Boise trustees on Thursday night voted to approve Deputy Superintendent Wendy Johnson as the district’s next superintendent.

By hiring Johnson, Boise continues a trend. Five of the past six superintendents have been internal hires.

“If we had decided to do a national search, I think we’d be looking for the exact qualities that the deputy superintendent has,” trustee Paul Bennion said.

After the unanimous vote, Johnson said she is grateful for Boise’s teachers and staff.

“I can’t do this unless you’re with me,” she said.

Superintendent Lisa Roberts announced her plan to retire during a board meeting on Jan. 12 after two years in the position. Trustees on Jan. 21 offered interviews to both Johnson and Deputy Superintendent Nick Smith, but Smith declined.

“It was an easy decision,” Smith said on Thursday. “I’ve got three little boys.”

Board Chair Dave Wagers became emotional as he spoke from the dais before the vote. He looked down the bench to Roberts.

“I don’t want to replace the one at the end, but if I have to, I think you’re the right person to do that,” Wagers said, referring to Johnson.

Johnson joined Boise in 2024 and previously served as Kuna School District’s superintendent for 12 years. She will inherit leadership over a unique, 145-year-old district facing several challenges. Boise’s enrollment has been in steady decline since the COVID-19 pandemic, which means less state funding, and it is the subject of several active and recently closed lawsuits.

Roberts reflects on her career: ‘Magic’ in the classroom

As trustees were in executive session interviewing Johnson, EdNews interviewed Roberts about her career and the state of the district.

Most the things happening in Boise are “amazing,” she said. “The magic that happens in our classrooms every day right now is phenomenal.”

Now in her 33rd year in education, Roberts said she has reached the “rule of 90,” meaning she can retire with full benefits. She said hiring from within the district makes sense if the district is in good shape. She is comfortable retiring knowing Boise has two “incredible” deputies who could take over without missing a beat.

“I think if you do feel like there’s problems, you probably should open up that scope,” Roberts said.

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But the job has been stressful, Roberts said.

She mentioned a “major mental health crisis” in the fall of 2023, when several students died by suicide, and an “incredibly tragic event” last January. Gavin Snow, a former special education assistant at Boise’s Cynthia Mann and Valley View elementary schools, died by suicide on Jan. 10 as Boise police officers attempted to arrest him on child sexual abuse charges, including a claim that Snow engaged in multiple instances of inappropriate behavior with more than one Valley View student.

“I can’t express how hard that was,” Roberts said. “My heart breaks for those students and their families every day. It was probably the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to deal with.”

Roberts was impressed with how Johnson navigated the challenges.

“She does a great job of listening to parents, listening to teachers, listening to principals,” Roberts said. “And we continue every year to get better at that, and she’s just going to make that even better.”

In retirement, Roberts looks forward to not checking her email before going to bed at night and before getting up in the morning. Roberts will retire at the end of June.

Here are some of the issues her successor will deal with as superintendent:

Enrollment

Like many districts, enrollment in Boise schools declined since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020.

The district’s enrollment took a massive hit during that first year of the pandemic as 1,630 students left the district. Over the next five school years, enrollment shrank by 2,137, an average of 427 students per year, according to fall enrollment data from the Idaho Department of Education. Statewide enrollment dropped by 3,042 students last school, a 1% decrease from the previous year.

Enrollment impacts funding for Idaho schools because the state’s funding formula is based largely on average daily attendance. Fewer enrollees means fewer students attending classes.

School districts around the state have cut staff to account for the decrease in public school students. Boise in 2023 cut 27 positions. The district has 21,717 students enrolled this school year, making it the second largest in the state.

Funding

The Boise School District is older than the state of Idaho. 

The governor of the Idaho Territory in 1881 signed a bill to establish the Independent School District of Boise City. The original charter is exists today, with some amendments.

As a “charter” district, Boise can collect a maintenance and operations property tax levy without an election. In September, Boise trustees approved an 18% property tax increase, generating $30.4 million for a budget approved in June.

The district will levy an estimated $329.79 per $100,000 of taxable property value this year. The neighboring West Ada School District levy will collect an estimated $1.47 per $100,000 in taxable value.

Idaho Department of Education data from fiscal year 2024 shows Boise collected $154.8 million in local funds, while West Ada collected $85.8 million. But West Ada received much more money from the state: $324 million compared to Boise’s $182 million.

The discrepancy in local and state revenue led to a spat at the Legislature’s powerful Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee this month. Both co-chairs of JFAC are from Eagle, within West Ada School District.

Rep. Josh Tanner, a Republican co-chair, chided Boise schools for imposing a “massive” property tax increase as district enrollment decreased by about 2% this fall. He said families are leaving Boise for West Ada.

Sen. Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise, shot back, saying West Ada has received the “lion’s share” of recent state investments that helped districts fund building projects and pay down locally supported bonds and levies.

Under House Bill 521, the school facilities funding bill from 2024, West Ada received about $150 million, while Boise’s share was capped at $40 million. This was about half of what Boise could have received through the attendance-based formula that divided the state money.

“Boise city schools have been put into a corner, and it is not fair to our constituents and our taxpayers at all,” Wintrow said.

Boise voters have supported bond measures to build new schools. Voters in 2017 approved a $172.5 million bond. The money from that bond was spent by the end of the 2022-23 school year, district spokesperson Dan Hollar told EdNews, and trustees could consider running another bond as early as May 2027.

The district will continue paying off the 2017 bond through 2038, Hollar wrote in an email. That remaining debt would be “reviewed and potentially restructured” if the board considers a new bond in the coming years.

Boise has the third highest average salary in the state, behind Blaine and McCall-Donnelly, at $79,365. It also has an above average spending per student. The state average is $13,020. Boise spends $14,639 per student, and neighboring West Ada spends $8,875.

Lawsuits

Boise is the subject of four active lawsuits, Hollar told EdNews.

As Roberts mentioned, the district faced major challenges after the sexual abuse charges against Snow. Boise schools in November announced $7 million in sexual abuse settlements for families affected by Snow.

Idaho News Channel 2 recently reported on one of the active suits against the district.

West Jr. High consumer science teacher Michelle Chung filed a lawsuit against Boise on Sept. 25, 2024. A jury trial is scheduled for June 29.

According to court documents, Chung says she notified principal Janet Cherry for over six years regarding a mice infestation in her classroom. The complaint states the school ignored Chung. She contracted Lyme disease in June 2024, which required surgery and caused permanent medical issues.

The complaint includes six counts, including direct negligence, derivative negligence, emotional distress and retaliation. The district and principal deny all six counts.

Veteran trustee running for Senate

In another twist, 23-year veteran trustee Nancy Gregory is running for state senator in District 15, a notable swing district in Idaho, as a Democrat.

Gregory’s term on the school board ends in September, and the general election is in November. Sen. Codi Galloway, R-Boise, holds the seat and told EdNews she plans on running for a second term.

Gregory in an October interview said she believes West Boise voters want a different voice, especially after the Legislature passed a $50 million private school tax credit. Galloway voted in support of the tax credit.

With Gregory not seeking re-election, three seats on the board of trustees will open in September. Trustees Krista Hasler and Alejandro Necochea must run for election in September if they want to keep their seats, Hollar told EdNews. Necochea was appointed to the board in October.

Most elections in Idaho take place in May and November, but Boise is an exception. The district, due to its original charter, conducts trustee elections on the first Tuesday of September in even-numbered years. Trustees serve six-year terms with staggered elections every two years.

Public comments

Johnson appears to be well-liked in the community. When EdNews posted news of her interview on Facebook, the post garnered 85 comments and nearly all praised of Johnson.

The district asked the community for public comments before interviewing Johnson. Hollar sent the comments to EdNews. There were three emails.

One expressed support for Nick Smith, the deputy superintendent who declined to be interviewed. Another said the district is “planting even more seeds of community distrust” by not opening the search to more candidates. The third commenter said they believe Johnson would be a terrific hire for the district.

“Wendy is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet and she’s been a great advocate for Boise Schools in her time with the district,” wrote Todd Noble. “She clearly has the experience and the chops to be an excellent Superintendent for the best school district in Idaho.”