Five vie for two Havre School Board seats: Erin Pulse

Editor's Note: Havre School Board candidate Erin Pulse said she did not receive any of the three messages Havre Daily News left in attempt to interview her for a candidate profile. Following is information she sent Havre Daily News about her candidacy. Information on the other candidates can be found in Thursday's edition of Havre Daily News and at http://www.havredailynews.com.

Erin Pulse is asking for people's votes in her candidacy for the Havre School Board.

She is one of five vying for two three-year terms on the board. The others are incumbent Lorraine Larson and Jacob Ingram, Michele Holden and Jessica Kennedy-Stiffarm. The top two vote-getters in the election will take the seats.

Pulse said she works at Independence Bank as a a consumer department assistant and part time at Havre restaurant Bow and Marrow. She and her husband, Josh, who works as a sub foreman for Hill County Electric, have three children, Parker, 19, Kimber, 13, and Gage, 11.

She said not enough schoolchildren parents are on the board and she wants to bring that perspective to the board.

"A school board should be made up of parents because the decisions that are being made are for our children and who knows what is best for our kids better than the parents," she said. "As a parent on the school board, I will have every child in the district's best interests at heart."

Pulse said parents felt they were left in the dark in the past year during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Several parents attended multiple board meetings, but none of their input was even considered," she said. "We need a school board that will take the input from our parents and see if there is a way we could use it." 

She added that she has visited with several teachers in the past who felt as though none of them had any kind of say when it came to their classrooms and on issues at their schools.

"The teachers are the backbone for our district and the board needs to hear from the teachers and I want the staff to know I will be there working for them," Pulse said. "I want our teachers and parents to feel that their opinion is important, and every idea is worth something."

Pulse said she has worked in every building in the district as a substitute teacher and paraprofessional as well as a full-time paraprofessional. 

"I have had a chance to see how each building runs, and I feel that, with my knowledge, I would be an asset to the board," she said. 

She said she believes a lack of communication between teachers, the community and the school board goes back for years.

"Without open lines, how will the board know what is happening at each school? I want to try to bridge that gap and try to open those lines up again," Pulse said.