Letter to the Editor - Hileman for quality, enrichment, and engagement at HPS

Dear Editor and the Havre Community,

As many of you already know, I am running for a seat for the Havre School Board of Trustees in the upcoming school board election May 3. I have been involved in community building efforts throughout the region for the past 14 years. In my professional life, I served as the commercial loan officer for Bear Paw Development Corp. for six years and have helped local business owners and governments as Brownfields Specialist for NewFields Companies for the past eight years. In my personal time, I have served on boards for the United Way and the Salvation Army in Havre. I believe my skills and experience can help me create positive and meaningful change in the Havre School District.

I currently have a 9- and a 7-year-old enrolled in Havre Public Schools, and quality public education is of foremost importance for my family and me. While my children both love school and their teachers, there are several initiatives I would like to help HPS advance as a member of their Board of Trustees, including:

1. Teacher Retention and Recruitment — Identify ways to improve teacher mental health and job satisfaction through recruitment and retention efforts during this unprecedented time of national and statewide teacher shortages. Work with the Montana State University Montana Rural Teacher Project and Masters of Arts in Teaching program to help facilitate teacher placement in Havre.

2. Graduation Rates — Determine why our children are leaving the classroom and identify ways to provide support and or offer alternative learning opportunities to encourage graduation.

3. College and Vo-Tech Placement — Develop programs and incentives that provide students with a path to a four-year college or vocational-technical college program.

4. Funding — Identify ways to better market and communicate funding opportunities for HPS, such as upcoming mill levies. Research possible grant programs to assist with specific educational initiatives.

I hope I can count on your support in the upcoming election. Please feel free to reach out to me with questions, concerns, and ideas on how we can ensure HPS offers quality, enriching, and engaging educational opportunities for our children.

Best,

Christin Hileman

Havre