Boise school board election is today. Still undecided? Here are Statesman’s endorsements

The Idaho Statesman editorial board decided to endorse candidates this year in the four races for the Boise school board. We interviewed 13 candidates and asked them a series of questions on why they’re running, what challenges they see ahead and what their positions are on such issues as book bans, critical race theory and the school district budget.

In all, five seats out of seven are up for election. Polls are open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday at schools throughout the district.

The Boise School District is the second-largest in Idaho, with 50 schools and 23,362 students. Boise’s charter sets it apart from other districts, as it gives the board the ability to set its own budget and set its own tax levy rate. Boise school board members are overseeing a budget of about $390 million, with $147 million coming from local revenue, $161 million from state revenue and $44 million from federal revenue for the upcoming fiscal year. The district employs 1,385 teachers and 4,367 total employees.

Here’s a rundown of our recommendations in each of the four races:

Race 1: Two 6-year term seats

Beth Oppenheimer and Dave Wagers

The Idaho Statesman editorial board endorses Beth Oppenheimer and Dave Wagers in Race 1 for the Boise school board. Wagers and Oppenheimer are proven incumbents with the experience and background needed to continue the Boise district on a positive path forward.

Oppenheimer is the executive director of Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children, with extensive experience in the education field. She has served on the Boise school board since 2016, and she demonstrates a deep understanding of the role, responsibilities and duties of the position.

Wagers, president of Idaho Candy Company, similarly has a deep understanding of the role of a school board member, having served since 2015, currently as president, and has chaired the strategic planning, facilities and communications committees.

Their opponents, Krista Hasler and Greg Woodard, raise legitimate concerns that we hope the incumbents listen to.

Race 2: One 4-year term

Andy Hawes

In Race 2 for the Boise school board, the Idaho Statesman’s editorial board has decided to endorse incumbent Andy Hawes for a four-year term. Hawes was appointed by the board a little over a year ago after Trustee Dennis Doan resigned to work in Washington. The intervening year has shown that the board made a good decision. Simply put, Hawes has performed well in his time on the board, and students in the district would be well served if he continued in that position. He has shown himself to be careful, measured and reasonable.

Another candidate in the race — Matthew Shapiro — also deserves an honorable mention. He has a varied background of experience which could be useful on the board, including experience as an educator and helping to set up a charter school. Shapiro has a lot of interesting, potentially innovative ideas about the integration of principles of participatory democracy into schools.

Neil Mercer, the third candidate in the race, does not have experience or background directly relevant to serving on the school board.

Race 3: One 2-year term

Nate Dean

Our editorial board struggled with our decision on whom to endorse in Race 3 for the Boise school board. Incumbent Elizabeth Langley is being challenged for the two-year term by Nate Dean, Dawn King and Todd Kurowski. We gave the slight edge to Nate Dean, although our decision was not unanimous, and we all agreed that voters couldn’t go wrong with Dean, King or Langley.

We had serious reservations about Kurowski, who was evasive and lacked specifics in his answers.

The editorial board endorses Dean, a teacher who will challenge the school board in a respectful, intelligent manner.

Race 4: One 2-year term

Shiva Rajbhandari

Race 4 for Boise school trustee presented our editorial board with perhaps its most difficult decision. Both incumbent Steve Schmidt and challenger Shiva Rajbhandari are intelligent and thoughtful candidates who could serve the board well. We were torn about whom to endorse.

Schmidt, in his time on the board, has had a deliberative, measured approach to the job that has been welcome. We have no doubt he would continue to hear all sides of the issues if he were elected.

Rajbhandari in many ways seemed to be the even stronger candidate — he would give students a measure of authority within the school district, and his intellect, passion and ethical commitment are undeniable.

But we had serious reservations as well. Rajbhandari, a senior who will graduate from Boise High at the end of this school year, has pledged to either find a suitable replacement for himself — if the board will agree to appoint another student — or to take a gap year before college to complete his term. Taking a gap year would be a tremendous sacrifice, and we are not sure it is fair to ask that of a high school student. And it does not seem entirely fair to voters to risk electing a candidate who may not serve the full term, but be replaced by another student they did not select. In this context, Schmidt seems to be a safer pick.

But we were strongly disappointed when Schmidt did not forcefully rebuke the endorsement of the Idaho Liberty Dogs, a group of extremists who have promoted library censorship and lobbed horrible rhetoric online. That is the type of endorsement a candidate has to disavow forcefully to demonstrate that they can stand up for what is right. Schmidt’s failure to do so tipped the scales. We have no fear that Rajbhandari would make a similar mistake.

We decided that our endorsement should go to Rajbhandari, though we were not unanimous in that decision.

This story was originally published September 4, 2022 at 4:00 AM.