Voters decide school positions

Sanders County voters cast ballot in school board elections this month, with ballots counted and unofficial results coming in late Tuesday evening.

In the Noxon School District, Cassandra Hill and Lars Swanson received 255 and 254 votes, respectively, to win positions on the school board. The third candidate for the Noxon School District positions within the Noxon High School voting district was Colleen Hinds, who received 140 votes.

For the Trout Creek Elementary portion of the Noxon School District, Norris Bryan was elected to the open three-year term with 218 votes. No other candidates filed for the three-year term. Two candidates were vying for the one-year term for Noxon School District. Bill Stevenson received 141 votes and will take a seat on the board, while Jason Colyer received 125 votes.

Plains voters cast ballots for two three-year terms on the school board. Ellen Childress and Monica Weedeman were the winners among the five candidates, receiving 477 and 603 votes each, respectively. The other candidates running for the Plains School Board included Charles French, Amy Carey and Brian Meaden.

Thompson Falls voters chose Jeneese Baxter and Sandra Muster from the five candidates who filed. Baxter received 570 votes, Muster 455, and both will retain their positions on the Thompson Falls School Board. Other candidates in Thompson Falls included Ramona Jacobson (336 votes), Lisa Ruen (275) and Averie Boon (249).

Trout Creek Elementary School had two positions open this election, with three candidates filing for the three-year terms. Sarah Cooper and Eric Viviano won the positions, with 195 and 181 votes each, respectively. The third candidate, Donald Ekstedt, received 153 votes.

Hot Springs and Dixon did not have more than one candidate file for open school board positions. Those school districts opted to cancel their respective elections. Likewise, all of the 2021 races for special park, fire and hospital districts were cancelled by the county due to no races having enough candidates file to be contested.

Each school board will now certify results with the county and swear in their new board members.

The school elections in Sanders County were held by mail, with voters receiving ballots by mail and then returning them either by mail or at a drop box in the Sanders County Courthouse.