Support for John Fitzpatrick for House District 76

By Peggy Lynn, Anaconda

Published in the Seeley Swan Pathfinder

April 23, 2026

I am writing this letter in order to express my support for John Fitzpatrick for House District 76. As a native Montanan who taught school in West Yellowstone, MT for many years, I experienced first hand the challenges rural school districts in our state face keeping up with teacher’s salaries, paying for infrastructure maintenance, and purchasing student supplies. Without funding assistance from the State these rural schools would end up short changing our youth by not being able to attract quality teachers, keep their buildings up to date with technology, or be able to offer a variety of classes and activities. Trish Schreiber champions charter schools, which would cause an additional strain on taxpayer funding. Diverting state funds from the public school system to accommodate charter schools forces small rural districts to either raise taxes or cut programs. Public schools are the back bone of the Montana educational system and should be adequately funded. It is hard for me to believe that someone who is a newcomer to rural Montana, has never been certified to teach in Montana, and never served on a local school board, is the best candidate to legislate educational policy for Montana schools.

John Fitzpatrick understands Montana and the sacrifice Montanans make to keep our public schools functioning. His experience, transparency and dedication to the interests of his district and the state of Montana make him the superior choice for HD 76.