Who’s running for Nampa School Board in 2023? Our Voter Guide highlights the candidates

Four candidates are seeking voters’ support for two open seats on the Nampa School Board as questions swirling about school funding, student well-being and health, test scores and safety.

The board could look wildly different in the coming years. Neither Mandy Simpson nor Marco Valle, incumbents representing Zone 1 and Zone 2, are running to keep their seats, which expire in December. Four candidates are running for the seats, two in each race.

The seat for Zone 3 was vacated in June, when Tracey Pearson resigned for “personal reasons.” She was one of three conservative candidates who won seats on the non-partisan school board in 2022 and was one of three board members who voted to ban 23 books from Nampa school libraries, according to prior Idaho Statesman reporting.

The board voted to appoint Jason Su as the Zone 3 trustee at its August meeting, according to Nampa School District spokesperson Kathleen Tuck. He was sworn in on Oct. 16.

Zone 1 covers northern Nampa and downtown. Zone 2 covers western Nampa while Zone 3 includes southern Nampa. Zones 4 and 5, which are not on this year’s ballot, include southwest and southeast Nampa.

The candidates have an assortment of views on the education system including the role of parents, lack of funding and test scores.

The Statesman asked questions of the four candidates. Their unedited responses are below. Swipe below to see all the candidates, or use the slider below them.

To learn about this race and other local elections, visit the Idaho Statesman’s election page.

Nampa School District

This story was originally published October 19, 2023 at 4:00 AM.

Nick Rosenberger

Idaho Statesman

208-377-6437

Nick Rosenberger is the Idaho Statesman’s growth and development reporter who focuses on all things housing and business. Nick’s work has appeared in dozens of newspapers and magazines across the Pacific Northwest. Support my work with a digital subscription