NAMPA, Idaho — This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press.
On Nov. 7, Nampa residents in trustee zones 1 and 2 will vote for trustees to represent them in the Nampa School District. Read on as candidates discuss plans they want to bring to the classroom.
TRUSTEE ZONE 1
Stephanie Binns
Binns has been an educator for about 14 years and has a master’s degree in educational leadership. After several years working in the tech industry, she’s returning to the classroom this year.
“Education is my passion,” Binns said.
Wanting to invest in her community, Binns took part in the city of Nampa’s Districting Committee. She was also a part of the district’s 2023 English Language Arts Adoption Committee.
Now, Binns aims to serve the community with her experience. As both a parent and educator, Binns said she can see both sides of an issue.
“I’m very concerned as a parent of my son’s education, and one of the factors that really helps increase student achievement is retention of experienced teachers,” Binns said.
Binns said teachers who stick around have had the chance to better hone their craft and provide a solid foundation for students.
“Nampa in particular has difficulty keeping that experienced talent pool here,” she said.
To meet student needs, Binns placed an emphasis on using data to the best advantage of the board.
In the interest of the district, Binns said the best trustees would be those who can listen and fairly evaluate evidence.
“I really think that last few years have been tumultuous with board meetings and …. I think we really need this ‘season of healing’ to rebuild,” Binns said. “We can’t move forward together if we can’t talk to each other.”
Jay Duffy
Duffy works as a general contractor and has lived in Nampa for 26 years. He decided to run for the board because he was frustrated with the district’s curriculum.
“I am tired of certain views being pushed upon our children,” Duffy said.
He believes the board could have acted more wisely when it came to some curriculum and policies.
“I do not believe in transgender people being in women’s sports, I think it’s unfair for girls to be viewed while they’re in the locker rooms,” Duffy said. “And I do not believe in some of the curriculum that has been talked about and what they call ‘health.’”
He recognized that transgender people need support, but not to the detriment of other kids.
“We need to help all children,” Duffy said. “But we don’t put one person over a bunch of other innocent people.”
Duffy hopes to foster communication with both sides willing to listen before jumping to conclusions.
While Duffy believes levies can be necessary, he doesn’t appreciate funds being used so loosely. Rather than hiring more administrative positions, he wants to see money go toward teachers.
With the responsibility of balancing a budget, Duffy believes school is a business.
“The way the schools are handling things is just not wise use of the money. That’s one of the new woke agendas being pressed upon the people,” Duffy said. “I believe we need to have people that want to return back to common sense.”
He would like to bring in education focused on learning different trades, providing students with more options.
TRUSTEE ZONE 2
David Jennings
Originally from Nampa, Jennings owns a local real estate brokerage business where he has gained leadership experience. In the past few years, he has seen parents struggling to work with the district.
“A school board trustee needs to be able to support the parents,” Jennings said.
As an invested parent himself, Jennings understands their concerns.
“It’s just a completely different view from a parent’s standpoint,” he said. “Obviously we’re grateful for them (the school board) serving, but there’s a lot more to it when your kids are involved.”
By running, he hopes to better represent the voice of parents.
Jennings took issue with how previous trustees would come to decisions without an open dialogue.
“I feel a lot of our past trustees have drawn a line in the sand with where they stand and they haven’t had the ability to really communicate,” Jennings said. “It was just kind of like everyone’s voting on their personal belief.”
From his point of view as a parent on the sidelines, Jennings felt frustrated.
“These topics come up and you clearly knew before they even had conversations about who stood where,” he said. “I just think that predetermined mentality isn’t a fair mentality.”
When it comes to the academic performance of the district, Jennings believes the district can do better, particularly when comparing Nampa to other districts.
“I would like to make sure that we have the educational materials in place to increase our students’ scoring compared to what is going on state and nationwide,” Jennings said.
He acknowledged that the content of materials has been a hot topic in recent years, but that providing materials should be the focus.
“We have opinions as parents on those topics, but for me, I think making sure that the students and the teachers have the materials that they need to educate the kids (is a priority).”
Adam Schasel
Schasel spent four years at Nampa High School as an economics teacher, seeing over 1,000 students pass through his classes. He left his teaching position to work at a nonprofit that helps recruit and manage teachers for low-income school districts.
Witnessing it firsthand, Schasel said there is a supply issue when it comes to educators. Getting them in the door can be difficult while keeping them is a separate challenge.
“Our district needs to get creative about attracting and retaining in order to make sure that our kids get the best education,” Schasel said.
Schasel said Nampa’s retention of teachers is below average. Some problem-solving he proposed could include partnering with local institutions or incentivizing teachers for good performance. Offering parental leave could give the district an edge over others, Schasel said.
“I think that’s really going to start inspiring a lot of loyalty,” he said. “Making sure the best teachers choose to work and live in Nampa.”
Working with statistics, Schasel recognized numbers that he found problematic. Declining student enrollment has Schasel wanting to explore why people are choosing other institutions over Nampa public schools. He believes student achievement is low with poor reading comprehension.
“Our students are not necessarily graduating with the skills and knowledge that they need to be able to keep a high-paying job to continue to be able to afford to grow up here,” he said.
Another priority topic for Schasel is student mental health.
“It’s not surprising to hear about students tragically claiming their lives, every year,” Schasel said. “And I think that that’s unacceptable.”
Rather than taking time discussing which books belong in libraries or who should be able to use which bathrooms, Schasel said he would hope to utilize time on the board more effectively.
“I totally get that there are parents or community who are concerned and have a lot of anxiety about what happens in our classrooms,” Schasel said. “It’s understandable to want to know about what your (kids) are doing 40 hours out of the week … the right school board candidate can help build those bridges of trusting connections.”
This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press, read more on IdahoPress.com.
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