SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES: Thompson Falls School District

Name: Matthew Toyias

Education: Some college

Occupation: Grocery Stocker, Retired USN.

What qualities would make you an effective school board member? Thoughtfulness to the needs of others and the ability to be decisive while working to meet those needs. I have prior experience in education from K-12, as well as career and professional development in the service for junior and senior members.

What do you see as the opportunities and challenges in your district? The people in this community really care and making sure that we can meet their needs with appropriate teacher/parent and student involvement is an important task and something I think can be improved upon. We need to ensure we are being fiscally responsible, and ethical in those decisions. We can grow and improve our district while still maintaining local control over those decisions, even though some may be difficult.

Name: Ryan J. Frields

Education: Graduated from Thompson Falls HS, MSU, FVCC graduate

Occupation: Business Owner/Licensed Counselor

What qualities would make you an effective school board member? Being a small business owner gives me the ability to understand how budgets work, how to effectively work with employees/staff, and recognition on how policies and procedures function. Being a graduate of Thompson Falls High School and having 3 of my own kids graduate from TFHS gives me a unique perspective on the culture of our school. The most effective quality that I possess as a current school board member is the ability to make the tough decisions about what is best for our #1 priority (the students).

What do you see as the opportunities and challenges in your district? Opportunities- The shop/trades program is excellent and with the new building being completed next year will continue to grow/excel. Our teachers have implemented new curriculum at the lower education levels to combat Covid education loss. We have a great Science department that is giving skills to students very relevant to today’s world. Our small size allows a large % of students to participate in extracurriculars. Challenges-Our small size creates funding struggles. The same social/educational struggles that all schools are facing due to Covid lockdown. Continuing to prepare graduates for real-world experiences in the job market, college, trade schools, and the military.

Candidate Jake Helvey did not return responses.