BOISE, Idaho —
Polls have opened for the Boise School District Board of Trustees election.
A total of 13 candidates are running in four races for five seats. Boise school board seats are up for election on a rotating basis, with elections held every two years. Regular terms of office run six years, but there are four separate races of varying terms this year because of mid-term resignations following the September 2020 election. Andy Hawes, Elizabeth Langley and Steve Schmidt were appointed to complete those terms.
September 6 is not one of the four elections on the state of Idaho's consolidated elections calendar; the Boise School District is exempt from the 2010 Election Consolidation Law according to the Secretary of State and Ada County Elections, the district states on a question-and-answer sheet about the upcoming election. The district's charter, established in 1881 (nine years before Idaho became a state), states the district conducts school board elections on the first Tuesday of September in even-numbered years.
Several other school districts in Idaho hold bond or levy elections on August 30.
Polls for the Boise school board election is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. September 6. Polling locations will be different from those used in other elections; instead of assigned precincts, you may vote at any one of several Boise elementary, junior high and high schools. The polling locations for the elections can be found here.
In-person early voting is offered 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday from August 22 through September 2 at the Boise School District Service Center at 8169 W. Victory Rd.
If you plan to vote by mail-in absentee ballot, Friday, August 26, is the last day to request a ballot. Absentee ballots must be received at the Boise School District office before the polls close on September 6.
The candidates and excerpts from their candidate profile statements are below:
Race #1 (two seats; six-year terms)
Beth Oppenheimer
Current Boise School District trustee; Executive director of the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children; previously served as Associate Director of the Student Union at Boise State University and worked with Junior Achievement to promote financial literacy among low-income children in K-12 schools.
"I have devoted my career to ensuring children have access to quality education and well-rounded learning environments. Through my experiences, I have a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and needs our students face from early childhood education through higher ed..."
Dave Wagers
Current Boise School District trustee (board president since 2020); President of Idaho Candy Company for 23 years; Commercial property manager for more than 26 years; Certified Management Accountant.
"...He has learned that schools run on tight budgets and have dedicated staff that will do whatever it takes to aid the education process. Dave considers teachers the greatest assets of our school district and that our goal of educating students for college and career readiness requires first listening to the many stakeholders involved in a child's education. His business experience has proved invaluable while serving on the district’s facilities and strategic plan committees and ensures that the district manages the public's money and assets efficiently to deliver a first-class education..."
Krista Hasler
Currently stay-at-home mom; has worked previously as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker specializing in youth; holds Master in Social Work from BYU.
"...I have always been passionate about meeting children and youth where they are and helping them find their strengths and identity as they grow to their full potential. I’m looking forward to bringing this passion to the Boise School District.
"Emotional Intelligence, interpersonal communication, life skills, and internalized shared values are essential for success. I will increase opportunities to teach the power of these skills in everyday decision making, problem solving, and obtaining support to meet needs. I learned as a professional practitioner that these 4 elements promote progression. Emotional Intelligence coupled with values based learning will bring students of the Boise District greater success in their education and beyond..."
Greg Woodard
Attorney; B.S. in political science from University of Texas at Tyler, J.D. from UCLA School of Law.
"We came from a place where the state feels that it can raise our kids better than we can as parents, including 'teaching' them what is right and wrong. As parents, we felt that we were being ignored and our input was not being heard... due to the initial reactions and handling of Covid-19, my family experienced a massive disruption in the way my children received their education. This experience spurred my interest in running for the board..."
Race #2 (one seat; 4-year term)
Neil Mercer
U.S. Air Force Retired; Flight instructor with Silverhawk Aviation Academy
Mercer states three main objectives:
1. Move from 7th-9th grade junior high schools to 6th-8th grade middle schools. "This move will allow our 9th graders to be freshmen and have the opportunity for an extra year of high school experience, which will allow them to be more competitive with the surrounding school districts..."
2. Revisit the school calendar and have it "more in line with the actual summer months of June-August. Additionally, there are other changes to allow a more common-sense approach to the traditional days off and holidays throughout the school year."
3. "I want to see more transparency between the trustees... so that parents can understand why decisions are being made, not just being told what the decision is. We will accomplish this through data-driven decision making and 'showing our work,' just as we ask of our students when factoring polynomials."
Andy Hawes
Current Boise School District trustee; Attorney; B.A. University of Denver, J.D. Univ. of Idaho College of Law; practice focuses on natural resources, real estate and business law; current Vice Chair of the Board for Jesse Tree of Idaho.
"My desire to serve as a Boise School District stems from my passion to serve our community. In my opinion, there is no better way to serve our community by working with stakeholders to ensure that Boise School District produces graduates who possess the tools necessary to be productive citizens and are equipped to go out and make a positive difference in this community and the world. Communities thrive where schools serve as neighborhood gathering centers, provide a platform for community education and a resource for gap support services for its students and patrons. The success and quality of life in Boise depends on the success of the Boise School District."
Matthew Shapiro
Occupation: Renewable energy development; Other background: B.A. in Elementary Education and doctoral work in Curriculum and Instruction at Boise State University; taught middle school students at Garden City Community School.
"I am running for school board in order to help make Boise Schools a leader in civic education. By 'civic education' I refer to the broad set of understandings and skills needed for kids, and adults, to be able to be responsible and full participants in their community and society, solve problems together, and create and implement shared visions. More than ever, we need our kids to graduate with these understandings and skills. Furthermore, I believe that designing a comprehensive, meaningful, K-12 civic education program must involve the entire community. This orientation toward participatory design has been a hallmark of my involvement in education and will continue onto the school board if I am elected."
Race #3 (one 2-year term seat)
Elizabeth Langley
Current Boise School District Trustee; Partner and vice president with Echelon Group; classroom volunteer; Several nonprofit boards, including Boise Public Schools Foundation and CATCH initiative to address family homelessness.
From Langley's profile statement:
"In her time as a Trustee Elizabeth has shown her continued commitment to:
- Access to high quality education for every child, regardless of the diversity of need, with demonstrated results.
This can be seen in the literacy changes and strategic plan changes made under Trustee Langley’s tenure.
- A voice, representation and consideration for all stakeholders when making policy or district decisions. Trustee
Langley has enjoyed increasing parent and community involvement in policy design and board testimony and communication.
- Fiscal Responsibility with taxpayer dollars, as demonstrated by the lower tax expense approved by Trustee Langley in the 2021 and 2022 budgets.
- Parent choice and transparency of the highest availability of educational options to meet children where they are while meeting family needs. Trustee Langley was proud to vote for policies that provide continued clarity around educational content and quality with stakeholder feedback in 2021 and 2022."
Todd Kurowski
Retired from U.S. Air Force and Idaho Air National Guard; M.S. in organizational development from Central Washington University, B.S. in psychology from Univ. of Idaho, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (USAF); Sunset Neighborhood Association board.
"Part of my continuing commitment to service is stewardship. Stewardship is something I deeply value as well as act to develop in my home, neighborhood and community. To me being a good steward reminds me that I am part of my environment and community not separate from or above.
"Lastly school safety is incredibly important to me. If elected as trustee I am committed to making our schools be a place where no person or group, inside and out will risk to commit any kind of harm."
Dawn King
Taught in Boise School District for 31 years; community volunteer; Bachelor of Science in elementary education from BYU, Master of Arts in literacy education from Boise State University.
From candidate profile statement:
"As a trustee, I would:
- Ensure the standards of excellence and rigor in the curriculum to prepare future generations for tomorrow’s challenges.
- Advocate for a safe and secure environment, addressing mental health issues by adopting sound and proven policies and practices where teaching and learning can be the main priority.
- Build strong relationships between the Boise School District, its students, staff, patrons, and community partners.
- Encourage investment in education and promote teacher retention by working directly with the Idaho State Legislators to increase support and funding for education."
Nate Dean
Math teacher with Elevate Academy Nampa and education contractor; former educator effectiveness program manager with Idaho State Board of Education; former science teacher in Boise and Idaho Falls school districts; Ed. S. in education leadership from Northwest Nazarene University, M.S. in STEM education and B.S. in Earth science education from Boise State University.
"I am uniquely qualified to bring positive leadership to this role. As a certified educator with over a decade of experience, I have personally faced the day-to-day challenges of our public schools. I know how well-meaning policies can create unintentional harm when the impacted staff, students, and families are not fully involved. That perspective drives my commitment to actively seek input from stakeholders who have been traditionally undervalued...
"...I will seek to bring increased transparency to district administration, empower our education professionals as the experts-in-the-field, and rely on the best-available research when deciding important issues..."
Race #4 (one 2-year term)
Steve Schmidt
Current Boise School District trustee; engineering technical leader; Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering.
From candidate profile statement:
"Given the important issues facing our world, our nation, and our city, my unique experience and abilities will be critical to have on the Board going forward to help achieve these goals.
Specifically, I have:
- The ability to think logically and rationally, while weighing competing interests, in order to come to a decision
- My own experience and awareness of my limited perspective that drives me to actively seek out perspectives different than my own
- The ability and willingness to listen and discuss
- Talent for building and repairing relationships
- The ability to clearly communicate in difficult situations
I want to continue using these abilities and talents serving on the Board of Trustees to help make rational, thoughtful, well-informed decisions for our district that consider the input of all sides. I am equipped to do this, and I believe this kind of decision-making is now more critical than ever..."
Shiva Rajbhandari
Senior-to-be at Boise High School; youth engagement coordinator at Idaho Conservation League; community organizer; TikTok star.
"It's time that our district listens to students. We deserve to have our input considered when making decisions on how to run our schools. We deserve action on issues that are important to today's youth such as sustainability and the student mental health crisis. As a member of student government, as a club president, as a constituent of the Board of Trustees, I have listened to students', parents', and educators' concerns. Now, I hope to have the opportunity to take action, and I have faith that we can find consensus around these issues."
For more information on the 2022 Board of Trustees candidates, including their complete profile statements, click HERE.
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