District diligently addressing challenges

I have refrained from involving myself in the recall election, as doing otherwise would be entirely inappropriate. However, given this newspaper's decision to publish articles and letters directly mentioning me, I believe it is appropriate to address the numerous falsehoods and misinformation that have been circulating. Among these is a recent letter from a disgruntled former employee of the West Bonner County School District, who has levied a series of baseless accusations and statements.

Again, let me make it clear that I hold no position on the recall itself. This decision rests with the district's patrons, and I intend to respect that by refraining from any involvement. Nonetheless, I feel compelled to address some of the misinformation that has been disseminated.

One such falsehood claims that I have not been in communication with staff or parents. This is unequivocally untrue. For example, I have conducted three town hall meetings, participated in a 3 Cs meeting, responded to numerous calls and emails, and held weekly office hours. In fact, I've been the most accessible superintendent in Idaho since I commenced my role June 28.

Another inaccurate statement concerns teacher contracts. While we have endeavored to provide contracts to our teachers, they have been repeatedly declined. The suggestion that we are withholding contracts is categorically untrue.

Turning to our bus fleet, I am proud to announce that not only is our bus fleet prepared for the upcoming school year, but we have also successfully filled all bus driver positions required for daily routes. This accomplishment is especially significant as it has not been done for many years. That is why reading the false statements is so frustrating. Frankly, deliberately misleading the public about it is both inaccurate and unfair.

The truth is, our district has been diligently addressing numerous challenges inherited by the current staff, all of whom were hired following our board policies. Our focus is forward-looking; dwelling on the past serves no purpose. We are fully committed to solving problems, ensuring the proper stewardship of taxpayer resources, and replacing any biased instruction with impartial, viewpoint-neutral content.

BRANDEN DURST, MPA, EdS

Superintendent

West Bonner County School District No. 83.