Maintained by Patrick Zimny, a Bozeman parent, not by the school district or the county. I ran for school board in 2026 and I'm running again in 2027. Corrections: patrick@patrickzimny.com.

Bozeman School District 7 elects trustees every May. This page tracks the May 2027 election: dates, how the process works, and (once filings open) who's running. Updated through election day.

Get an email when candidates file: I’ll send plain-English updates at every milestone of this election.

Key dates

  • Election day: Tuesday, May 4, 2027. Montana law sets school elections on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in May (MCA 20-20-105).
  • Candidate filing window: about December 10, 2026 – 5 p.m. February 8, 2027. Statute allows filing no sooner than 145 days and no later than 85 days before election day (MCA 20-3-305). I'll confirm exact dates against the official OPI election calendar when it's published.
  • Write-in deadline: 5 p.m. on the 65th day before the election (the 65th day falls on a Sunday, February 28, 2027; a Sunday deadline moved to Monday in 2026, so expect March 1. Same statute.).
  • Ballots: BSD7 elections have been run by the Gallatin County Election Office as mail-ballot elections. In 2026, ballots went out April 17 and had to be received by 8 p.m. election day (postmarks don't count). Expect the same shape in 2027, confirmed closer in.

What's on the ballot

Four trustee terms expire in 2027: the seats currently held by Lei-Anna Bertelsen, Gary Lusin, Melissa Moran, and Sandra Wilson (current board). I'm confirming with the district clerk exactly how those split between elementary-district seats and the high-school at-large seat, and will update here.

How BSD7's board is structured

Eight trustees, three-year staggered terms. Seven are elected by voters of the Bozeman elementary district; the eighth is an at-large seat elected by voters of the surrounding rural elementary districts (Anderson, Gallatin Gateway, Monforton areas) that belong to the high-school district. All eight act on high-school business. Elections are nonpartisan. No parties, no primaries.

What does nonpartisan mean?

School board races in Montana are nonpartisan. Candidates file with the school district clerk instead of running in a party primary (MCA 20-3-305), and the ballot lists names only, with no party next to them (MCA 20-3-306). It's a party-agnostic position. The League of Women Voters of the Bozeman Area has hosted the school board candidate forum in past elections, and it publishes a VOTE411 voter guide for Gallatin County.

Thinking about running?

You qualify if you're a registered voter residing in the district (MCA 20-3-305). You file a Declaration of Intent and Oath of Candidacy with the BSD7 district clerk during the filing window. The statute lists no filing fee (confirming with the clerk). One more thing state law says (MCA 20-3-313): if no more candidates file than there are open seats, the election can simply be canceled and the candidates seated by acclamation. File. Run. Make it a race.

If you're serious, start now: attend meetings, read the Policy Explorer, and follow my meeting previews and recaps.

Who's running

Filings haven't opened. Every candidate will be listed here as they file.

Resources