MERIDIAN -- Emotions and tension are both running high in Idaho's largest school district.
Several school board members and the superintendent just don't see eye to eye on a number of issues.
Now, both sides are concerned that their differing opinions could adversely affect the district's 37,000 students.
A supplemental levy that would generate $14 million in revenue for each of the next two years will go before voters next month.
The board members agree on one thing, that the levy is needed to keep the district afloat financially, but worry the recent back and forth, including some hard criticism could sway the vote.
"I've never seen or had to deal with anything like this," said board member Mike Vuittonet.
Vuittonet has been a member of the West Ada school board for nearly 15 years. He's frustrated about what's happened since four new board members have taken office, including two this summer. He says right away the new members started making changes to policy, taking control away from the superintendent and administration.
"I don't know where the district has failed and where the need to come and change and repair everything, what happened," said Vuittonet.
The most publicized disagreement has been over Superintendent Dr. Linda Clark's contract. It was approved by the previous board, but voided by the new one because of concerns that the item was not placed on the agenda or discussed outside an executive session.
"It was a procedural thing, it wasn't some egregious violation of the law that we're trying to hide or not be transparent," he said.
Julie Madsen joined the board in July and disagrees. She's also criticized the details of the superintendent's contract, including a car for unlimited personal and professional use, a 20 percent buyout, and travel and discretionary benefits that Madsen says were added during the peak of the recession.
"During that time the superintendent contract grew very steadily and substantially, and lucrative perks were added that would be unpalatable to taxpayers," she said.
Madsen admits there has been tension but says that's typical with new board members, and says they're not looking to overhaul a successful system, simply fix what's not working well. She believes the biggest issue is transparency.
"Our hope is we gain more support from taxpayers by demonstrating to them that we are going to be responsible to them," said Madsen.
Now both sides hope Meridian voters can see past the conflict and focus on students by voting in support of the two-year supplemental levy.
"I think there is a great risk to the levy, and the levy is really the district's only mechanism to remain financially solid," said Madsen.
"In spite of what's going on right now, and all the controversy and all the turmoil, in spite of all that, we need to separate the need for the levy from that," said Vuittonet.
As for Clark's contract, when it was voided they reverted back to the previous contract that still has two years left.
We reached out to Clark and the other three board members who all said they couldn't comment.
