Weston County School Board Election #1: Kasey Keeler

NLJ: Please tell us why you want to hold this office, and what you intend to accomplish if elected. Please be specific about your goals and objectives, so our readers can measure your progress over the course of the term. Also tell us what qualifications and characteristics you possess that will help ensure that your stated goals can be achieved. (The same question was posed to all candidates for the General Election.)

Kasey Keeler
I believe that with my education, background and life experiences I can offer a new perspective to the school board.  I have been blessed with a good family, a solid education — which began here in Newcastle — and a strong work ethic.  It seems to me that I have an obligation to give something back to the community that raised me.  Serving on the school board and supporting our teachers, staff, parents and students is the best way for me to do that.
My primary goal is simply to pay attention, identify the areas where I can help, and then work with the rest of the board to develop practical policies. I am not running because I have an axe to grind or a personal agenda. I do intend, however, to be a strong advocate for classes and activities that teach kids how to use their hands, such as industrial technology, art, music, home economics, etc. Right now we are doing a great job teaching the core subjects, and recent test scores show big improvements in these areas. This is great! It proves that the extra time and energy being put in by teachers and students is paying off. However, I believe that some people learn with their brains and some people learn with their hands, and that a standardized test score is only one indicator of how well we’ve prepared our students for success. I’m also planning on spending extra time working with the board to figure out how to get us through the latest budget-related obstacles. I’m especially interested in how the Special Ed, school lunch, and athletics programs will be affected.
Tell us what qualifications and characteristics you possess that will help ensure that your stated goals can be achieved:
After graduating from NHS, I worked in the oil field with my dad. I later attended Northwest Community College, then earned my cosmetology license and worked in a salon to help pay for my undergraduate degree at Montana State-Billings. I went to graduate school at the Art Institute of Boston and became a teacher and non-profit arts administrator. I have also worked as a licensed orthotic and prosthetic technician where I designed and fabricated custom devices to help patients with mobility handicaps. I have helped on my mom’s family ranch for many years, and I currently work at the Flying V.
It’s important to me that people know I am trustworthy and that they can talk to me.  I can listen and think before I speak. I try to be fair and look at the big picture before I make decisions. I’m open-minded and good at thinking outside of the box to solve a problem.