PRIEST RIVER — The West Bonner County School District is down to four trustees after Troy Reinbold advised fellow board members he was stepping down due to work and family commitments.

"Finally, I would like to thank Trustee Reinbold for his service over the last 4-plus years," board chair Margaret Hall told the Daily Bee. "He brought to the table an important, valuable and unique perspective."

Hall advised fellow West Bonner trustees of the announcement at last week's board meeting, saying that Reinbold had opted to step down. Increased responsibilities both at work and with his family led to the decision, she said.

"They were just too much," Hall told fellow trustees at the July 17 board meeting

Reinbold's written resignation will be taken up by the board at a special board meeting July 31 and a vacancy for the Zone 3 post declared, Hall said. The board is expected to approve an application process to fill the position, similar to how past vacancies have been handled by the district.

"I do want to thank him for his service," Hall said. "I'm sorry … I greatly understand that he had a lot of commitments he was dealing with."

Reinbold has been praised by many constituents in Zone 3, with supporters pointing to his commitment to conservative values, dedication to holding the district accountable to its patrons and insisting on financial accountability in its dealings. 

The Zone 3 trustee also made anti-bullying and suicide prevention as key parts of his 2023 re-election bid. Reinbold also was a key vote in the district moving forward on a forensic audit to help determine what, if any, financial misconduct had taken place in the district.

The forensic audit, which cost the district $55,000, was sought on the advice of former superintendent Branden Durst, who suggested the budgetary investigation as a way to answer the community's questions on how money in the district was being spent. The investigation, conducted by Eide Bailly, covered five years and $21 million of financial records. The results, formally accepted by the board in April, found no financial misconduct issues.

Reinbold was briefly investigated for potential failure to perform his duties as a board member this past fall when repeated absences left the district unable to conduct its business in the wake of a recall of two trustees. At the time, Reinbold said family and business obligations kept him from attending the board meetings.

The troubles in West Bonner were kicked off following the resignation of superintendent Jackie Branum, the supplemental levy failure, the board’s decision to have a four-day school week, the last-minute cancelation of the ELA curriculum and the controversial hiring of Durst.