Updated Jan. 15 at 1:15 p.m. with a response from West Bonner’s superintendent

The West Bonner School District settled out of court with former superintendent Branden Durst last month for an undisclosed amount.

The district did not respond to or acknowledge EdNews’ public records request for the settlement within the state’s legally required window, but Superintendent Kim Spacek told EdNews Thursday that the request was with the district’s attorney.

Durst declined to share the settlement amount.

“It was never about the amount. It was about fairness,” he told EdNews.

Durst sued the district in 2024 after trustees terminated his contract. He worked as superintendent for nearly four months and appeared to resign in September 2023 when he penned a letter announcing his “decision to seek an amicable and fair exit.” The letter followed the Idaho State Board of Education’s decision to reject Durst’s request for an emergency superintendent certification, a condition of his contract with West Bonner.

But Durst later claimed that West Bonner trustees “intentionally misrepresented the nature and purpose” of the letter and breached his contract. An expert witness Durst hired to testify in court said the district owed Durst more than $400,000.

The district’s attorneys argued that Durst resigned, but even if he hadn’t the terms of the contract allowed for termination over his failure to obtain a superintendent certification.

The court issued an order for dismissal on Jan. 5, after the parties settled in mediation on Dec. 8, records show. Both parties will pay their own legal fees.

In an email to EdNews, Durst said he’s pleased to reach a resolution.

“For over two years I have tried, repeatedly, to reach a fair agreement. Unfortunately, some trustees at my former employer were unwilling to do so until this late date,” Durst wrote. “While the settlement agreement makes clear that my former employer is admitting no fault, in my opinion, it substantiates my claims and demonstrates that ‘my side of the story,’ which the media refused to tell or at the very least obscured, was an accurate reflection of reality.”

Employers should be “held accountable for the contracts they enter into and shouldn’t get to change the rules after the fact even if they are commiserating with bureaucrats, gubernatorial appointees and elected officials in Boise,” he added.

Durst said he’s focused on Brabeion Academy, an Idaho charter school in which he founded and is head of school and sport.

“I look forward to showing what I am capable of when I’m given an honest opportunity to demonstrate my capabilities and not continually harassed by a woke mob and the media,” Durst wrote.

West Bonner ignored records request

EdNews submitted a public records request to the West Bonner School District on Jan. 8 for documents related to the settlement.

When West Bonner had not responded or acknowledged the request by Jan. 13, EdNews followed up. Under Idaho public records law, the district must grant or deny a records request within three working days.

EdNews followed up again Thursday, four working days after submitting the request. After publication Thursday morning, Spacek said via email that he sent the request to the district’s attorney and is awaiting a response.