KUNA — One candidate wears cowboy boots, the other wears dress shoes in the Zone 4 trustee race.

In Zone 3, the incumbent describes herself as the parental voice on the board. Her opponent is a business owner and former teacher.

The Kuna Education Association, the local teachers’ union, hosted a Q&A on Wednesday night at the Kuna Performing Arts Center. The auditorium can hold 823, but just 25 people were scattered about the large theater.

Melissa Nielsen, president of the association, and district staff member Terri Reno asked the same questions to each of the four candidates. The questions were provided before the event, so candidates could prepare their responses.

The two races have drawn significant campaign donations. The Kuna races are second only to the trustee elections in West Ada School District in terms of money raised. Kuna is the 13th largest district in the state, with about 5,800 students.

Freddy Wheeler, the Zone 4 candidate in cowboy boots, has raised $2,800, including a $1,000 donation from the Business Contractors Association of Southwestern Idaho. In addition, he has benefited from $1,746 in independent expenditures from the conservative Idaho Majority Club PAC. The group also supports West Ada incumbents Lori Frasure and Angie Redford.

Meanwhile, Brian Shjerve, the candidate in dress shoes, does not have information posted on Idaho Sunshine, the Idaho secretary of state’s campaign finance website. The incumbent in Zone 4 is not seeking re-election.

Zone 3 incumbent Kyrsti Bruce — who is married to Rep. Chris Bruce, R-Kuna — has raised $3,600 in donations. Her challenger, Brenda Drake Biltman, is self-funding her campaign to the tune of $531, according to the data currently available on Idaho Sunshine.

While voters on Nov. 4, will pick their trustees, the Kuna School District is also in the process of selecting a new superintendent.

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Zone 3

Kyrsti Bruce (Incumbent)

Bruce was first elected in 2021. She has two teenage boys. While the other candidates looked at the small crowd as they spoke, Bruce read her responses from sheets of paper.

She touted her credentials as the parental voice during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I ran in 2021 during the time of uncertainty due to COVID and the ideology being brought into the district,” Bruce said. “I was one of the many parents standing up for the students and education.”

During her tenure, Bruce said she held staff accountable for putting on a school play that did not follow district policy.

In an interview after the Q&A, Bruce did not elaborate on the content of the play, but said it was “not PG.”

“The play did not follow district policy,” Bruce told the crowd. “So I went to the superintendent, we discussed it and we were able to make changes and hold the staff accountable.”

She is running for re-election to continue the work she started four years ago and to bridge the gap between the district and parents.

“Being a parent gives me insight into what’s happening within the schools,” Bruce said. “It’s a unique perspective that gives me the opportunity to learn from and share with admins and other trustees.”

Brenda Drake Blitman

Blitman said she has deep connections in Kuna as a child, parent, business owner, community volunteer and taxpayer.

She has 30 years of financial experience and taught high school business classes for six years. Her husband taught for 25 years in the district.

“In my vision, everybody — teachers, administrators, bus drivers, parents, community members, elected officials — we all work together to support public education for Kuna’s kids,” Blitman said.

From her experience as a teacher, Blitman said she learned how some students need different environments to be successful.

She told a story of a student who didn’t show up to class during the first week of school. The parent came by to meet with the principal and a counselor.

The student hated school and didn’t want to be there, she explained, so district staff decided to place them at Initial Point High School, an alternative school. Years later, she encountered that student again.

“I happened to be at Initial Point graduation, and lo and behold, that student that hated school and wouldn’t come to school was the valedictorian at Initial Point,” she said.

But getting that student in the right place required someone to “push some buttons” to make it happen. As a trustee, she said she would support teachers and administrators to make sure they can help students be successful.

Zone 4

Brian Shjerve

Shjerve has lived in Kuna for seven years and has four kids.

“I mainly want to give back to a community that’s given us as a family so much,” Shjerve said. “We’ve enjoyed living here and seeing our kids grow up in the school system, and we want to help support the excellent teachers.”

He said he supports the district’s career and technical education programs that help students get a jumpstart in life. He also believes the district should continue to make investments in early childhood education.

“I think if you read anything about education, you’ll know that in any socioeconomic class, the most important thing is to get them in school and ready for formal education at an early age,” Shjerve said.

As a trustee, he said he would promote policies that allow teachers and staff to shape classroom instruction. The district should recognize teachers that are doing a great job and provide opportunities for professional development.

“They’re the ones that are teaching the students every day,” he said. “I believe they should have direct input into that.”

If elected, Shjerve said he would come with an open mind and be ready to listen before making decisions.

“I will work with whoever comes to the meetings and has a stake in their children’s education in the community,” he said. “It’s not a political thing to me.”

Freddy Wheeler

Wheeler grew up in Kuna. He is an attorney, works in construction and owns a pest control business. He has two daughters in elementary school. 

When he was a kid, he used to shoot his .22-caliber rifle from his house but that’s not the case anymore. The community is growing and changing, he said.

“I think we have incredible opportunities to embrace that growth and those changes and do it in the right ways,” Wheeler said.

He is invested in the community, owns multiple properties and cares about local tax rates.

“I care about what type of education my kids get and what situation they’re put in,” he said, “and what resources they have and what teachers are attracted to come and teach.”

School board members play a unique role, he said.

It’s a volunteer position and trustees serve as liaisons between the district and the community. As a trustee, he would make sure the community understands the issues while also having a backbone and standing up for issues that matter to him.

“I think the school board should be able to take the emotion out of those types of situations and help not only the administration, but the community realize what the real issues are, and then come to a logical conclusion,” Wheeler said.