‘She had our back’: Nampa superintendent, trustee resignations worry teachers, parents
Rene Homer, who has worked for the Nampa School District for decades, said former Superintendent Paula Kellerer — who resigned earlier this month — made everyone feel valued.
Homer, a paraprofessional, plans to retire at the end of this school year “with a heavy heart.” What has happened over the past few weeks — with the departures of Kellerer and former Trustee Mike Kipp — made her sure it was the right time, she said.
But she’s worried about the district she’ll be leaving.
“I’m just very, very concerned,” she said last week to a crowd of parents, educators and community members at a rally planned in support of Kellerer. “I feel sad. … We were headed in the right direction. We always knew she had our back. We’re not feeling that right now.”
Kellerer said in her resignation letter that the school board and superintendent need to create a vision that puts children first, but sometimes “values and deeply held individual beliefs are too far apart.” Her departure came just about a week after Kipp announced he would be leaving his role and said he was “weary” and “tired.”
The two sudden resignations followed just weeks after three of four current board members were sworn in. Three of the Nampa school board members assumed their roles in January after voters elected them in November. Some questioned the timing, and wondered whether Kellerer and Kipp were pushed out by a largely new board.
Former Nampa School Board Trustee Bob Otten said he believes Kellerer and Kipp were forced to leave.
“I think that the board members that have been elected in the last year have decided that their way is the right way, the only way,” he told the Idaho Statesman.
He said people who disagreed with them have been “harassed,” “booed” and told they didn’t know what they were talking about — “so I think, in a way, they were forced out of their jobs,” he said.
Three new district board members sworn in
Nampa voters elected three new board members in November: Jeff Kirkman, Tracey Pearson and Brook Taylor. No incumbents ran for reelection.
In their election campaigns, all three said they opposed mask mandates in schools as a mitigation measure to slow the spread of COVID-19. The Nampa School District has not mandated masks all school year.
The new trustees had also opposed critical race theory. According to the American Bar Association, critical race theory “critiques how the social construction of race and institutionalized racism perpetuate a racial caste system that relegates people of color to the bottom tiers.” K-12 educators across Idaho previously told the Statesman critical race theory is not taught in classrooms.
In Kipp’s resignation letter, he wrote he was honored to have served as a trustee, but that the majority of his time in the role had been “tumultuous and challenging” due to the pandemic. Kipp, who faced a failed recall effort last year, said he hoped the board would re-focus its energy on student achievement and learning loss. While serving on the board, Kipp had supported certain mitigation measures during the pandemic. He declined to comment beyond his letter.
In Kellerer’s resignation, she said it was an honor to serve in the role and that she hopes the board takes time for “professional development.” She alluded to differences with the board, writing that when the superintendent and trustees have values and beliefs so far from each other, it creates “division and prevents a district from effectively focusing on the important work of student achievement.” Kellerer could not be reached for comment.
Kirkman, who became board chair in January, told the Statesman he had wanted and expected to work with both Kellerer and Kipp and was saddened by their resignations. He said Kellerer has done an “incredible job” as superintendent, and that there was no effort to push the two out of their positions.
He said he didn’t feel there were any disagreements they couldn’t overcome, and emphasized the importance of having a balanced board — one that represents everyone in the community, not just some.
“I was a little disappointed that we didn’t really have an opportunity to address those disagreements, because it was very quick,” Kirkman said. “I just don’t think there’s hurdles big enough that we can’t overcome if we work together, if we have conversations, if we listen to each other.”
He said he respected the decisions of Kipp and Kellerer, and that the board and district now needed to move forward.
‘We need a healthy, balanced board,’ chair says
Kirkman told the Statesman he was surprised to learn about the resignations. Before being sworn in, Kirkman said he spoke with Kipp about where they saw the district moving, and was excited to work together. The two found some common ground, he said.
“Mike brings a different perspective,” Kirkman said, “which I think is really healthy for the board.”
When Kirkman was running for the seat, he told the Statesman one of his priorities was to bring balance to the board. He said he thinks the board is more balanced, but that is something he’ll be looking for as the board moves to replace Kipp. The new trustees will need to appoint someone for the position and is accepting applications.
Trustees will review the applications Feb. 28 and interview candidates during a meeting in early March. The new trustee is expected to be sworn in March 14.
“Having everyone of the same mind and thought is not healthy,” Kirkman said. “We need a healthy, balanced board.”
On Kellerer, Kirkman said he knew during his campaign there were some “differences of opinion,” but he didn’t have a chance to work with her much before her resignation, he said.
He pointed to steps he said he’s taking to help unify the community, including holding listening sessions, visiting schools and engaging with anyone who wants to speak with him.
“I want the teachers and the staff to know that I am open,” he said. “They can talk to me, they can come to me whenever they feel comfortable doing so, they can ask me questions. I’m an open book.”
Nampa parents, educators worry about district’s future
Still, parents and teachers are worried about what the resignations mean for the district.
Otten said he hopes after these resignations, the board will learn members should listen to everyone, not just the people they support. That’s a sentiment echoed by many other educators and parents.
Kristyn Schelhaas, a parent in the district, called on the board to do more to bring the community together.
“They need to be sharing some hope,” she said during the community rally. “And they need to be confiding in the people in this community.”
Janelle Stauffer, who has two daughters in the district and is also a former trustee, said she was surprised when she saw the superintendent resigned, but she also understood what was behind the decision. There has been a lot of disagreement and division in the community over how schools should respond to COVID-19, she said.
“It’s been very conflictual for about 18 months, and really hard to come in agreement between different things,” she said. “And so while it did come as a surprise, and I felt heartbroken to see it happen … you can see why it happened. Lots of upheaval.”
The recent election amplified that, she said.
But she has hope. She said she was encouraged by some of the board members’ willingness to listen and engage the community, and is hopeful that continues — and that the board takes steps to support students and teachers.
“I do hope the board works to unify this community in their decisions,” she said.
This story was originally published February 14, 2022 at 12:08 PM.
