Meet the trustee candidates running in Columbia Falls School District No. 6

Apr. 19—The Daily Inter Lake reached out to school board trustee candidates in contested elections. The information below was provided by candidates for Columbia Falls School District No. 6 and edited for spelling, punctuation and space.

Columbia Falls School District has three openings for three-year terms on the board. Candidates are: incumbents Keri Hill and Barbara Riley, Jonathan Foust, TJ Middlesworth and Megan Upton.

Keri Hill (incumbent)

Occupation: I am an esthetician and the owner of two spas in the valley.

Family: Beau; LaKia, Jace and Jory.

Education: I ventured to eastern Montana, Miles City, for college. I have an A.A. and an A.S., graduating in 2000. I received my esthetics license in 2010 and immediately began my career as an esthetician, launching the first spa soon after.

Background: My top qualification is that I am a mother. I have served as a school board trustee in the Columbia Falls School District since 2017. I serve on our district's long-range planning committee, disciplinary board and policy committee.

Why do you want to serve as a trustee? I want to continue to serve as a trustee because I have a vested interest in our community, our school system, our staff and most importantly, our students. I want to advocate for our kids in this district. Every single child deserves a quality education. I want them to be successful when they graduate high school and enter this great big ever changing world. We have great teachers and I want to support them in providing innovation in our classrooms. I want to represent our taxpayers in providing the best education possible.

Barbara Riley (incumbent)

Occupation: I am a real estate broker with PureWest Real Estate in Columbia Falls. I also work with small businesses with accounting/consulting services.

Family: Russ; two daughters, Keyna and Terin; and two grandchildren.

Education: I'm a graduate of Lincoln County High School in Eureka and attended college for 2-and-a-half years, majoring in business administration, with an accounting and finance emphasis.

Background: I've served as a school board member in Columbia Falls since 1995. I was elected to the Montana School Boards Association's board of directors in 2005 and still serve on the board. I served in leadership as president twice. From 2011-17, I served as a board of director member of the National School Boards Association. I served as a board member to the Montana Schools Unemployment Insurance Group for eight years, including two as president. I am also active in community service work with our food banks, raising funds for disadvantaged families for Christmas and working with Montana Log Jam.

Why do you want to serve as a trustee? I have a passion to provide a quality education to all kids so that they can hit the ground running after high school, no matter what direction they choose. As a business owner, I know how critical it is to have an employment base to support quality service. Additionally, I have always been conscientious of our local taxpayers' ability to pay when it comes to balancing household needs versus support of our schools. I want to continue efforts, on behalf of our community, to keep our schools moving forward. For me, it's about the kids and their future success!

TJ Middlesworth

Occupation: Owner, financial advisory practice.

Family: Aven Middlesworth, RN; three daughters.

Education: Bachelor of Science, Linfield University.

Background: I graduated from Bigfork High School in 2000 and played collegiate basketball at Linfield University in Oregon, where I earned my bachelor's degree in finance with a minor in economics. I own my own business, an independent local financial advisory practice, where I manage clients' investments and plan for their futures. I have coached basketball in our junior high and recreation programs the past two years.

Why do you want to serve as a trustee? I love being around kids and schools. I have always wanted to be involved in my children's schools, and I can't think of a better way to serve than to be on the school board. I am an invested community member who pledges to keep the interests of our students, teachers/staff and community at the forefront of the decision-making process. I believe that my background in finance/economics, my persistence in research, and my relentless drive and sense of duty to find creative solutions to financial challenges will be an asset to our district. To learn more about me, please visit www.tj4sd6.com.

Megan Upton

Occupation: Licensed massage therapist and currently co-owner at 406 Soap and Candle Company.

Family: Andrew; Emma and Noah.

Education: 1999 graduate of Columbia Falls High School.

Background: Secretary for the Columbia Falls High School Booster Club; leader of Parents Rights In Education Columbia Falls chapter and for the state of Montana and member of Flathead Republican Women. I am active in attending monthly school board meetings.

Why do you want to serve as a trustee? I am running for school board because I want to be an advocate for the educational welfare and academic success of all students. I value our hardworking teachers and I would like to find ways to support them more effectively with better resources in their classrooms, increased pay, quality insurance and benefits. I value representing our parents, community and taxpayers and being a voice for them. It is important to me to be a good steward of hard-earned tax dollars, being transparent in expenditures and keeping a balanced budget. I would like to find ways to encourage and empower parents/guardians to become more active in the education of their children.