The primary role of school boards is to ensure that all enrolled students are provided the best education possible in a safe environment with the necessary skills and attitudes to become effective citizens. Our unique and passionate community allows the Big Sky School District’s Board to push for so much more. We recognize that all children have incredible potential, and we are committed to cultivating each individual to their own successes and the successes of their classmates, their school community and the community at large.

Our district’s location, surrounded by the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, affords us an opportunity to incorporate experiential learning into our everyday lesson plans. This, combined with a commitment to globally-minded education, engages children and supports skills and inquiry based learning at the highest levels of academic challenge. Finally, we empower our students to lead lives of impact, authenticity and resilience. From the Board’s perspective, the above will be achieved by a commitment to the strategic plan, transparency and a pursuit of sustainable outcomes that can be met consistently.

Our results-oriented district is driven by a passionate, motivated and dedicated group of administrators and teachers. Scrolling through our Staff Directory, you will see the faces of people who are guiding and challenging our children to become great. We are committed to providing the best educators with continued professional development opportunities for growth.

In conclusion, it is important to note that our rural, public school district receives great support from our community. Big Sky is unique by all standards and many of the programs that we incorporate into the district are the result of tireless efforts and dollars from community members and businesses. Our taxpayers continue to show their commitment to education as our district sees unprecedented growth in population. These relationships are essential as we expect the exceptional children from BSSD to contribute to and make proud the exceptional community of Big Sky.

Sincerely,

Big Sky School District #72, Board of Trustees

Board Chair

Matt Jennings moved to Big Sky permanently in the fall of ’98, married Erika in 2002 and they have two children, Matthew in Kindergarten and Jack who is almost two.  Matt has been in the ski and outdoor business since attending Iowa State University, he graduated in ‘93 with a BA in English and moved west shortly thereafter. Matt fell in love with the peacefulness of Big Sky and the small town feel and has never left. Matt currently is the General Manager of Gallatin Alpine Sports.

Vice Board Chair

Matt Dodd has been living and working in Big Sky since 2000, when he moved out to become a  ski instructor. More than twenty years later, Matt and his wife, Ashley, are raising two (mostly)  wonderful children who attend school in the Big Sky School District. From his early days in Big  Sky, Matt has bought into the community and its residents—serving as a guest teacher for the  district; creating a non-profit to get underprivileged kids skiing; and participating as a board  member for Morningstar Learning Center, a trustee of the Big Sky Fire District, and a participant  on a host of homeowners’ associations. As their children have grown, Matt and Ashley have  regularly been involved in the daily life of the district, with Ashley working for the district’s  lunch program, serving as a guest teacher, and leading the community theatre efforts at the  WMPAC and Matt helping to coach the Lone Peak Mock Trial team. For the last ten years, Matt  has helped people around the state as a lawyer with Dodd Law Firm, P.C.

Trustee

Kara Edgar and her husband Mark are the proud parents of three very active children in the Big Sky School District.  After recreating in Big Sky for over a decade, they moved to the community full time in 2020.  Kara founded ESCS, a female-owned financial consulting firm, in 2018 after a 20 year career as a business development specialist within the alternatives industry.  She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College where she was a member of the Varsity Swim Team.  She’s traded the pool for the slopes and hopes to encourage all to pursue a lifetime of learning both in and outside of the classroom.

Trustee

Seth Barker is the Deputy Chief of Operations for the Big Sky Fire Department in Big Sky, MT.  He has served the community at the Big Sky Fire Department for over 23 years as well as being a professional ski patroller for the Big Sky Resort. Chief Barker is a Logistical Coordinator for FireFighterCloseCalls.com and has contributed to the 16 Life Safety Initiatives for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. He sits as the Vice-Chair for the Volunteer Combination Officer Section for the International Association of Fire Chiefs Cancer Alliance Committee.  Barker is one of the contributing authors for the Lavender Report issuing the 11 Best Practices of Cancer Prevention in the Fire Service. He serves as the President for the International Society of Fire Service Instructors.  Chief Barker holds the Fire Officer and Chief Training Officer Designation from the Center of Public Safety and Excellence. He recently received the Jim Blankenship Award from the Montana State Fire Chiefs Association for excellence in Fire Training.

Trustee

Danielle McClain moved to Big Sky in 1999 and began her teaching career at Ophir School in 2000. Over the past two decades, she has dedicated herself to the Big Sky School District, serving as both a tenured teacher and the school’s librarian. Her commitment to the district extended further when she took on the role of operations director at the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center, where she enjoyed bringing art and cultural opportunities to the school and broader community.

Danielle holds a BA in English Literature, a BS in Elementary Education, and a Library Media Certification. In addition to her educational and managerial roles, Danielle contributed to Morningstar Learning Center, where she served as a trustee for seven years. Danielle and her husband, Alan, have raised two children in the Big Sky school district, who both attended from kindergarten through high school graduation.

Having retired from her full-time career, Danielle now enjoys working at a local family-owned restaurant and volunteering. She spends a lot of time skiing, mountain biking and hiking with friends, and walking her dog, Jax. Alan supports her in all her endeavors and sometimes even joins her.