Havre approves mill levy, votes new board trustees

By 10:02 p.m. Tuesday, Wayne Bolken and Theresa Miller were announced as the winning candidates for the open school board trustee positions and the elementary fund mill levy had passed.

Miller and Bolken each beat out three other candidates — Keisha Fegan, Shaylee Lewis and Norman Proctor — by at least 300 votes. Bolken got the most votes with 1,018, Miller received 1,003.

Havre Public School Superintendent Andy Carlson was a little nervous about the mill levy passing as he and school board trustee candidates waited for results in the conference room of the Robbins School Administration Building. The margin by which it passed showed how close the vote was: 1,033 voted for the mill levy, 977 voted against it. The 1,033 is a correction of the 1,334 Havre Daily News reported Tuesday night.

Carlson said Tuesday night's voting turnout was the largest he'd seen since being in Havre. A main reason for the turnout is the convenience of absentee ballots, Carlson said. The total number of absentee votes in Tuesday's votes was 1,813. Carlson anticipates that number to go up in future elections.

Carlson said the mill levy's passing will ensure "a continuation" of what Havre elementary schools have been doing. It will keep Havre schools competitive.

Carlson said he will miss working with Proctor, who has been a trustee for 12 years.

"I appreciate anybody that runs for this office," he said.

Carlson said that social media, when compounded with open meeting laws, has added scrutiny toward those who serve on the school board, making the position slightly more difficult.

Carlson is looking forward to working with Bolken, who he said he thinks will make a good addition to the school board.

Bolken is a retired history and education teacher who taught in Havre schools for more than 30 years. A bulk of his teaching, 20 years, was in the special education area.

Miller, who has been on the board for the last four years is a histotechnologist at Northern Montana Hospital. She has two children in Havre Middle School and is interested in seeing how the Every Students Succeeds Act program impacts students.

Carlson said the votes will not be official until Tuesday.

In other races along the Hi-Line:

Chester-Joplin-Inverness

Jeffrey Mattson and Lori Woods were elected to three-year terms on the Chester-Joplin-Inverness school board Tuesday. They were the top two vote-getters in the four-way contest. The results: Mattson, 283, Woods, 263, Jason Erickson, 258, and Bruce A. Jeppesen, 207.

In the contest for a one-year term, Carol Fulbright garnered 217 votes, beating Barb Vinson, 183, and Andrew Stone, 118.

North Star

North Star Public Schools voters resoundingly approved a $17,424 mill levy in the elementary district. A total of 225 voted yes, 52 voted no.

David Miller received 242 votes and Robert Spicher 192 to win the two school board seats. Chase Rambo finished third with 87.

Rocky Boy

The Rocky Boy school elections results were, for the three-year term, Wilma Jean Tyner, 63, Michelle Sangrey, 56, Billie Jo Coffee, 50, Russell Standing Rock, 42, Elaine Nault Wright, 28.

The results for the contest for the one-year term were Paulette Standing Rock, 90, Martin Parker, 54, Peggy Aquino, 46, Donita Hay, 18, Jennifer Parker, 18, Jennifer Parker, 18, James Seymour, 12.

Harlem

Kristie Crazy was elected to the Harlem school board with 101 votes. Donald Long Knife came in second with 57 votes. Dawn Barrow BearCub finished third with 12 votes. Crazy carried Harlem and Fort Belknap districts.

Turner

Voters in Turner Public Schools OK’d a 20 mill levy increase for the elementary school district. The vote was 81 to 27.

Big Sandy, Box Elder

There were no elections in Big Sandy and Box Elder.

Chinook

Scott DePriest and Mark Harshman were elected to three-year terms on the school board in Chinook. The results were: DePriest, 216, Harshman, 182, Travis Buck, 168.

Voters approved a $5,431.96 high school district mill ley 228-104.

A Chinook Elementary levy designed to fund the Building Reserve Fund with $40,000 a year, was retained for five years. The vote was 228-104.

Five years ago, voters approved the Building Reserve Fund for five years. By their action Tuesday, they extended the levy for five more years.

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Alex Ross and John Kelleher contributed to this story.