School Board Results Showcase Bozeman Community Politics

In the routine process of electing a school board, Bozeman voters got to put their finger on the pulse of what it means to be a member of the community. Four trustee seats were up for reelection this May. Three of these seats are designated “Elementary Trustee” while one seat is designated “High School Trustee.” The board’s lone High School Trustee cannot vote on issues pertaining to Bozeman’s K - 8 schools and represents a different district encompassing the valley’s rural schools. Incumbent Sandra Wilson ran unopposed for the seat and won a fourth term on the board. Incumbents Gary Lusin, Lei-Anna Bertelsen, and Melissa Moran, and Carly Bryant, Robert Black, and Josh Sadaj ran for the remaining three seats. Moran was appointed by county superintendent John Nielson following former trustee Doug Fischer’s resignation from the board for a seat on Bozeman City Commission. Board members are not paid.

Following a trend in recent BSD7 school board elections, the three incumbents in competitive races were reelected handily, amassing around 8,000 votes each. Carly Bryant followed with approximately 3,100 votes, Josh Sadaj received around 2,500, and Robert Black received about 1,900. These figures, based on unofficial final results from Gallatin County, aligned with the interviews conducted by Raptor Report at the candidate forum. One voter surveyed, Anderson educator Stephani Lourie, has established connections with both Sandra Wilson and Lei-Anna Bertelson over the course of 30 years. “There’s a tone in the existing board that trusts educators,” comments Lourie. Another educator, named Patricia who is originally from Los Angeles, echoed these comments; “I feel the incumbents have a job to continue.”

At a candidates forum presented in late April at the Bozeman Public Library by the League of Women Voters, candidates had the opportunity to introduce themselves to the room. Sandra Wilson has lived in the Gallatin Valley for around 50 years and taught for 33 years. Lusin, who moved from Fort Benton to Bozeman and operates a physical therapy practice, has served on the board for 19 years. In his opening comments he highlighted his work connected to both the Bozeman High School and Chief Joseph Middle School renovations. Lei-Anna Bertelsen, who just finished her first term on the board, was a teacher at Chief Joseph. She has worked on subcommittees of the school board and the Montana School Board Association in recent years. Melissa Moran, who received a degree in elementary education from Louisiana State University, started the Rib & Chop House franchise with her husband and has expanded the chain’s presence in the Western United States. Moran worked as a substitute teacher in Wyoming and is a CAP mentor, a program through Thrive, at Highlight Elementary. All four incumbents set aside time to stress that they, “don’t bring an agenda to the table.”

During the course of the night, topics ranging from school funding and staff retention to the high school block schedule and Bozeman’s growing multilingual community were covered, allowing the three new voices on the panel to shed light on their own views. 

Throughout the night, Josh Sadaj, originally from Butte and a parent who has “started 6 businesses in Bozeman,” stressed “accountability,” both for students and teachers. When Sadaj was pressed on the meaning of the phrase he responded, “we need to reassess teacher by teacher,” referring to the “back to the basics of core curriculum” approach he sought to promote. Sadaj spoke personally about his children’s experiences being cyberbullied and reasserted the idea of student and teacher accountability.

The two remaining candidates, Bozeman High School senior Carly Bryant and educator and lawyer Robert Black, both mentioned climate change at the forum. In an interview, Bryant voiced her concerns about climate change and its disproportionate impact on students of color and low income backgrounds. “We’re all deeply worried for our futures,” she said. Bryant was recently banned from the Wilson School (which serves as the district’s administrative headquarters) because of her action related to BSD7 Sunrise, which advocates for the implementation of the Green New Deal in public schools. When asked about the ban’s impact on the trustee election, Bryant said it was, “an act of political retaliation.” 

The BHS senior utilized fliers and social media in the lead up to the election, and spent time “canvassing every single day.” Bryant has noticed strong support for a student representative amongst her peers at Bozeman High School and referenced other students running for school board positions, including Shiva Rajbhandari, elected to Boise, Idaho’s school board in 2022, who she’s met and worked with.

Black opened by commenting bluntly about his time as a substitute teacher at both high schools, a position that he was fired from in 2023. He provided his account of when teachers from Gallatin brought complaints to administrative officials relating to his comments on curriculum. “The basis of their complaint was that I undermined [teachers’] authority,” he said. Black spoke about the importance of teaching from past experiences and opinions, something that he felt was restricted during his tenure. He commented, “It sounds like something from, I don’t know, an authoritarian country.” “Had I not had that experience… I would not have run,” Black said. Gallatin High School principal Erica Schnee declined an opportunity to comment, writing, “I cannot comment on someone's private personnel matters.”

During the forum, Black underscored that “we’re playing for keeps against the rest of the world,” adding in our later interview that the math and English proficiency rates of both high schools have to be higher to compete with countries renowned for their education systems. Black also stressed that, “if you have a legislature that does not find education a worthy enough purpose to fund, then you’re not going to be able to address proficiency.” This statement aligned with the frustration incumbents expressed about the structure of the district’s budget, including the 3% inflationary spending cap and the fact that Montana consistently ranks in the bottom 10 states for teacher salaries. Two levies—both of which were approved by voters this May—were designed to tackle these issues. Throughout the rest of the state, many levees failed, highlighting the struggle that school districts face throughout Montana.

In the lead-up to the election, cutting comments came from many Bozeman community members in the form of op-eds, open letters, and social media posts. For instance, the Gallatin County Republicans organization continued the trend of politicized endorsements for Bozeman School Board candidates, labeling Josh Sadaj as, “conservative,” and Melissa Moran and Gary Lusin as, “liberal but less so than the others,” encouraging voters to cast their ballots in favor of these three candidates. The organization did not respond to a request for comment. Because of the influence of politics and personal views in recent trustee elections, other organizations like the Bozeman Education Association have also announced endorsements for the first time. This polarization was perhaps best highlighted when Carly Bryant was confronted by community member Anna Shchemelinin, who ran for school board in 2021, at the April 18 forum. Shchemelinin, who has voiced her concerns about trustee ideology in letters to the editor of the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, passed out an open letter to the forum’s attendees, criticizing the actions of Bozeman Sunrise and the leadership of superintendent of schools, Casey Bertram. 

After results were finalized, Raptor Report contacted the losing candidates. I asked the candidates about a potential future in public service. “Maybe. I do have a desire to make things better,” said Black. Carly Bryant showed enthusiasm for such a future, “whether it’s running again or just doing common acts of public service.” Reflecting on her campaign, she said, “people were so surprised that a high schooler was running.” Bryant emphasized the hours of work she and other volunteers put into the campaign to overcome the name recognition that she said led the incumbents to reelection. Josh Sadaj did not respond to multiple requests for comment before the deadline.

When asked what the focus would be for their next term’s, the three incumbents covered teacher retention, the budget, and the Long Range Strategic Plan. Lei-Anna Bertelsen also mentioned how her first three year term has allowed her to feel more effective. “The learning curve has been that 3 years.”

While there seemed to be a clear divide between many candidates this year, Gary Lusin, who will soon begin his 20th year serving on the board, summed up the meaning of BSD7’s board of trustees; “we have a common focus, and that’s on students.”