Cali Koerner Morrison (Belgrade School District, At-large, Montana, candidate 2025)

Cali Koerner Morrison

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Nonpartisan

Candidate, Belgrade School District, At-large

Elections and appointments

Last election

May 6, 2025

Education

High school

South Oldham High School

Bachelor's

Western Kentucky University, 2001

Graduate

Montana State University, 2005

Other

Montana State University, 2018

Personal

Profession

Researcher

Contact

Personal Facebook

Personal Instagram

Personal LinkedIn

Cali Koerner Morrison ran in a special election to the Belgrade School District, At-large in Montana. She was on the ballot in the special general election on May 6, 2025.^[source]

Morrison completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Cali Koerner Morrison provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on May 2, 2025:

• High school: South Oldham High School
• Bachelor's: Western Kentucky University, 2001
• Graduate: Montana State University, 2005
• Other: Montana State University, 2018
• Gender: Female
• Profession: Researcher
• Prior offices held:
  • Democratic Party Districtwoman
• Incumbent officeholder: No
• LinkedIn

Elections

General election

Special general election for Belgrade School District, At-large

Samantha Baker, Lila J. Beard, and Cali Koerner Morrison ran in the special general election for Belgrade School District, At-large on May 6, 2025.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Samantha Baker (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Lila J. Beard (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Cali Koerner Morrison (Nonpartisan)

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	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Morrison in this election.

Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Cali Koerner Morrison completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Morrison's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I’m a voracious learner driven by deep curiosity about the world and the humans who inhabit it. I have over 20 years of experience as an intraprenuer, innovator, educator, analyst, and leader in higher education with success in program and human capital development, grant writing and operations, and leadership.

You’ll often find me wondering the trails, hot springing, floating a river, skiing the cold smoke or lacing up for the soccer pitch. I’m involved in the community, currently with One Valley Community Foundation. I chair Women Who Wine, a giving circle democratizing philanthropy by raising funds and awareness for local non-profits.

I am the proud mama of two Belgrade Panthers – Bryce and Portia. Bryce is committed to soccer, her faith, and is a talented baker. Portia is a dedicated dancer, a budding actress, and fashion designer. I’ve been married to Bryan, for over 20 years, and we have made our home in Belgrade. Bryan has also built his business, Majestic Custom Homes, here. Our family is rounded out by our rescued Pyrenees mix, Beau, who brings tail wags and floof to our home.

I’m a maker of good trouble, a crafty creative and practical visionary, who believes in living authentically and that everything is better in color. I'm a graduate of Western Kentucky University & Montana State University. I’m on a mission to help all humans learn and guide them in the art of being a traveler not a tourist.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Learning is a skill acquired through sustained curiosity. We need to ensure curiosity is a part of our curricula, not just repetition, memorization and regurgitation.
• The skills necessary to thrive in the workforce our learners will enter are changing. 39% of workers' core skills will change by 2030, according to the World Economic Forum. We need to prepare our graduates not only with the hard skills in technology and analytical thinking but also in the uniquely human (sometimes called soft) skills like creative thinking, resilience and curiosity that are necessary for success.
• We need to support our teachers, administrators and coaches. We hired them based on their knowledge, skills, abilities, and talents therefore we need to let them use those attributes to drive the learning environment. As a board, it is our job to trust the people we have hired to do the job we have hired them for and not bound them in unnecessary policy or restriction. We also have a responsibility to ensure our educators have the resources they need to teach, to grow in their profession and to be a part of our community.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Education and workforce development, which is why I am running for school board. For this current race, my role is non-partisan and I intend to keep my personal beliefs to the side and keep our district and our learners in the center when considering what is the best course of action.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Supporting my belief that our learners need skill development and curiosity based learning, I would point our community to The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025 https://www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2025/

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, integrity, grit, resilience, and compassion.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To support the learners, teachers, administrators, coaches in achieving the academic and social-emotional learning goals we have for our district. The trustees do this by practicing curricular innovation, budgetary oversight, and focusing on the needs of the district as a whole, not their personal political positions.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job with a W2 was at Winn Dixie (the local grocery store near my house). I worked for Winn Dixie from my sophmore year of high school until I left for college and then again when I was home on breaks throughout college. I also worked at the Winn Dixie near my college.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

To support the learners, teachers, administrators, coaches in achieving the academic and social-emotional learning goals we have for our district.

Who are your constituents?

The learners in our district are my primary constituents. However, without our teachers, administrators, support staff, and coaches we wouldn’t have a district. To top that off, all of the tax payers in our district, whether they are directly involved in our schools or not are part of our constituency. We need to ensure their tax dollars are spent appropriately and in a manner that honors our duty to support the next generation.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Financial transparency should be required for all entities which receive public funds. Just like a publicly traded company has to have an earnings call for their shareholders, our district's financial reports should be open to our taxpayers (and I believe Belgrade School District does a good job of this -- IF people attend the meetings). Accountability takes many forms -- as does what could be considered success. We need to look wholistically at our learners and their progress, not just at nameless, faceless data.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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