Boise trustee Nancy Gregory is leaving the school board after nearly two-and-a-half decades of service.

Gregory received a distinguished service award and congratulations from her colleagues during her final night on the district dais Monday.

“I’ve always had a passion for education, I was that PTO (parent-teacher organization) volunteer mom for years and years … The big picture, the strategic planning work has always been very interesting to me,” Gregory told EdNews after the meeting. She ran for the school board in 2002, when her first child went into junior high school.

Gregory’s service on the board is ending, but her political career is not over: She’ll focus on her Senate campaign in District 15, a stretch of largely suburban areas between Boise and Meridian, currently represented by Republican Codi Galloway.

Gregory, a Democrat, has received more than $55,000 in campaign contributions ahead of the Nov. 3 election, according to Idaho Sunshine.

She feels uniquely prepared to take her experience to the Statehouse, having worked closely with legislators for decades on committees or with the Idaho School Boards Association, “fighting for causes that are important to education,” she said.

“I look into the future, and I see, as in the past, the target has been on our backs in some regards,” Gregory said, referring to public education, after receiving her award. “I think we have champions who will stand up for us in this community.”

The board also discussed refinancing a bond during Monday’s meeting and heard details about the district’s new website.

A chance to save millions

Eric Heringer, a longtime public finance expert from investment bank Piper Sandler, told the board it could reduce its outstanding debt by millions on a $172.5 million bond voters approved in 2017.

A change in tax law prevented the district from refinancing until now, when it can complete the process on a tax-exempt basis.

“Really, they’ve kind of been locked out from doing a refinancing until now,” Heringer told EdNews after the meeting. 

As the stock market fluctuates and interest rates ebb, Piper Sandler is keeping tabs for the board so trustees can make a decision before Oct. 1.

Depending on market conditions, projections suggest it could save the district $4.3 million or more.

Most districts in the country look at refinancing bonds when they get the opportunity, Heringer said. “And if you don’t, you’re kind of just leaving money on the table as a district.”

A new website

Boise district communications staffers Ryan Hill and Dan Hollar presented the district’s new website, launched in June, to the board.

The refreshed, modernized site is an effort to improve what trustees and administrators have called an outdated and clunky website. The updates integrate ParentSquare, software the district uses to communicate with families by text, email and an app.

It’s also a marketing tactic.

“Think in terms of how we can better market the district with this tool,” Hollar told trustees.

As educational options for families expand and enrollment declines, experts suggest public schools are no longer families’ default choice and must market themselves to compete with private and charter schools.

Boise has pursued marketing campaigns in the past.

“The website often becomes the face of the district,” said Board Chair Dave Wagers, who joined other trustees in expressing satisfaction with the upgrade.

Boise’s new website succeeds an 11-year-old, more expensive predecessor, Hill told trustees.