SEELEY LAKE – At the Missoula County Public Schools Board Special Board meeting Feb. 25, the board unanimously appointed Jennifer Vogel of Potomac to fill the vacant District “D” seat through the school board election May 5. This position represents Clinton, Potomac, Swan Valley, Seeley Lake and Sunset school boundary areas. Vogel was the only applicant for the seat that was vacated by Elliott Dugger Jan. 14.
Vogel has taught special education for nine years and has been the special education teacher at Potomac School for the past two years. She has lived with her husband and two sons in the Potomac area for the past three years. Her freshman and sophomore sons currently attend Hellgate High School.
Because of her position in the Potomac School, she knows teachers from Seeley Lake and Clinton. She also worked for the Child Development Center as a family support specialist in Missoula where she worked with families with preschoolers that lived in the Seeley Lake area.
In her nine years as a special education teacher, Vogel said she has learned a lot about communication and said she is a good listener. She loves to collaborate with team members but also likes having her own responsibilities where she has the freedom to develop on her own.
In her interview, Vogel told the MCPS board she brings the perspective of teacher and parent to the board. What she has appreciated from board members and superintendents she has worked with is their engagement, accessibility and involvement with the students and parents. She looks forward to increasing her visibility and accessibility in the community so people know she is a trustee and she represents them.
As a parent, she appreciates a trustee that is approachable, is willing to listen and will follow up. She said trust and transparency is something that came through as an area to improve on the strategic planning survey and she would like to help MCPS improve that. She feels her strengths are in communication and collaboration and that would be an asset to the board.
“I am eager to work towards any areas of improvement that you feel are priorities and also become visible to the community, families, teachers and students I would serve,” said Vogel.
Vogel said during her interview that she feels MCPS is excellent at communicating with parents. She also feels that, while the mission statement puts students first, students truly are the priority at MCPS. Finally, she said the planning and the long-range vision are set in a good direction.
Vogel applied because she wants to represent Missoula County Schools in a larger capacity. While her application letter and interview were focused on serving Potomac, when asked by a member of the Board about serving Seeley Lake and Clinton she said she has some contacts and she looks forward to building those relationships. Because Potomac has a four-day school week, she can use her Fridays to visit other schools in the area.
In her application and interview, Vogel said she would file for the election.
“I am prepared to make a long-term commitment to serve in this position,” wrote Vogel.
The filing deadline for the District “D” election is March 26 at 5 p.m. Any registered voters within District “D” boundaries are eligible to apply. As of March 2, no one has applied. This election will be included on the mail-in ballot May 5.
For more information and to apply visit https://www.missoulacounty.us/government/administration/elections-office/information-for-candidates
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