Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Board Appointment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
School board interviews two candidates for one‑year seat, closes meeting for personnel privacy
Summary
At a special meeting the school board interviewed two candidates — Skip Giddens and Chris — for a one‑year appointment to fill a vacancy and then voted to close the meeting under a Montana privacy authority to discuss an individual personnel matter; the formal vote and swearing‑in will occur at the 7:00 PM regular meeting.
The school board held a special meeting to interview two candidates for a one‑year appointment to fill a recent vacancy and then voted to close the meeting to the public to discuss an individual privacy matter.
The board’s presiding officer opened the meeting, confirmed a quorum of seven members and said the appointment would run through May 2027. The chair asked that the candidate not currently being interviewed step out of the room so both applicants would receive the same questions.
Chris, one of the candidates, described work related to school construction and facilities and said his business background would guide his approach to budgeting. “I think the biggest challenge is ... not enough dollars to go around,” Chris said, urging that the board be “smart with dollars” and prioritize spending to benefit students. When asked how he would have voted on a technology levy the board authorized for the May ballot, Chris said the district must be “technology smart” and ensure spending supports students rather than relying on subscriptions without clear benefit.
Skip Giddens, the other candidate, said he expects a steep learning curve as a trustee and emphasized the need for preparation before making decisions. “I have no background in education ... it’s gonna be a pretty steep learning curve,” Giddens said, adding that in a one‑year appointment his initial focus would be learning, asking questions and contributing where possible. He told the board he believes additional funding likely must come from the state rather than recurring local tax increases.
The chair thanked both candidates and reminded attendees that the board planned to reconvene for its regular March meeting at 7:00 PM, where the board intends to hold an open, public vote and swear in the appointed individual shortly after calling that meeting to order.
Before adjourning the special meeting, the board voted to close the meeting under an authority the chair cited verbally as “Montana COVID 2‑3‑203” to consider a matter of individual privacy. The chair asked whether the adult party identified in the discussion, “Mr. Coleman,” wished to waive privacy; the board recorded that the party did not waive privacy and the meeting was closed to protect that expectation of privacy. The board then set the special‑meeting adjournment for 6:59 PM to prepare for the 7:00 PM regular session.
