Election will change Libby school board

The Libby School District Board of Trustees will have at least one new face, and could have as many as three, after the board elections May 5. Five candidates have filed for the three seats up for election, two incumbents and three newcomers.

The five candidates are incumbents Ellen Johnston and Bruce Sickler and newcomers Kenneth Rayome, Jr., Bobbiegene Zimmerman and Jeff Stevenson. None of the candidates expressed disagreement with the direction or policies of the district, but said they were running in order to be more involved and help contribute to a more solid future.

Ellen Johnston is the sitting chair of the Board of Trustees, and has been on the board for six years. She is a native Montanan who was born and raised in the Libby area and who, along with her husband, owns and operates the Huckleberry House bed and breakfast in Libby.

Prior to retiring and opening the bed and breakfast, Johnston was a professional educator, with a teaching career spanning back to 1963. She was educated at the University of Montana in Missoula and earned a Master’s degree in special education. 

Johnston said her focus is on the academic performance of the district.

“We need to continue to provide an excellent education and see the reading and math scores increase,” she said. “Extra-curricular activities are also important, but academics are the priority.”

Johnston also said she supports the district’s project to build a district kitchen in the Asa Wood building. The project, she said, will greatly improve the quality of lunch service in the district schools.

“I’ve been an effective member of the board for the past six years and would like to continue doing what I can to help the schools,” she said.

Bruce Sickler is also no stranger to the school board, having been first appointed in 2008, and then elected in 2009 and 2012.

If reelected this term, he says, it will be his last.

“We’re still in the middle of some projects, and they can become personal, things you want to see through to the end,” he said. “But even so, if I’m reelected for another term this one will be my last.”

Sickler isn’t a professional educator, having owned and operated his own painting and drywall business in the area for the past 16 years. His seven years of work on the board and his outside perspective are his strong suits, he said.

“I can be a little more objective. I think our staff is great and deserves to be treated fairly, but I bring a different perspective to the discussion.

“With the years of experience I have, I know the process. I’m not easily pushed around by one side or the other. I know how and when to stand my ground on issues. That experience matters,” he said.

Bobbiegene Zimmerman is new to the school board arena, but not to the schools. She retired from the district after 25 years of teaching. She taught kindergarten and first grade, and spent several years as the elementary school’s reading coach. She said she wants to help the district continue to succeed.

“Sometimes people want to be on the board in order to make major changes, but they have to realize the board has rules and laws and policies they have to follow,” she said. “I just want to help keep the district viable for the kids.”

Zimmerman said one of her primary areas of concern are the programs that have been cut due to financial reasons. She said she doesn’t blame the board or the district, the financial issues have forced hard decisions. She said she is willing to work hard to help find solutions to the funding problems that have plagued the district.

“I’m willing to jump in and do whatever needs to be done,” she said. “The kids come first.”

The final two candidates are fathers with children in the school system.

Kenneth Rayome, Jr. returned to the area a few years ago after a six-year stint in the United States Navy’s nuclear program. He works at the Libby Water Plant and volunteers as a Little League coach.

Rayome said his goal is to bring a fresh perspective to the board, not necessarily to make changes, but to keep an eye on the future of the schools.

“I just want to emphasize that I don’t have any specific agenda. I want to learn from the experienced people on the board and help make good decisions about the future of our school system,” he said.

He said he believes the district is going in the right direction with the decision to build a kitchen at Asa Wood. He’d like to see that project finished and make sure the district maintains, and even improves, its current academic standards.

“It’s not that they’re doing a bad job,” he said. “They’re doing a fine job. I just have a vested interest in making it great.”

Jeff Stevenson also has kids in the school system. His two daughters attend Libby High, one a senior and one a freshman. His son is in fourth grade at the elementary school.

Stevenson has a degree in elementary education, but works as the Assistant Fire Management Officer for the United States Forest Service.

“I’m a concerned parent and community member with a strong belief in education,” he said. “I want to help make sure our kids are prepared for life after they graduate. It’s the most important thing we can do for them.”

Stevenson said the most important thing for him, as a prospective new board member, would be to participate as much as possible and make sure the school system succeeds.

“There aren’t huge problems with the district,” he said. “Other than finding new ways to deliver a quality education within the constraints of a shrinking budget.”

The polls open at 8 a.m. on May 5 and will remain open until 8 p.m. Voting will take place in the Central Administration Building at 724 Louisiana Avenue. Voters will cast three votes, and the top three recipients will be elected to the board.