Paul Bennion will become the Boise School Board’s newest trustee in September, filling a vacancy left by former trustee Andy Hawes.
Trustees selected Bennion in an unanimous vote Tuesday evening, after a series of 30-minute interviews with four applicants.
Bennion is a product of the Boise School District, and currently serves as vice president of student affairs and Dean of Students at the College of Idaho. He has three kids — two have graduated from Boise schools, and one is a student at Boise High.
His passion for the Boise district is what led his desire to join the board, he told trustees during his interview Tuesday.
The six trustees — Dave Wagers, Maria Greeley, Beth Oppenheimer, Shiva Rajbhandari, Nancy Gregory and Elizabeth Langley — shot Bennion a series of questions about transparency, diversity, success and campaigning during his interview Tuesday.
Bennion told the board he intends to run for election in a year. He feels comfortable collaborating with board members and the different stakeholders in the Boise district, and values representation and equity in the district and on the board, he said. His goals for the board align with the mission and values of the district, and the board’s strategic plan, which outlines priorities for trustees moving forward.
After interviewing Bennion, along with fellow candidates Kenneth Howell, Jennifer Pierce and Darla Mitchell, trustees thanked the applicants for their willingness to be a part of the district. The pool is a “credit to the community” and a testament to the administration and staff at Boise schools, trustees said.
“We’re very lucky to have a great pool of candidates,” said Oppenheimer.
Each board member cast one individual vote. After the first round of ballots, Bennion emerged as the choice.
“I’m honored to serve the district and then to work collaboratively with the current board members and the superintendent’s office, and just make sure that our teachers and students are as well served as they can possibly be,” Bennion told EdNews Tuesday evening.
He will be officially sworn in at the board’s Sept. 11 meeting.
