PRIEST RIVER, Idaho — A major development in the Idaho education world, Branden Durst, a state superintendent candidate this past cycle and a former Democratic state lawmaker, is moving on from his role as Superintendent of the West Bonner School District.
Durst took to social media Monday afternoon with a full statement.
Superintendent Durst said he is looking for "an amicable and fair exit from my role as the Superintendent."
He added that "[t]his decision has not been made lightly, and I am fully aware of the challenges and sentiments that have surrounded my brief tenure."
Durst took the job on June 28th.
A little back story: In June the West Bonner School District was looking for its fifth superintendent in a little more than a year.
In March of 2022 the Superintendent who served for the previous eight years decided to take the same position for the district in Kamiah, Idaho.
After an involved selection process, the board offered a job to Dr. Michael Robey. He turned it down in the final stages of the process. So, the school board gave the job to Jackie Branum, one of the other finalists, who then abruptly resigned in March of this year.
From there, Susie Luckey, a longtime Bonner County teacher was appointed by the board of trustees as "interim superintendent."
Luckey was in the finals to be named full superintendent, she along with Mr. Branden Durst. Ultimately the board chose Durst, by a 3-2 vote In late June.
That kicked off a summer series of heated school board and community meetings about Durst, his political affiliations, his history in politics, and his education qualifications.
The contract and benefits, for example, were a major point of contention for some. As well as the requirements for the position.
One of the requirements for Durst to get the district job, or any superintendent job in Idaho, is to have four years of full-time certificated experience working with students while under contract with an accredited school. Which Durst doesn't have.
He needed a special emergency provisional certificate through the state. For that to happen, the school board needed to declare an emergency.
One board member, Carlyn Barton, spoke up early in the process saying she didn't see an emergency that would allow for the certificate.
"The superintendent candidate that was voted in is not currently qualified or able to fulfill all the duties of a public-school superintendent. Even with an emergency certification. The direction of our board has turned into a fascist dictatorship with an agenda which is far from our conservative point of view and no way open to uniting the board employees of this district or community. The direction or agenda that has been kept from the members, not only from the board, but our community," Barton said during a public board meeting in June.
The school board began to see heavy criticism from the local community. Some were very unhappy Durst was appointed. Others vocally supported the move and the ideas Durst talked about.
In August, voters recalled Board Chairman Keith Rutledge and Vice Chairwoman Susan Brown. The recall petition said the trustees 'failed to uphold their oath;' a pointed comment about their handling of the Durst appointment.
Then two weeks ago a major development, The Idaho State Board of Education rejected the emergency application.
A letter sent by the State Board's executive Director Matt Freeman said:
"Absent Mr. Durst meeting all five requirements for a superintendent endorsement under Idaho code, there is no pathway for Mr. Durst to obtain the legally required certification to serve as the West Bonner County School District superintendent."
The Board said that upon review, Idaho law only allows them to issue emergency certificates to teachers, not administrators. While they have made exceptions three times since 2015, their legal interpretation is that those were made in error.
In response, Durst accused the Board of discrimination and political motivations on social media.
So the decision from Durst on Monday comes after a long three months for the West Bonner community.
Durst says in a statement: "I faced a situation marked by its relentless obstacles thrown my way by those who wished to see me fail, including the Idaho State Board of Education and the Superintendent of Public Instruction."
We will find out more Wednesday at the board meeting.
Join 'The 208' conversation:
- Text us at (208) 321-5614
- E-mail us at the208@ktvb.com
- Join our The 208 Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/the208KTVB/
- Follow us on Twitter: @the208KTVB or tweet #the208 and #SoIdaho
- Follow us on Instagram: @the208KTVB
- Bookmark our landing page: /the-208
- Still reading this list? We're on YouTube, too:
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET NEWS FROM KTVB:
Download the KTVB News Mobile App
Apple iOS: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Watch news reports for FREE on YouTube: KTVB YouTube channel
Stream Live for FREE on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching 'KTVB'.
Stream Live for FREE on FIRE TV: Search ‘KTVB’ and click ‘Get’ to download.