Between the recall of two board members, a failed levy that led the district to slash a third of its budget, the resignation of an unqualified superintendent, and an almost two-month hiatus in board decision-making caused by one trustee's truancy, the West Bonner School Board may finally have a clear path forward after a year of nonstop turmoil.
However, even with two new trustees on the board, a temporary superintendent in place and an upcoming election for most of the board members, the future is far from certain.
On Wednesday, Oct. 25, trustee Troy Reinbold — surprisingly — attended a school board meeting after missing them since the beginning of September, and announcing that a family emergency would prevent him from attending further meetings by phone or in person. (His long absence excludes a 28-minute phone call into a Sept. 27 meeting when a new chair and vice chair were chosen, bills were paid and a vacancy notice was approved for the two open trustee seats.)
Navigating the West Bonner School Board situation is challenging because most people at the state level have never encountered this level of dysfunction, says Quinn Perry, deputy director of government affairs at the Idaho School Boards Association.
While the district has the authority to pay certain bills — like keeping the lights on or paying for already-approved contracts — Perry says without a quorum, district business can't be conducted.
No new trustees were interviewed and appointed, Superintendent Branden Durst's resignation could not be accepted, and regular action items, like simply approving meeting minutes, couldn't be completed.
tweet this
The board has lacked enough members for a quorum because of Reinbold's absences, preventing it from taking most actions. This meant that no new trustees were interviewed and appointed, Superintendent Branden Durst's Sept. 25 resignation could not be accepted, and regular action items, like simply approving meeting minutes, couldn't be completed.
The Bonner County Sheriff's Office began investigating a criminal complaint against Reinbold for nonfeasance as a public official after he missed the regular Oct. 18 meeting.
On Oct. 30, with Reinbold in attendance, the board appointed two new trustees. In two 2-1 votes, with Reinbold dissenting each time, the board appointed Ann Yount and Paul Turco to the empty seats.
Trouble began for the North Idaho district, which serves about 1,100 students, after the sudden resignation of then-Superintendent Jackie Branum in March. As she struggled to retain teachers and raise wages, opposition arose to her recommended approach to handling major financial issues — a four-day school week.
While her recommendation was approved by the school board, and kept a proposed levy at $4.7 million when it went to voters in May, she became a target in the district, even though she had support of a majority on the board and many parents. In a comment to Idaho Education News, Branum said she was convinced she did not have enough support in her efforts to enact change.
When the supplemental levy — which would make up about 33% of the district's budget — went to voters in May, it was rejected by just over 100 votes out of 3,295 cast. The existing supplemental levy expired in June, and the board was forced to make drastic changes, eliminating funding for school sports and extracurricular activities in an effort to prioritize hiring staff, food services, school safety and maintaining a transportation budget.
This isn't the first time a similar levy has failed in North Idaho. In March, a $25 million permanent levy in the Coeur d'Alene School District failed to receive enough support to pass. However in May, the district sent voters the same levy but with the stipulation that it would end after two years, and the new measure passed.
After reckoning with the absence of a third of its budget, the West Bonner board decided to hire a superintendent without any K-12 education experience or the state-required certifications to qualify for the position. Reinbold, board Chair Keith Rutledge and Vice Chair Susan Brown voted to hire Durst in June. According to his contract, Durst would make $110,000 a year for the duration of his two-year contract.
Trustees Margaret Hall and Carlyn Barton both voted against Durst's hiring.
After reckoning with the absence of a third of its budget, the West Bonner board decided to hire a superintendent without any K-12 education experience or the state-required certifications to qualify for the position.
tweet this
Durst's hiring caused concern at the Idaho State Board of Education, prompting members to notify the district about areas where it was out of compliance with state requirements.
The Aug. 16 letter was sent specifically about the district's "decision to employ a non-certified individual as superintendent," but it also included concerns about the district's unbalanced budget, "significant disproportionality of students with disciplinary action" and failure to complete an application for federal funding.
Later that month, voters in the district recalled both Brown and Rutledge in near-supermajority votes. This, however, didn't prevent the trustees from attempting to refashion the district's governance before the vote could be officially counted.
Agenda items for a last-minute Sept. 1 meeting included actions meant to dissolve the current board of trustees and turn the meeting over to Durst. Priest River attorney Katherine Elsaesser filed for a temporary restraining order on behalf of "the 1,386 voters who voted in favor of the recall" and the school district to prevent the recalled members from enacting any changes before they were officially removed.
Magistrate Judge Lori T. Meulenberg granted the temporary restraining order to prevent the lame duck meeting and ensured that the board couldn't take any official action until Rutledge and Brown were officially removed. The order was valid for 14 days, according to court documents.
Once the election was canvassed and the two trustees were officially removed, the board was able to take action once again — but only if all three remaining members actually attended the meetings.
Next week, voters will decide the fate of the three remaining trustees. Hall faces off against Alan Galloway for Zone 1, Reinbold faces Elizabeth Glazier for Zone 3, and Barton faces Kathy Nash in Zone 5. ♦
