Brumley chosen as newest trustee

COEUR d’ALENE — Coeur d’Alene School District trustees voted 3-1 to appoint attorney Jennifer Brumley to the school board Tuesday. She will serve the remainder of former trustee Dave Eubanks’ term, which expires in December 2021.

They selected Brumley from a pool of three candidates they called very qualified. Fellow applicants Traci Hanks and Kate Dolan answered 10 questions with Brumley that covered a wide range of topics, from the role of a trustee, to what strengths they would bring to the board, to what changes they’d like to make if appointed.

Hanks said her top priority for the district was improving mental health, including suicide prevention. Dolan pointed to the district’s mission of producing “resilient, future-ready children” as her top priority if appointed. Brumley said her top priority would be to acquire more land for future schools, especially in the northwestern sector of the district.

Each applicant agreed that trustees should not micromanage the superintendent or district staff, but should act as a listening ear when district patrons have concerns, and point them to the appropriate authorities for resolutions.

Hanks indicated that even if passed over Tuesday, she would likely run for a seat on the school board in the future. She said the district had room for improvement on its students’ ISAT and SAT scores. Brumley said the district had fallen behind the curve on land for schools. Dolan said the district took too long to complete projects, and needed to do better at spending voters’ money on the projects they approve.

Following the interviews, the trustees and superintendent thanked them each for their willingness to serve. “We can’t go wrong here,” said board chairman Casey Morrisroe. “Thanks for making it a difficult decision,” said board member Tambra Pickford.

Prior to interviewing the three candidates, Morrisroe had explained that three votes were necessary for a new member to be selected. The board would be able to vote as many times as necessary, and even had the power to reopen the application process, if no consensus could be achieved. That proved to be unnecessary. Board member Lisa May suggested the four trustees take an initial vote, then discuss further if they had not achieved a consensus. After writing their votes down, board clerk Lynn Towne reported that trustee Tom Hearn had voted for Hanks, but Morrisroe, May, and Pickford had each voted for Brumley on the first ballot.

After the vote, Brumley said she was honored by the opportunity. “It really is a privilege to serve with the individuals on this board,” she said. “I’m excited about the future of District 271.”

Brumley moved to Coeur d’Alene when she was 4 years old, graduated from Coeur d’Alene High School, went to the University of Idaho for her undergraduate education and for her law degree, and bought the house she grew up in. She said her background as the child of a public school teacher and administrator gave her a perspective that was different from others. In addition, she emphasized her willingness to speak candidly, but remain open to persuasion. Brumley had previously served on the school district’s long-range planning committee.

With the appointment, the school board now has a female majority for the first time since the 2010-11 school year. On Aug. 3 Coeur d’Alene firefighter/engineer paramedic Nathan Hyder withdrew his name from consideration, said district spokesman Scott Maben. He had been the only male applicant for Eubanks’ former seat. Eubanks gave up his seat when he moved out of trustee zone 4 earlier this summer.