by Skylar Rispens, Great Falls Tribune | Updated 5:42 a.m., May 6, 2020 
    Voters chose in favor of an elementary operational levy, while two incumbents and one newcomer were elected to the Great Falls Public School Board of Trustees, according to unofficial final results Tuesday night.
 
   The $1.75 million elementary levy passed by a vote of 10,795 to 8,863, and incumbents Jan Cahill and Kim Skornogoski were re-elected to the school board. Former city commissioner Bill Bronson earned the third open seat on the board of trustees.

   The levy is expected to have a tax impact of $16.27 annually on a $100,000 home, and $32.50 annually on a $200,000 home.
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   The school trustee election was among four community members vying for three vacant positions. The three-year terms of current board members Jan Cahill, Kim Skornogoski and Jason Brantley are set to expire this year.
   This story will be updated. 
   
Unofficial final results:

School board trustee (Three elected to three-year term): 
Jan Cahill:  13,372*
Kim Skornogoski:  12,929*
Bill Bronson:  10,750*
Eric Hinebauch:  10,303

Elementary levy:
For:  10,795*
Against:  8,893

  From Bob Griffith, GFEA president
 Through this trying time in the education of our students, our kids, we want our teachers to know how much we not only appreciate all they do, but that we recognize the extent of how they go above and beyond.
   Even though we know that to do our best teaching, we must stay connected, this time of zoom meetings and social distancing has created challenges for maintaining these connections. And yet, we must stay focused and find ways to connect to our inner lives, our colleagues, our students as well as the skills and knowledge we teach.
   When we live and work in isolation, we miss out on what we need most:  empathy, shared wisdom and communal expertise. And so, to all of you who teach, we know how you are working every day to make a difference in kids' lives. The "connections" you strive to make for the benefit of kids do not go unnoticed. Stay safe. You are appreciated.

 The Board of Trustees conducted a special meeting at noon on Friday, May 1st, and announced that they will not re-open campuses, and distance learning will continue for the remainder of the current school year.

There is no word yet on whether GFPS will host a modified ceremony for seniors; we will update you as we get more information.

During a work session on Monday, GFPS trustees asked health experts about bringing more than 10,000 students, teachers, and staff back into the district's buildings. Trisha Gardner, the health officer of the Cascade City-County Health Department, says she doesn’t think it is a good idea: “I think it opens up a potential floodgate for this to spread very quickly and easily throughout our community.” She also says the main concern is asymptomatic spread. Since children and young adults have been seen with little to no symptoms, it could spread very easily without being detected. During the work session, trustees said that a survey of parents indicated that 71% of the more than 5,000 respondents said they are not in favor of re-opening schools at this point.

Several days ago, GFPS announced that it is adopting a "Pass/Fail" for the latter portion of the current school year for middle schools and high schools; click here for details. In related news, the Montana High School Association announced on Wednesday that all spring sports in schools across Montana have been canceled for the remainder of the school year.

Many other school districts announced this week that they will not re-open classrooms for the remainder of the current school year, including Billings, Bozeman, Glasgow, Butte, Helena, and Whitefish.

Additional information can be found at ​https://www.krtv.com/news/great-falls-news/gfps-remote-learning-will-continue-for-the-remainder-of-the-school-yearBy: MTN News