Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Flathead Beacon: Could you tell me a little bit about yourself and your relationship to the Kalispell Public Schools?
Patrick Clavin: So this might be considered a bit of a knock against me, but I’m from New York. I’m one of 12 kids. I grew up Catholic. I myself was at a mix of homeschool and the school system. I joined the Marine Corps back in 2016. I’m still currently serving, but I’m not active at the moment. I moved to Montana back in November. I don’t have kids in the school system myself, but I want to be a part of it to help guide the education of kids.
FB: Why did you decide to run for the school board?
PC: I myself want to be more involved in the community, and kind of give back to the environment that I live in. I think that’s kind of important, especially for an out-of-stater moving into Montana. But, I believe that children are society’s greatest asset, because eventually, as they get older, they’re going to pick an occupation that’s gonna eventually shape how the town is gonna be. And I believe that education should be one of our main priorities, the quality of it. So, I want to be part of that. And on top of all of that, I know 2020 was a rough year for a lot of us, especially parents and the kids in the school systems. I feel like a lot of the parents’ voices kind of get lost in the chaos of what goes on. So, I want to be a voice for those parents that have kind of voiced their concerns or input that they might have for the kids in the school systems.
FB: What will your main priorities be if elected?
PC: I’m pretty new to this whole thing, but I feel like a lot of the door-to-door, firsthand conversation is probably the best route to reach out to the parents. If you’re asking, like, what kind of school policies or like classes?
FB: There are a lot of things that the school board makes decisions on. So are there specific areas or school policies you’re interested in changing?
PC: So I don’t know exactly if Montana schools are going this route or not, it seems very conservative out here, but the CRT [Critical Race Theory]. I’m not for that. I don’t think that should be in schools. So if that is one of the main pushes out here, that would be something that I would love to turn against.
KPS Superintendent Micah Hill told the Beacon that “critical race theory has never been taught in Kalispell Public Schools,” and pointed to a 2021 opinion issued by Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen that bans critical race theory and other anti-racism programs in the state.
But I do think, as far as to help the kids out in the real world, I would like to kind of see more of an occupation class given at like maybe grades 10 through 12. I’d give them more of a better foot up, a leg up on when they get out of school. So maybe like a budgeting class, or how to invest, or what kind of occupations are out there that would help them. I know they get that in college, but it would just be nice, because I feel like college is a daunting thought to a lot of kids. If they can kind of get that introduced to them at a younger age and made more common, with the day-to-day life, I feel like that would really help them out moving on from school.
FB: What do you think are some changes that need to happen in the school district? What are some things you think the school district has done well?
PC: So, I’m fairly new to the school district here and I spoke to a few people that have gone through the school system locally, and I’m just going to go from they’ve told me. From what I’ve heard from certain people is that there tends to be a bit of a drug problem going on in most of the schools, and possibly even a sex problem going on. So that’s something I think that schools could work on to try to fix, to try to make that non-existent.
As far as what the schools do well, again, I’m going off of what people who’ve been through the system have told me. It’s actually pretty positive. They’ve noticed that the current teachers have taken extra attention to people that actually need the help. So if they’re having a hard time studying, those kind of kids are getting the extra help that they need, typically, to get through. That’s a huge plus.