CANDIDATE PROFILE – Felicia Cassidy, Kellogg School District Trustee Zone 5

Full Name: Felicia Cassidy

Birth Date: February 1986

Profession: Professional Engineer, Civil

Highest level of education completed: Bachelor’s Degrees from University of Idaho

Degrees and professional certifications: Bachelor of Science, Chemistry; Bachelor of Science, Chemical Engineering; Professional Engineer, Civil – Idaho, Washington and Nevada, additional teacher certificate courses.

Civic organization or nonprofit board service: KSD school board June 2023 - current

How long have you lived in Idaho and in your city? I was born and raised in Idaho – graduating from Wallace Jr/Sr High, relocated to Nevada for work for 9 years then returned to Idaho where we purchased our home in Kingston. We have been at that address for 3.5 years now for a total of 28 years in the Silver Valley.

Marital Status: Married

Family: Husband, twins in 8th grade (Katie and Alex) at KMS, 2 dogs, 3 cats, and more chickens than I claim

• What experience has prepared you for this office?
  

When my kids started school in Elko, Nevada I knew I needed to better understand the country’s education system and couldn’t do that without being a part of the school. I started by volunteering for reading groups and class parties on my days off. I enjoyed the school and became a substitute teacher and eventually decided to make a career change and become a full-time teacher at the high school. I taught Geometry and pre-algebra to 200+ students. During this time, I was enrolled in education courses at the community college focusing on student psychology and curriculum. The time I spent in the classroom has given me a unique insight into student and educator’s needs. Since moving back to Idaho, I have been involved as a coach, furthering my understanding of the students here in KSD and their unique needs. I work well with others and am a problem solver. I truly believe that you have to experience working in a school system to understand the challenges that can be presented to the board members.

• What is the No. 1 issue/problem you believe you will face if elected, and how will you resolve it?
  

I believe that KSD has 2 big issues at hand. The first is an aging infrastructure and lack of planned preventative maintenance. It is my goal to understand the plans of the maintenance department and push for long-term planning and issue tracking. This would allow budgets to accurately predict upcoming needs and be in a position to plan for large repairs. The second issue is with curriculum and student understanding. KSD state test scores are lower than I would like to see, and I believe an enriched curriculum of more diverse classes like trade training would help interest students who otherwise lose focus in standard core classes. It would be great to see KSD be able to have graduating seniors also achieve certificates of trade training such as welding, plumbing, or electrical. Both issues are hindered by tight budgets so understanding all of the spending and revenue sources for the district is necessary to alleviate either issue.

• What do you consider a top responsibility for the position you’re seeking?
  

My top responsibility is to keep the best interests of ALL students in mind to provide a safe, secure place for them to gain an education and grow into successful adults. For this to happen the employees of the district need to also feel safe and appreciated and facilities need to be maintained in an operable and comfortable condition.

• Why should voters choose you?

I am a lifelong Silver Valley resident who has the best interests of this small community at heart. I have no political agenda and truly just want to help our kids succeed. I am active in the community by providing mentoring to students working on senior projects, providing job shadowing opportunities for local seniors, and by coaching or officiating multiple sports as a volunteer. I feel being a KSD board member would be a great way for me to give back to our community. I have experience in the education system and hope to have a positive impact on the lives of many KSD students. I plan to retire in the district and want to be involved in the district long-term. I am not coming in to change everything right away but believe that the district has room to improve and would love to be a part of that improvement.