SEELEY LAKE –Missoula County Public Schools (MCPS) board trustee and Seeley Lake resident Debbie Dupree is stepping down this May after serving 15 years on the board. She feels it is time for new energy on the board and hopes that someone from the Seeley area will apply for the position to continue to give Seeley-Swan High School (SSHS) a voice.
There are eleven trustees on the MCPS board, four of which are only high school trustees. Dupree’s high school trustee seat is the only trustee position available for Seeley Lake, Clinton, Potomac, Greenough and Swan Valley residents. Dupree said the reason there is only one position is because of the number of high school students in the area.
The high school trustees are responsible for decisions pertaining to Big Sky, Hellgate, Sentinel, Willard and Seeley-Swan High Schools. Actions they take include: voting on the budget; hiring, firing and evaluating the superintendent; establishing policy and procedures; approving bids for projects; facility improvements, maintenance and closures and personnel issues.
Dupree ran for the board 15 years ago when she had children in school. She said the MCPS trustee at the time Rett Parker “twisted her arm.”
“I ran so that Seeley Lake had a person at the table,” said Dupree. “I know that the district covers clear to Clinton and Potomac, but 99 percent of those kids all end up going to Hellgate. Then you have no one to represent the Seeley-Swan High School.”
When Dupree started on the board, all trustees were required to be on a committee. Now the board meets twice per month, the second and fourth Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Missoula, holding two meetings per year in Seeley Lake.
Dupree said it is a huge commitment. She estimates that she has put 50,000 miles on her vehicle attending the minimum of two meeting per month.
“That’s 120 miles round-trip. I don’t want to jinx myself because I have a couple of months left and I’ve only been pulled over once and so far I’ve never hit anything,” Dupree said. “You just have to do it for the love of the community and the kids. They are our future.”
Dupree enjoyed her time on the board. Dupree said the board took her direction on issues that they are not informed about involving SSHS. This included personnel issues, services at the school and maintenance issues.
“You have to stand up and say we want something,” added Dupree. “A lot of people don’t think that we get our fair share but for the most part we do.”
Dupree is proud of the improvements made to SSHS over the years including a new gym floor, remodeling the library, and the recent auditorium addition thanks to the November 2015 bond passage.
She is also proud of the things the high school trustees have accomplished at other high schools including the health and science academies at Big Sky and the advances at Willard High School and the increase in the AP classes that are offered.
Dupree said a lot of the students at SSHS ask for more variety in classes. She said it is hard to expand the courses offered unless teachers that are already on staff can teach them. However, there has been a huge increase in the number of college courses offered with some students graduating from SSHS with more than 12 college credits.
Dupree said that because she is an active member of the community, she knows people, their families and has personal opinions about issues. However, she feels very strongly that as a board member she needed to separate her personal opinions from her professional trustee opinion.
“[For example] a lot of people here won’t vote for a bond but the people at the school are going to want you to. Personally do you vote for it? Professionally do you vote for it? You have to be very careful,” said Dupree.
Dupree hopes that someone who knows SSHS, the students and the teachers or are willing to get involved with the school will run for her position. She said the trustee position is an advocate for the wants and needs of the students and teachers while making the best decision for the taxpayer and the community, “after all that is who you are working for.”
Dupree feels strongly that no one should run if they have an agenda.
“I just like to see the great kids that come out of this school. You have to do it for the kids, the rest is just business,” said Dupree.
When no one else ran last term in 2014, Dupree again stepped up to the plate running against two others from Clinton to give the opportunity for SSHS to be represented.
“I think it needs somebody fresh,” said Dupree. “I would feel terrible if Seeley-Swan wasn’t represented at the table but not terrible enough to run again. You don’t need to know anything about running a school. You just need to have a passion for the community and the kids.”
MCPS trustee filing closes March 23. To apply visit http://www.missoulacounty.us/government/administration/elections-office/information-for-candidates
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