Boise residents head to the polls Tuesday to fill a school board seat being vacated by a longtime trustee, with two attorneys making their case to voters as the district navigates falling enrollment and student mental health concerns.

The Race

Andy Hawes and Kirt Naylor are competing for the seat held for roughly 24 years by Nancy Gregory, who is leaving the board to run for state Senate. Gregory has endorsed Naylor in the contest.

Hawes previously served as a board trustee from 2021 to 2023. Both candidates are attorneys. The winner will serve a four-year term on the nonpartisan, at-large board.

A candidate forum was held Tuesday evening at Boise High School, organized by Babe Vote and moderated by Idaho Education News reporter Kevin Richert. Board member Krista Hasler, a clinical social worker who holds the other contested seat, did not participate in the forum.

Alejandro Necochea, a physician and medical director appointed to a vacant board seat last fall, is running unopposed and will not appear on Tuesday’s ballot.

Enrollment Challenges

Declining student numbers loom over the district’s finances. Boise School District enrollment peaked at more than 26,000 students during the 2016–17 school year and has since dropped by nearly 4,500. Projections suggest the district could be down to about 19,000 students by 2030.

That trend already prompted the district to cut 17 positions earlier this year. With fewer students expected in the years ahead, trustees will face ongoing decisions about facilities and staffing.

On the question of what to do with properties that may no longer be needed, Hawes told the Idaho Press the focus should be on identifying alternative uses that align with community priorities. “It’s, ‘what other uses can we use this property for?’ and make sure that it’s in line with what the community’s needs are,” Hawes told the forum.

The Whitney Pool, a joint project between the city of Boise and the school district located at Whitney Elementary, was also mentioned at the forum as an example of the kind of community collaboration the district has pursued.

Student Mental Health

Both candidates addressed student mental health, an issue that has weighed heavily on the community. The district saw suicides among middle and high school students in late 2023, and in January, transgender student May Pollard died by suicide — a loss that drew significant public attention.

Naylor, whose granddaughter participated in the Hope Squad program — a peer support initiative — told the Idaho Press mental health would be a central focus if elected. “I would like to focus on how we can help these students, from kindergarten through high school, to thrive in the challenging emotional issues,” Naylor told the forum, as reported by Idaho Education News.

What’s Next

Polls open Tuesday for Boise School District voters. All school board races in the district are nonpartisan and at-large, meaning all district voters are eligible to cast ballots regardless of which zone a trustee represents.

The outcome of the race will help determine the board’s direction on enrollment management, school facilities, and student wellness programming heading into a period of continued demographic contraction. The new trustee will join a board that has already faced difficult budget decisions and is likely to face more in the years ahead.

School board elections in Idaho have drawn heightened public interest in recent cycles, reflecting broader debates over curriculum, parental rights, and district governance. Tuesday’s Boise contest, while officially nonpartisan, takes place in a politically engaged environment where local election contests across the country have increasingly become flashpoints for community values debates.