Dear Editor: Examining the Candidates

Dear Editor and Fellow Voters,

Like many of you, my absentee ballot recently arrived in the mail. There are a lot of important choices to make this election season, but the one that will affect the children in our community the most is the choice we make for State Superintendent of Public Instruction. This person will lead our public schools for the next four years. She will act as a go-between for our schools and the federal government. She will advocate for our rural way of life and the values we hold dear. She will provide leadership to our school and help them implement both federal laws and regulations and state laws regarding how our public schools serve our students and our communities. We all have a choice to make about the kind of person that will represent us and our children when decisions about the direction of public education need to be made.

The Democrat’s candidate is Shannon O’Brien. I don’t know anything about Shannon besides the fact that she’s been a legislator for a long time. I do know we’ve had a legislator as the State Superintendent for the last eight years, and that’s been a disaster. Like Shannon, the former superintendent, Shannon was also a classroom teacher. There’s a huge difference between making school laws and doing the work necessary to keep a school and a district running effectively. There’s a huge difference between the skills it takes to be a teacher and the skills it takes to be an educational leader. As most of our school superintendents across the state will tell you, it’s time to bring effective leadership to the OPI.

And that leads me to the Republican candidate, Susie Hedalen. I’ve known Susie for nearly 14 years. I’ve known her as she served in various roles in districts all over the state. She’s been a classroom teacher, a principal, and a superintendent. She has served students in our cities and in our rural communities. She has even worked at the Office of Public Instruction and serves on our State Board of Education. She has been to Washington, DC, to explain to Congress and the Department of Education about how things work in Montana. If you are looking for leadership, then you are looking for the kind of person who has led a district through the highs and the lows, someone who has helped districts pass bonds and levies and build new buildings, and someone who has held parents and students in their arms as they mourned the tragic loss of children and friends. The work of a district superintendent is difficult and often thankless.

We know the work facing our next State Superintendent of Schools will be difficult no matter who wins this election. The OPI needs a leader who understands that work and can get started on day one. We need someone who knows the support that our public schools need because she’s been leading one for years. We need someone who will fight for our children because she’s been fighting for all of them for her entire career in public education. The person we need right now is Susie.

Whether you are voting absentee or in person, I hope you will take your time and do the research on each candidate. Choose the person with the most experience at all levels of education and who is a tireless advocate for all students. I know who I’m voting for, and I can’t wait to celebrate with Susie on election night.

HEATHER DENNY

Licensed MT teacher, school counselor, and principal

Whitehall, Montana