West Ada school board chair submits resignation letter due to ‘personal’ matters
The chairman of the West Ada school board submitted his resignation letter just months after assuming the role.
In the letter, which is attached to Monday’s school board meeting agenda and dated April 25, chairman Rusty Coffelt said he was honored to have served as a trustee and was leaving the position because of family matters.
“There is no greater privilege than the opportunity to serve others,” he wrote. “I resign my position this evening for no other reason than a need to focus on some personal family matters that will require me to leave the state of Idaho.”
Coffelt, the Zone 4 trustee, said he was “sad” to be cutting his time on the board short, but is optimistic about the school district’s future. Coffelt was appointed to the board in January 2021, and was elected as chair in January of this year.
Coffelt is second trustee to resign this year
Coffelt is the second person to resign from the West Ada school board this year. Former chair Amy Johnson resigned in February.
In her resignation, Johnson said she was “exhausted” and wanted to protect her family and employer from “further harassment.”
“While the entire pandemic has been challenging for everyone, the behaviors of a minority of individuals in our West Ada community in the last six months have been shocking and appalling,” Johnson said. “These individuals have threatened me personally, made threats against my children, they have made slanderous and false allegations that were baseless and without proof.”
Last year, a group of parents launched a recall effort against Johnson, alleging she had a conflict of interest because she worked for Blue Cross, a health insurance company that supported COVID-19 vaccines and masks, while she was involved in making public health decisions for the district. A formal petition was not submitted in the recall effort.
The school board last month chose Lucas Baclayon, a former teacher and education administrator, to replace Johnson as the Zone 2 trustee.
With Coffelt’s resignation, the five-person school board will soon include four members who assumed their roles this year.
The board will need to accept Coffelt’s resignation Monday night and declare a vacancy before beginning the process of finding a replacement.
Becca Savransky covers education for the Idaho Statesman in partnership with Report for America. The position is partly funded through community support. Click here to donate.
