-working board. If you don't, you end up with a board in chaos that doesn't function very well. Just west of us 150 miles will show you what those kind of boards are like."
In budget news, because of increased enrollment, the elementary budget was about $100,000 more than last year. With declining enrollment at the high school level, that budget will be about $130,000 less. Because of those cuts, the school district was forced to become creative with shifting of personnel to keep the budget under control without eliminating any programs.
"We could have run a mill levy to get back to what this year's budget is, but the board chose not to," Regan said. "It's easier, and less painful in the long run, to cut gradually, than in five years when you can't run mill levies anymore to have to pay back $500,000 if enrollment hadn't increased substantially.
"That would be a difficult number to have to cut without changing the whole profile of the high school."
Because of yesterday's election, this month's meeting of the Unified Board of Trustees has been changed to Thursday, May 10, at 7 p.m. Following the meeting will be a re-organization meeting to announce the election results, as well as the election of a board chairperson, a vice-chairperson and the appointment of a district clerk.
The SH rural school district elected Lance Bice by acclamation. Bice was the incumbent, and no one opposed him. No other rural schools had ballot issues.
Still, no explanation from the paper re: lack of candidate coverage.
At issue: Why is the tail wagging the dog on this board of trustees as the comments from the district superintendent within the article would indicate? By state law, the people elect the school board. The school board directs the district superintendent. If you're looking for a recipe for chaos, you'll find it where those roles are reversed.