Reinbold's absence again forces meetings' cancellation

PRIEST RIVER — A trio of West Bonner school board meetings were canceled Tuesday morning when Zone 3 trustee Troy Reinbold advised he would be unable to attend.

Reinhold's absence, attributed to an unspecified family emergency, caused the cancellation of two special meetings set to interview candidates for two open board seats set for Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 18. The Zone 3 trustee's absence also caused the cancellation of the board's regularly scheduled meeting for October, set for Wednesday, Oct. 18.

"Due to a family emergency, Trustee Reinbold will not be able to attend these meetings in person or by phone," officials said in a post on the district's social media accounts. "The situation requires Trustee Reinbold's immediate attention and presence, and he has expressed a desire for privacy at this time."

The post was signed by interim board chair Margaret Hall and Branden Durst, West Bonner County School District superintendent.

During Reinbold's absence, Hall and Durst said the board and district executive team were "committed to ensuring the continuity of [WBCSD] operations and addressing any urgent matters that may arise."

Hall and Durst said the district would reschedule the special meetings as well as the board's regular monthly business meeting as soon as possible.

"We clearly recognize the impact on both the district and community of canceling these meetings," they wrote in the post. "Thank you for your understanding and patience as we navigate this situation together."

Hall later said in an email to The Daily Bee that the board will move forward as quickly as possible to reschedule the meetings once Reinbold's availability is known

"At this point, we don't know when these might be," she said.

The board had been scheduled to interview five candidates who had applied for the two seats: Bradley Cossette, Paul Turco, and Donald Paden in Zone 2, and Ann Yount and Wendy Eaton in Zone 4.

The scheduled interviews follow the formal declaration of vacancies on two seats left vacant by the recall of former board chair Keith Rutledge and vice chair Susan Brown, who residents overwhelming voted to recall on Aug. 29.

It's the second regular meeting in as many months that Reinbold has missed. While Reinbold attended a special meeting by phone, he missed two others, giving no explanation. Reinbold also failed to attend two of three special meetings scheduled since the late August recall election and since certification of the recall made the vote official in mid-September.

Of the one meeting Reinbold attended — he did so via phone — and only after Hall and Zone 5 trustee Carlyn Barton agreed to drop a pair of executive sessions, including one to consider "the evaluation, dismissal, or disciplining" of an unspecified employee and a second to consider hiring a public officer or employee "wherein the respective qualities of individuals are to be evaluated in order to fill a particular vacancy or need."

It was only after agreeing to Reinbold's conditions that he agreed to attend via phone — and then only for a limited amount of time. At several points during the truncated Sept. 28 meeting, Reinbold asked if he could leave or if the board was done, saying he was cold and wet and sitting in his truck by the side of the road.

Reinbold's absence is also preventing the board from discussing — or accepting — Durst's resignation. Durst announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Sept. 25 that he was seeking an "amicable and fair" exit from the district.

"Legendary Notre Dame head football coach, Lou Holtz, once said, 'I follow three rules: do the right thing, do the best you can, and always show people you care,'" Durst wrote. "These are the principles I tried to uphold throughout my time as superintendent. To that end, and to promote healing and unity within the community, I believe it is necessary for me to step aside as superintendent. It may not be entirely fair, but life rarely is."

Reinbold's absences — and their impact — are the latest in a series of troubles besetting the rural West Bonner school district, including the resignation of superintendent Jackie Branum, the failure of two supplemental levy votes, the switch to a four-day school week, and Durst's controversial hiring.