To Whitefish Community Members,

My name is Ruth Harrison and I am writing to ask for your support in the upcoming
School Board election. Born in Nebraska but raised in Whitefish, I am a life-long
educator with extensive classroom teaching experience and over a decade of school board
services. I am currently serving my first full term on the Whitefish School Board. My
husband, Gil, and I raised two sons who, like their parents, both graduated from
Whitefish High School.

My motivation to continue service on the school board is based on my deep commitment

to providing quality education and a positive, nurturing environment for the children of
our community. I believe that the schools are the heart of our community and that caring
for and improving them is the most important endeavor that we as citizens of Whitefish
pursue.

Initially recruited to the school board as an appointee in 2006, I accepted the position
because I believed that I could make a contribution to the positive resolution to a number
of critical areas in our district that needed improvement. I enthusiastically ask for your
support again knowing that we have more work to do. And I enter the contest with
confidence in my ability to contribute and lead based on the significant improvements we
have made as a board during my tenure as a member. The positive changes and additions
we have made include:
- hiring of new leaders to fill crucial roles throughout the district, including the new
high school principal,
- creation and implementation of a functional strategic plan based on tested 21st
Century education practices,
- delivery of the successful new Middle School facility that was effectively designed
to meet current teaching methodology,
- initiation of the new Freshman Academy starting this fall at the high school,
- incorporation of extensive technology in the classrooms into our district that now
boasts a near 2 to 1 ratio of students to computers, electronic whiteboards in every
classroom and the initiation of the Virtual High School program that builds on our
core curriculum by offering on-line teaching of subjects such as non-traditional
foreign languages,
- re-birth of our music program after the loss of key staff with new faculty who have
created a truly extraordinary performing arts program, and
- delivery of effective policies that improve student performance assessment and now
can be used to tailor curriculum to meet individual student needs.

While these accomplishments represent important improvements, it is my belief that we

have only begun the critical work required to upgrade our schools to the level that our
children deserve and our community requires. On the top of my agenda for the next three
years are:
- continued improvement of the District’s communication to parents and the
community including improvements in clarity, frequency and increased use of
electronic means,
- real life implementation of a 21st Century approach to teaching and learning that
involves differentiated instruction, collaboration between and among students,
teachers and parents, technology-based global interaction, and individual
preparedness for making sound life choices,
- enhanced programming for professional development to support our faculty and
better serve our students by giving teachers the tools they need to deliver current
curriculum,
- increased accountability of administration and faculty through rigorous recurring
performance assessment,
- hard-nosed budget management that respects our current economic climate with
pragmatic decisions that work within our current means,
- adoption of an appropriate management model for our Performing Arts Center,
- continuation of the search for a sensible, appropriate proposal to resolve the future
of the high school campus that balances the very real needs of the facility for
upgrade with the will and desires of the community in the current economic
climate, and
- in anticipation of our current superintendent’s eventual retirement, ensuring we
have the mechanism in place to search out a superintendent who shares our goals,
and has the experience and leadership skills to work effectively with our
community.

My experience and track record enable me to fully understand the critical issues that face
our District and I believe that I can continue to be a force for positive change in our
schools. Despite the pressing need for economic pragmatism, I believe we can continue
to make better decisions within our current means to deliver superior education to the
children of our community. I am the candidate with the deepest, most relevant
experience and the greatest commitment to the children of our community. Accordingly,
I offer my continued service in the improvement of our most important community
institutions and humbly ask for your support on May 4th.

Respectfully,
Ruth Harrison