REGAN: Opinions are not facts

Brent Regan’s column in the Oct. 18 Press is titled “OPINION: NIC accreditation facts.” His opinions, however, are not facts. I offer the following points to counter his misleading statements.

Mr Regan’s emphasis on terms like “DEI,” “wokeness,” “critical race theory” and “socialism” only reveals his misunderstanding of their true meaning and their relationship to NIC’s accreditation.

Trustee Banducci is not just mean to one person. He has repeatedly been a loud, rude bully, toward many, demonstrating poor leadership.

Trustee Barnes was not blackmailed to resign. He resigned because he was not a resident of Idaho. He was an example of unqualified leadership.

Contrary to Board wishes, President MacLennan introduced mask mandates according to state pandemic requirements. Firing him without true cause was an example of poor leadership.

Trustees Wood and Howard resigned to resolve the Board’s combative internal stalemate, forcing the State Board of Education to appoint a majority of productive new trustees, creating a brief period of stability. The sacrificing trustees were a contrast to the poor leadership of the two objecting trustees.

An election recreated the previous Board majority who defied accreditation concerns and exhibited more bad leadership by ignoring the votes of no confidence by faculty, staff and students.

Mishandling the hiring of interim presidents and unqualified attorneys contributed to many misguided decisions and very expensive lawsuits. More examples of unqualified and poor leadership.

Despite appalling board leadership, Mr. Regan insists the threat of losing accreditation is only because regional human relations organizations reported the Board majority’s many faults. So he thinks reporting a crime is more egregious than committing a crime … but that’s just NOT common sense.

GARY COFFMAN

Coeur d’Alene