Three strikes and Reilly is out

As a 26-year volunteer in the Post Falls School District, long-time school board trustee and the current Chairman of the Board, I am deeply concerned about David Reilly running for our local school board in Zone 5. He is a man with no ties to our schools and has only lived in our community for one year. More importantly, he has a long history of racist rhetoric and connections to white supremacists and anti-Semites.

The following three things bother me the most about Mr. Reilly:

He has only lived in Post Falls since 2020. He and his wife have a young daughter, and according to his KCGOP candidate survey, the one thing absolutely out of the question was the idea of sending his daughter to a public school. He says he will not allow anything to be taught contrary to his version of Christian theology. Mr. Reilly has NO IDEA what IS or IS NOT being taught in Post Falls schools since he has never been in one. One must ask, why would someone who on the record states he will never send his child to a public school run for a position on the school board?

His anti-Semitic and other far-off beliefs are alarming. Make no mistake, this man does not believe in women’s rights. He tweeted women should not be allowed on social media. Our Post Falls Superintendent is a woman. With Reilly’s attitude, should he be one of her bosses on the board of trustees? I was just interviewed by a religious reporter for a national Jewish publication called “Forward” about the community’s reaction to Reilly running for a trustee position. Consider, he tweeted “Judaism is the religion of the anti-Christ” and “all Jews are bad” and various other anti-Semitic statements. I could go on and on about how Reilly seems to feel he, as a white male, is superior to everyone and his beliefs trump everyone else’s. Is this the kind of culture we desire in the Post Falls School District? I hope not.

And finally, most concerning is Brent Regan and the local Kootenai County Republican Central Committee continue to endorse Reilly for this position. Their endorsement still stands after a wave of national and local attention on him in the past month. North Idaho has worked hard to shed the racist image we endured during the Richard Butler/Aryan Nations days. Is this the kind of reputation we want for our community?

Electing Mr. Reilly to a position on the local school board could effectively destroy everything we, as the Post Falls board of trustees, have built in this district. Keeping the best interest of students in the forefront, Post Falls School District’s culture is built on helping ALL students achieve. Being on the school board is not about pushing a political agenda. I know firsthand, through countless hour volunteering in the district, that we have an amazing group of teachers, staff and administrators in the Post Falls School District. The entire team focuses on what is in the best interests of our students. It is important to elect dedicated caring people to the school board that are willing to invest in our kids and the district’s future.

Dave Paul is Post Falls School District Board of Trustees chair. He is not seeking re-election.