Three of five seats on the West Ada School Board are up for election this November. All hold four-year terms.

Incumbents Lucas Baclayon, René Ozuna and David Binetti are vying to hold on to their seats against challengers Tom Moore, Miguel DeLuna, Mari Gates and Susie Schuetz.

How do school trustees fit into the web of agencies and individuals that oversee what happens in Idaho classrooms? Check out our graphic to find out.

With the election approaching, EdNews reached out to the candidates. We asked three questions about their priorities for the district, and opinion on major issues impacting West Ada.

Here’s what they had to say, in their own words.

Why are you running for a spot on the West Ada School Board?

Lucas Baclayon, Incumbent (Zone 2): As an experienced teacher and administrator, I love being involved in education and supporting teachers and administrators in teaching the youth in our community.

Susie Schuetz, Challenger (Zone 2): I believe in giving back to my community. The best way I serve is by bringing people together and creating an environment conducive to forward progress and future sustainability. West Ada School District has done a great job and I am excited to be a part of moving us forward and continuing to build an even stronger community.

Dave Binetti, Incumbent (Zone 4)

I have two daughters attending West Ada schools, and want to provide the best possible education for them and every other student in the District. I’m dedicated to kids.

Miguel DeLuna, Challenger (Zone 4) — Answers submitted in conjunction with Tom Moore: 

Stop the downward spiral of education, Minimizing School Taxation, Enhancing Campus Security, Improving the Quality of Education, Supporting Idaho’s Conservative Family Values, Advocating for Parental Rights to Participate in the Education Process.

Mari Gates, Challenger (Zone 4): I’m running for West Ada School Board to be a part of a conversation. I want to provide a platform in which teachers and staff and parents can all be heard. I want to promote a higher acceptance rate for higher education. Increase access to programs for kids that are not going to college, and makes sure all kids have access to resources.

René Ozuna, Incumbent (Zone 5): I’m running for the West Ada School Board because I believe in the power of education to shape the future of our students, families, and community. I’ll serve as a voice for parents, teachers, and students, working collaboratively to ensure West Ada provides the highest quality education and prepares our students to be both college & career ready.

Tom Moore, Challenger (Zone 5) — Answers submitted in conjunction with Miguel DeLuna: 

Stop the downward spiral of education, Minimizing School Taxation, Enhancing Campus Security, Improving the Quality of Education, Supporting Idaho’s Conservative Family Values, Advocating for Parental Rights to Participate in the Education Process.

What do you hope to accomplish as a trustee? What are your top three priorities?

Baclayon: My top three priorities are:

1. Ensure that effective teachers and supportive parents both play a role in education.

2. Ensure that learning environments are as free from distractions as possible.

3. Ensure that each student is given the opportunity to succeed both in the classroom and in life.

Schuetz: As one of five trustees, I can only promise communication. My hope is that communication will build our strength as a community.

– Effective Communications

– Having access to information is not the same as understanding the information. While public information is accessible, it also needs to be digestible for everyone. Open and respectful dialog is an important piece of a strong community.

– Financial Transparency – Taxpayers have the right to know and understand how tax dollars are used. When we don’t understand, I believe we have a civic duty to question fiscal decisions. Transparency in all matters of taxpayer funds is the cornerstone of community trust.

– Generational Investments – I believe we all want better for our children than what we had – ‘better’ being a relative term. Our emotional, financial, and time investments in the children of our community today are the foundation for our future, their future, and the future of our collective grandchildren.

Binetti: 1) Managing Growth: Development and implementation of a long-term, cost-effective facilities plan for the benefit of our kids. 2) Retaining and Recruiting Talent: Expansion of the District’s reputation as a place for professional development and advancement. 3) Building Trust: Enhancement of the public’s confidence that West Ada provides our kids with the best-possible public education.

DeLuna: Forensic audit of the levy and general funds. To ensure that WASD has used the funds legally and with the conditions placed on the funds.

Restore the lack of transparency and trust inside the district. WASD has develop a lack of trust for the majority of voters in the district. This lack of trust is one reason 58% voted against the Plant Facility Levy.

Security of all of the schools. I will demand that all of the elementary schools needs to have a School Resource Officers and the middle and high schools need two School Resource Officers. We do not want to be the next Uvalde or Parkland School shootings.

Gates: I want to promote conversation and a table for people to come to have their issues heard. I want to cut through the noise and the emotion and get to to true root of our mission – providing the best quality education for our kids in this area.

Ozuna: Currently serving as the Zone 5 Trustee, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing the dedication and hard work of our students, educators, staff, and administration. If re-elected, my priority will continue to be expanding upon the great work already being done, including the 2023 ISAT results that placed West Ada at the top for both English Language Arts (ELA) and Math proficiency among Idaho’s largest school districts.

Top 3 priorities:

1. Put kids & families first – Always

2. Expand opportunities for all students including: – Career and Technical Education – Schools of Choice – Personalized Learning Options – Extracurricular Programs

3. Be fiscally conservative in managing growth and school facility needs.

Moore: Forensic audit of the levy and general funds. To ensure that WASD has used the funds legally and with the conditions placed on the funds.

Restore the lack of transparency and trust inside the district. WASD has develop a lack of trust for the majority of voters in the district. This lack of trust is one reason 58% voted against the Plant Facility Levy.

Security of all of the schools. I will demand that all of the elementary schools needs to have a School Resource Officers and the middle and high schools need two School Resource Officers. We do not want to be the next Uvalde or Parkland School shootings.

Growth is one of the biggest factors impacting West Ada schools right now. What is your plan to help the district deal with growth, especially considering that there won’t be another opportunity to float a bond or levy until May 2024?

Baclayon: Growth is and will continue to be a major issue in West Ada. The school board needs to ensure that the district has access to reasonable resources to ensure that each student can still receive the best education possible in West Ada.

Schuetz: Working with the community to understand the concerns and desires as it relates to schools and growth is paramount.

Communication about the impacts and uses of a bond or levy is critical.

Because this levy failed, the District is pivoting. My plan is to understand the problem we need to solve and review the proposed solutions to ensure they are efficient and effective.

Binetti: We should continue to develop and promote a long-term approach that meets our long-term needs, but traunch it such that it can secure the necessary public support to be successful. In other words, I want to be thinking in terms of decades but acting in terms of years.

DeLuna: We need to downsize the district, meaning building less schools. One enrollment is down and is highly likely to continue on a downward trend, especially if School Choice passes. School choice, real choice is expected to pass in this upcoming legislative year. WASD needs to be prepared a plan to accommodate this reduction of students. This year there will be a 7 million reduction of state funding originating for changing funding from enrollment to attendance. I will ensure that the very last funding cuts will not come from school security, the education learning experience and teachers and staff salaries. We can’t build our way out of an overcrowding situation”. We need a paradigm shift in our thinking. We need to wait and measure the reduction in enrollment from school choice before we build a building we may not need. The district must look at other options and alternatives to building new buildings. Look at what other states are doing with modular buildings and repurposed vacant commercial spaces that save property taxpayers millions of $$$$ foolishly.

Gates: This is a tough issue. We need to be looking down the road at more schools, keeping our teachers here, and making sure teacher attrition isn’t due to something we can fix. We need to consider the possibility of dividing the district into smaller more accessible chunks.

Ozuna: The bonds approved in 2015 and 2018 were used to construct five new schools, add capacity at four existing schools and acquire two school sites for future needs, but our community continues to experience substantial growth. With the ongoing influx of families to our community, it is essential that we proactively address the growing demand on our school facilities. I am committed to supporting strategies from our past experiences, such as the use of portable buildings and repurposing non-educational spaces to create additional classrooms. In addition, community engagement is of paramount importance. I will actively involve our community in meaningful discussions about the best way to meet our facility requirements. Concurrently, our state legislators are engaged in discussions regarding funding for school facilities. Notably, despite the rapid growth, our prudent management of debt led to a noteworthy achievement: the L2 form approved in September reduced the West Ada levy to $60 per $100,000 – a testament to our conservative approach to managing debt.

Moore: We need to downsize the district, meaning building less schools. One enrollment is down and is highly likely to continue on a downward trend, especially if School Choice passes. School choice, real choice is expected to pass in this upcoming legislative year. WASD needs to be prepared a plan to accommodate this reduction of students. This year there will be a 7 million reduction of state funding originating for changing funding from enrollment to attendance. I will ensure that the very last funding cuts will not come from school security, the education learning experience and teachers and staff salaries. We can’t build our way out of an overcrowding situation”. We need a paradigm shift in our thinking. We need to wait and measure the reduction in enrollment from school choice before we build a building we may not need. The district must look at other options and alternatives to building new buildings. Look at what other states are doing with modular buildings and repurposed vacant commercial spaces that save property taxpayers millions of $$$$ foolishly.