MERIDIAN, Idaho — The West Ada school board could soon be whole, as trustees will interview candidates on Tuesday to fill its vacant Zone 4 seat.
According to board documents, the board received only two viable applicants:
David Binetti:
- Occupation: Founder of Dinadesa LLC, a management consultant firm
- Priorities: "Managing Growth, Recruiting/Retaining Talent, and Increasing Trust."
- The long-term vision for the West Ada School District: "Preparing Today's Students for Tomorrow's Challenges."
Brad Ehrlich
- Noted he would not be available to attend regular and special board meetings
- Occupation: Founder, Board Member, CEO of Providence Venture, a fitness-related company
- Priorities: "continue the progress of emerging from the shadow of the pandemic while working to reframe the board, and thereby the district, in a more flattering light," managing growth and combat the pandemic learning loss.
- The long-term vision for the West Ada School District: "To become a true partner with parents and the community at large as we face new and unprecedented opportunities in the district."
On Tuesday, trustees will ask the candidate one prompt: "Why do you think you are a good candidate for the West Ada School Board and the Zone 4 vacancy?"
According to the board agenda, applicants have a maximum of five minutes to respond. Trustees will then review answers and decide on Tuesday night or over the coming days.
Once a new trustee is appointed, the five-person board will include four members that assumed the role this year.
Coffelt, who recently assumed the chairman role, announced his intent to step down in March. Coffelt was appointed to the board in January 2021 and elected chair this year.
"I resign my position this evening for no other reason than a need to focus on some personal family matters that will require me to leave the State of Idaho," Coffelt's resignation letter reads. "I find myself sad that I am cutting short the opportunity to work alongside such amazing people, but also filled with great optimism for the future of this school district."
Coffelt is the second West Ada trustee to step down this year. Former board chair Amy Johnson resigned from the Zone 2 trustee seat in February, citing exhaustion and harassment as her reason for leaving.
"While the entire pandemic has been challenging for everyone, the behaviors of a minority of individuals in our West Ada community in the last six months have been shocking and appalling," Johnson said. "These individuals have threatened me personally, made threats against my children, they have made slanderous and false allegations that were baseless and without proof."
In March, the remaining school board members replaced Johnson with Lucas Baclayon, a former teacher and education administrator.
