PRIEST RIVER — Residents who attended Monday's meet-and-greet session with West Bonner County School District superintendent candidate Kim Spacek didn't hold anything back.

From pending school closures to a deeply divided community to financial struggles, roughly 40 residents laid it all on the line, asking Spacek why he thought he was the right person for the job.

"I'm not going to change the culture of what I come into," Spacek told parents and community members Monday. "I will learn about it and ask how I can help that culture move the kids through the system to graduation."

That process, he added, is grounded in trust.

"Integrity is how we act toward each other to make sure that we're honest and getting the system [working] for the benefit of the kids," Spacek said.

Those at the meeting discussed the district's financial struggles, budget shortfalls, and low morale among teachers and staff following more than a year of confusion, conflict, and controversy.

They questioned why Spacek wants the job in a deeply divided district with low morale, families exploring other options in an open enrollment state, and likely school closures to help make up an almost $4.7 million shortfall after a supplemental levy failed May 21.

"Well, I think the first thing is that I don't shy away from challenges," he told parents and community members filling most of the tables in the Priest River Lamanna High School cafeteria.

He said he also has family in nearby Diamond Lake, and he and his wife are looking for a community that they can become a part of. If he is offered the job, Spacek said they plan to move to, and become a part of, the community.

Parents expressed concern that expected larger class sizes due to the levy's failure will create challenges for teachers and students alike. Their fear, they said, is that it will create a poor learning environment, making it difficult for students to focus, get individualized attention, and hit the strong test scores that many are demanding as proof the district is teaching in a way that ensures students are learning.

Spacek said he would work with the community and staff to ensure that students, teachers and staff have success.

When he first moved to Mountain View, Spacek said that, like West Bonner, the district was also deeply divided. He began weekly meetings in areas where patrons felt the most disengaged. At first, he listened and then went to work to bring all sides to the conversation.

If hired to lead West Bonner, Spacek said he would follow a similar plan, gathering information, reporting back to the board, and working with the community to solve problems and address concerns.

With at least two schools facing at least temporary closures, Spacek told those gathered that his goal would be to ensure those closures are just that — temporary. It would only be as a last resort, and with community input and board direction, that any other action would be taken.

The district, residents said, has become a training ground for nearby districts which pay more and offer more opportunities. Teacher retention is a problem in rural areas throughout the state, particularly when there is a large urban area nearby or, in West Bonner's case, teachers can move just a few miles away and make substantially more in the Newport, Wash., area.

An option that could counter some of that might be to grow its own teachers, possibly setting aside some funding and support for scholarships for students interested in entering the profession. The stipulation would be that they would need to spend a certain amount of time teaching at West Bonner, Spacek said.

Education, transparency, and communication would be the foundations of how he addresses parents' concerns. He said he would take the same approach on districtwide issues, making sure to meet everyone in the community where they are, whether it's a baseball game, a concert, or a board meeting.

Spacek said he pulls all sides of an issue into a meeting, whether it is a student-based issue, an individual learning plan, or a potential conflict. By getting all sides into a room, he said he's often able to gain consensus about what needs to be done — and draft a plan on how to make it happen with accountability built into it.

While the shortfall is a reality for this year, Spacek said he would work with the community to pass a levy. The way funding in Idaho is set up, districts only get a percentage of what they need to operate, with the remainder needing to come from local sources.

Before serving as superintendent at Mountain View, Spacek served as superintendent at the Inchelium School District in Washington state from 2013 to 2023. Before that, he served as superintendent and elementary principal at Pomeroy School District from 2008 to 2013.

Spacek earned his bachelor's degree in education (industrial arts) from Eastern Washington University before earning a master's degree in industrial education at the University of Idaho. He earned a master's degree in principal administration from Eastern Washington University.

Spacek said he always wanted to go into education, following in the footsteps of both his parents. He loves connecting with students and teachers, helping them reach their potential.

"My legacy as an educational leader is to influence the direction of the organization through effectively supporting a culture of student-centered learning," Spacek wrote in a mission statement shared with parents. 

Spacek said his beliefs can be summarized in three areas: relational trust is essential, respect is grounded in relational trust, and integrity strengthens relational trust and respect.

The board was slated to go into executive session Wednesday to discuss the superintendent position. No decision was made by press time.