NAMPA, Idaho — A Nampa school board member has resigned, citing “the toll” of service and “arguments about a global pandemic" as his reason to step down.
On Friday, Michael Kipp announced his resignation as Nampa School District Zone 2 trustee in a letter to parents and district representatives. The resignation is effective Monday.
First appointed to the position in August 2019, Kipp filled the seat of former NSD Trustee Janelle Stauffer who resigned “to attend to family matters,” according to the district website.
In the letter, Kipp said most of his 30 months in elected office have been “tumultuous and challenging” due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kipp faced a recall in 2021 because petitioners felt they were “not being represented,” according to the ballot measure. The initiative failed 497-436.
“At some point along the way, it felt as if the arguments about a global pandemic (and even its legitimacy) had diminished our focus on student achievement,” the letter reads. “That was discouraging and even demoralizing.”
Kipp’s letter said he hopes that the board of trustees — which recently swore in three new members — would focus on student achievement, learning loss and have “meaningful conversations about the need for a supplemental levy.”
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According to Idaho Statue, the remaining Nampa School District trustees must fill the Zone 2 seat within 90 days of Kipp’s resignation. A candidate must receive a majority vote to be appointed. The person would serve for the remainder of Kipp’s term, which expires in 2023.
If the board cannot fill the seat within the 90 days, they can appoint “a person at-large from within the boundaries of the school district.”
