Four vie for three Havre school board seats: Cindy Erickson

Cindy Erickson is running for one of the three seats up for election on the Havre Public School Board which she has been on for 12 years, along with incumbents Curtis Smeby and Tim Scheele and Erin Pulse, a newcomer.

"I enjoy volunteering for the community. It's quite a big volunteer job," she said.

Erickson said her schooling, her background in education and her experience on the board make her a good candidate for the position.

"I've been on the school board for quite a few years now, I have a passion for education because that was my background," she said.

She said her time on the board will allow her to hit the ground running and continue to serve the community effectively.

"I have a real belief in education and retaining teachers and students," Erickson said.

Erickson said she thinks the school district has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic well, and she said her interactions with students and parents over the last few weeks has backed up her feelings.

"I'm very satisfied. We've been very on top of it, we've been in touch with the state, we've followed the governor's orders, we've done everything we can," she said, "... It's something that was never going to be perfect, but we are doing the best we can."

Erickson said she thinks remote learning is going well at Havre Public Schools, but there is a social aspect to learning that can't be achieved outside of a classroom.

"I think it's been going fine. ... I don't think it's something we want to do long term, I think the students like being together. I think we've all figured out that education is about being together and being in a classroom," she said.

Erickson said the COVID-19 pandemic is still the most important issue that the school needs to deal with in the immediate sense, but she is looking ahead to another issue.

"Currently, it's COVID-19 and decisions we have to make regarding that, but if we didn't have that on our plate, I would say the biggest issue is student, teacher and administrator retention," she said.

"We've had our administrators for at least 10 years - we've been fortunate. They all do a great job," she added.

Erickson said she thinks highly of the teachers and administrators in the Havre Public Schools system but worries that national trends could be a sign of what's to come in the near future of the Havre schools.

"Trying to get new teachers to come into your area is a really tough thing for all areas. If you keep up with what's going on through the state you see even bigger districts are having trouble getting administrators," she said.

Erickson said recent efforts to improve salaries have been successful, but she still worries that it might not be enough.

"We've addressed a lot of salary issues, we are now comparable with all Class-A schools, and we weren't when we started," she said.

Erickson also said she's looking to address the system's falling enrollment rate and keeping the buildings up to date.

She said she thinks Havre Public Schools have a good track record of responsibly spending taxpayer money and she aims to continue that trend.

"We've been very frugal with the taxpayers' money; we've been good stewards of it, I think," Erickson said.

She said she's not sure whether it would be wise to re-open the schools as early as May 7, and that the board as a whole is better equipped to address that question.

However, Erickson said she is eager to hear from parents and get their perspective on the issue.

Editor's note: This story was completed before the board voted Tuesday on re-opening classrooms.

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Born in Havre, 1958

Graduated Harlem High School in 1976

Bachelor's degree in business marketing, Montana State University, 1980; master's degree in counseling and guidance, Montana State University-Northern, 1990

Worked at Montana State University-Northern for 16 years before retiring

Husband, Max; son, Ben; son, Michael