Million dollar school questions

The Coeur d'Alene School Board and the North Idaho spring weather have a lot in common lately. Stick around for 15 minutes and both are likely to change.

Veteran trustee Diane Zipperer, who was appointed to the Zone 4 seat in July 2004 before winning elections in 2005 and 2008, called it quits Monday, just days after Jim Purtee was appointed to fill the spot formerly held by Wanda Quinn.

Those who are keeping score lazily - slapping labels on individuals - are tallying the addition of Purtee and the subtraction of Zipperer as one conservative gained and one progressive lost. We aren't sure either of those labels are accurate or fair, but we do know that Zipperer was a caring, committed school board member whose acumen in trekking through mountains of paperwork and procedural challenges will be sorely missed. We thank her sincerely for the many hundreds of hours she gave to the children of District 271.

Suddenly, board Chairman Sid Fredrickson is the lone school board member with more than a year of experience. If you're in the group that wanted change, well, your wish has come true - and with an appointment imminent, it's only going to change more. But then what?

On the horizon are two huge Coeur d'Alene School District issues: a $32.7 million bond request this August, and almost certainly a substantial supplemental levy early next year. Do you remember the controversy over the last supplemental levy? In March 2011, district voters supported a $12.9 million, two-year levy that was split into two questions. Both measures passed, but two months after the levy vote, a wave of dissatisfied voters helped elect two school board members who represented change to the way the board conducted business: Tom Hamilton and Terri Seymour.

So now we come full circle, with Hamilton and Seymour suddenly holding great sway in determining who will be appointed to replace Zipperer. Purtee will barely have had time to learn where the closest restroom is before he's called upon to help decide who will join him as the newbies on the board. As someone who has aligned himself with Seymour in the past, and Seymour with Hamilton, it will be surprising if Purtee breaks ranks with them in the appointment process.

Our hope is that those three work hard to shatter the labels that are regrettably but probably unavoidably being attached to their names. If they think independently and work constructively for the benefit of the district, the right appointment and the best decisions on funding will be made.