Announcing the Valley County 4H Shooting Sports Club! This was officially created last fall to safely introduce kids to shooting and to further develop existing shooter skills and knowledge. It is a unique opportunity for local youth to learn about firearms and range safety while developing shooting skills in a safe and structured environment. It provides hands-on education and projects for two shooting disciplines (so far): pistol and rifle.

Here is the high level overview:

• Each discipline is a five-week course and meets are held weekly (weather permitting). Club members can meet throughout the year for fun shoots or other activities.

• 4H members 8-18 years of age and their families can join the club and sign up for one or both disciplines.

• Pistols and rifles, safety equipment, ammo, and targets are provided thanks to a generous NRA grant – the only expense is a membership to the Valley County Gun Club (scholarships are available).

• Families can provide their own .22lr, if desired, providing it meets the 4H national standards.

• Project completion and record-keeping is simplified and has been designed to fit into the 5 week program. In other words, it’s not nearly as demanding as an animal project.

• Youth alternate between academics and range time at each meet, and boredom doesn’t have a seat at the table!

With spring on our doorstep, it’s time to poll families for start dates and meeting schedules. For inquiries, please contact me at (208)720-3733 or Alysson Statz at the 4H office: (208)382-7190. We could also use some 4H adult volunteers, so let us know if you might be interested!

Existing 4H members should enroll in ZSuites and choose or add Valley County Shooting Sports Club.

I hope to hear from you soon!

Brad Howlett

I just wanted to reiterate that I work for Cascade, and I take that responsibility seriously. I am obligated to provide you with enough facts about that elected role so you know what to expect of me. Balancing the boundaries of governance with the will of the public is not always easy, and the public education system is complex. But that is the role.

To support that function and to meet your expectations of transparency, I share my thoughts with you through these emails/posts. It is just as important that you know who I am, how I think, and what I believe as it is for me to know what you think, feel, and believe. Dialogue is a prerequisite for proper representative governance.

In that spirit, a 20 year resident of Cascade with intimate working knowledge of public education joined me for a conversation that I wanted to share with you. We discussed challenges that schools face and how good governance, clear roles, representative leadership, and parent-partners can help overcome them to build strong communities, schools, and future adults. I encourage you to listen and share your feedback with me or my guest the next time you bump into either of us. You can find the conversation on Spotify, just <click here>.

I hope it brings value to your day and adds depth to your understanding of good governance. I feel very lucky to be a part of this community, and am honored to be of service.

Brad Howlett

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I have always strived to be transparent with you, as that is the role of your public representatives. In that spirit, I’d like to share what has been on my mind over the last few weeks. I hope you find it relatable, and in a good way!

In a polarized world made up of identities rooted in sound bites and an overall lack of critical thinking, issues have become largely binary and shallow. Particularly on social media, the absence of constructive disagreement is expected and largely considered acceptable. If this becomes the norm upon which our community, our local boards, or our institutions are founded, we are doomed.

Idaho school boards are, by law, “non-partisan.” This means that candidates may not run for office based upon their political affiliations. Why would this be? How do you know where a trustee stands on “the issues”? First, you need to ask them in order to know. Second, this structure is meant to foster a board culture of unity—cohesion around a shared purpose that is greater than any binary affiliation or school of thought: our youth.

Herein lies our societal conundrum: when identities are binary and lack depth, how can the “good ones” and the “bad ones” work together for the betterment of a community institution? How can supposed enemies come together to agree on decisions? By establishing a shared motive or purpose. By having intentional, in-depth, and meaningful conversations around the nuances of drivers and decisions. By building trust through making motives known until five people—who could very well be polar opposites—find a shared purpose (or “shared moral imperative”).

But if we assume someone’s entire identity based upon a single viewpoint, we shut the door on productive conversation. After all, we would know them so well, based on a single sliver of information, that we could accurately predict their side of any hypothetical conversation—right? Given that we now “know” everything about their beliefs, we can and probably should classify them as a friend or an enemy—right? And if anyone who says “X” is an enemy, then our only remaining hope is that “Y” gains power over our public institutions, lest we be doomed—right? This is a very depressing model of governance, and I believe Cascade is greater than that.

So what does unity look like, and how do we create it?

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Unity—also known as cohesion—doesn’t depend on groupthink, nor is it defined by agreeing most of the time. Cohesion comes from working toward the same goal. Let’s look at parenting, for example. Mom and dad share the purpose of raising their kids, and they agree that parenting means certain things: instilling values and principles, establishing healthy lifelong habits, and being clear about desirable family dynamics. This does not mean mom and dad agree on what time the kids should go to bed on Saturday. It doesn’t mean they agree on whether to go to the lake, go camping, or catch up on projects over the Fourth of July weekend. What it does mean is that mom and dad are unified in their parental purpose, and that purpose drives them to work together—cohesively and as a team—to sort through all the other decisions that arise. It also creates a moral basis from which to approach shared decision-making.

If we applied identity politics to this example by removing that shared moral imperative, dad might assume that mom wants both kids to live short, obese lives simply because she offered them ice cream late at night (we all know sugar late at night is unhealthy, right?). If this assumption were accepted as true, there would be zero hope for mom and dad to amicably work together on any other aspect of parenting. There would be no hope of verbally working through disagreement because mom’s responses would already be “predictable” based on an identity assigned to her from a single data point. All hope would be lost.

This is the danger of identity politics. A lack of trust and the inability to have meaningful discussion are symptoms, not the problem itself. The problem is assuming someone’s motives based on a single sentence. Once that happens, meaningful decision-making becomes impossible. In fact, hostile assumptions create distrust across all topics. Inevitably, interactions devolve into defense or attack. The identity politics of late-night ice cream can be fatal to a household.

The same is true for a board.

Our school district has a new—and very young—board. The average trustee tenure is about two years, and two members are brand new. The next several board meetings will set the tone for how this board functions for years to come. I hope and pray the board approaches decisions with nuance, and that they are willing to deliberate openly, honestly, and publicly on matters that impact our community and our youth. It is my greatest hope that all five trustees show up with conviction to fulfill their roles to the best of their ability and take seriously their solemn duty of representing the electorate. There are no higher stakes than the foundation of life we offer our youth, and we cannot succeed in this endeavor without unity on the board.

The next board meeting is tonight at 6:00 p.m. As always, I hope to see you there!

Brad Howlett

Want a deeper dive?
Books: Coherence, Improving School Board Effectiveness, and A Search for Common Ground.

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There is a school board meeting and a presentation around the impacts of digital media on kids by Officer Gomez and Nurse Kelli this week at the school. Here is a link to the school newsletter where you can see more upcoming events.

If you are unfamiliar with Officer Gomez, he is a School Resource Officer (SRO) who runs an excellent ongoing public education campaign on social media. He speaks at different community events in various locations around Idaho to bring to light many of the dangers that youth face today that us parents have never had to face. I look forward to engaging with Officer Gomez and Nurse Kelli Thursday evening at 5:30 at the school, and hope to see you there. A big thanks to the Youth Advocacy Coalition (YAC) for supporting this event.

This Wednesday’s board meeting (6pm Room 135) will be your most recently elected trustee’s first meeting, and is also the board’s annual meeting. At the annual meeting, the Chair and Vice Chair are selected by the board, the regular meeting calendar is decided, and trustees swear or affirm their oaths of office (and conduct regular board business). Given that the long-time chairperson has left the board, there will be discussion about these positions and what responsibilities they should fulfill. Take a look at the agenda for more information.

As always, I thank you for supporting our Cascade youth and I look forward to seeing you soon.

Brad Howlett

I take my role as trustee seriously, and part of that responsibility is to become the best trustee I can be to effectively serve students, my community, and the district (and in that order). Since becoming a trustee two years ago, I have studied several books on board governance, attended three Idaho School Board Association (ISBA) conventions, attended at least half a dozen workshops, reviewed Idaho education law, and had countless conversations with community members. I have also sought out wisdom from more experienced trustees who have overcome daunting issues within their districts.

Through these efforts I have learned a few lessons. I’d like to share three of those with you.

Lesson One—Trustee Development

Boards will only perform well if trustees are willing and able to continue developing in their role. Every trustee has room to grow. Resources to support that growth are plentiful, but trustees have to have the willingness first. Trustees who do not put regular effort into developing in their roles stagnate and are a net negative to their students, communities, and districts without fail. District improvement cannot be driven by someone who refuses to improve themselves.

Lesson Two—Board Performance and Strategy

Boards that perform well create schools that perform well. ISBA often asks trustees and superintendents whose districts are performing well to share how they did it and the lessons they learned. The common theme that these high-performers share is that the board made a conscious decision to improve their districts, partnered with their communities, and made a roadmap (Strategic Plan) to deliver what their community considers success. Then they stuck with it. I have yet to hear a story of failure from a board that did this.

Lesson Three—Board Culture

Bad boards are the primary reason public schools underperform. The board sets the culture of the entire district, even at the classroom and student body levels—whether trustees want it to or not. Regardless of a board’s deficiencies, the focus, actions, and consistency of the board are the primary predictors of student and school success. If there is a board culture of continual improvement, there will be a culture of continual improvement among staff and students. Likewise, student outcomes and community relations falter when boards are complacent, toxic, or otherwise performing poorly.

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So who is a board accountable to? Primarily you. I estimate that 10% of board accountability is driven by state compliance—think checklists and statutory requirements—while the remaining 90% of accountability comes from their local communities. In the absence of community-driven accountability, the board is accountable to itself. Lack of public accountability is a symptom of a poor-performing board, and a high-performing board will have public accountability built into every interaction through healthy, ongoing relationships with stakeholders. Poor-performing boards, by contrast, grow distant, which results in an absence of the most effective accountability: local accountability.

“Few will have the greatness to bend history itself…Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls… ” ~Robert F. Kennedy

While it is each trustee’s individual responsibility to put forth the effort to become the best trustee possible, it is your personal responsibility to hold them accountable. You may feel that your efforts are inconsequential, but when you, your friends and neighbors, and community create enough ripples through individual action, change becomes inevitable. Just as it is my responsibility to be the best trustee I can be, it is your responsibility to be the best citizen you can be.

If I am ever doing wrong, or even simply not doing right, I invite you to share your concerns directly with me. If I ever become unwilling to be your partner, I hope you will remove me from office. That is the implicit contract that every elected representative makes, whether they like it or not—and it is your responsibility to act if that contract is ever breached. After all, the futures of our youth hang in the balance.

If you would like to learn more about high-performing school boards, I recommend subscribing to Rick Maloney’s Substack here: <link>.

Until next time!

Brad Howlett

Did you know that four of your school board trustees attended the Idaho School Board Association’s annual convention in November? This was the third convention that I have attended, and it never ceases to provide deep and meaningful lessons. I attended several workshops/seminars, but I wanted to share takeaways from one in particular—Leading a Board: For Board Chairs. Based on the many conversations I’ve had with members of our community, the roles and responsibilities of trustees and board positions are not always clear. I hope the below summary of the session increases your understanding of how school boards (should) operate. The board elects officers of the board (chair and vice chair) at their January board meeting, so this share-out is timely!

TLDR: The chair person is responsible to ensure that the board performs well and continually focuses board conversations on improving student outcomes.

Seminar: Leading a Board: For Board Chairs

Overview: This seminar focused on the responsibilities of a board chair person. There are more responsibilities that a chair person has beyond presiding at meetings and signing checks. This session delved into those specific roles. The value of this seminar came as much from seasoned chairmen as it did from the seminar leaders. There must have been centuries of combined board experience in that room, and this session was well attended.

Lessons Learned: The success of a board is dependent on having a chair who fulfills many responsibilities well. While not exhaustive, the key responsibilities the chair holds which resonated with me were:

1. Presiding at meetings

a. Setting the tone

b. Maintaining decorum and focus

c. Encouraging all trustees to participate

d. Encourages discussion

e. Ensuring every board discussion is linked to Mission and Vision, the Strategic Plan, and student success

f. Chair decides who can attend executive sessions

g. Is personally responsible for keeping executive sessions on topic

2. Creating (collaboratively with the board) board norms and SOPs

a. How to make a motion

b. How to access the superintendent

c. How to get items on the agenda

d. How to report interactions with staff to the board

e. SOPs include and ensure compliance with Open Meeting laws

f. How email is used by trustees

g. School visit procedure

h. How to correct policy violations if/when the board violates policy

i. Succession planning for board officer roles

3. Onboarding new trustees

a. Sharing board norms (written)

b. Explaining board Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs in written form)

c. District finance overview

d. Code of conduct, ethics, trustee development expectations

e. Roberts Rules of Order

f. Introduction to the Mission, Vision, and Strategic Plan

g. Clearly explain the roles of chair, trustees, and district staff (super, clerk, business manager)

h. Successful board team building

4. Collaboratively and deliberately create, define, and foster board culture, modeling the culture we want within our schools.

a. Establishing the “shared moral imperative” or common ground which all trustees agree on

5. Board spokesperson

a. Public statements

b. Pushing out information to trustees well before a decision needs to be made

6. A best practice which was brought up that I found interesting is that high-performing boards rotate their chairperson so that every trustee knows how to do the job, and so that every trustee can contribute what they believe are mission-critical improvements to board norms. For example, the chair person may not hold the position for more than one or two years, and can only qualify for the role again after the other trustees have served a term as chair (exceptions made for unusual circumstances).

Application: Our new makeup of the board is that of a young board (new trustees with tenures of 5 years, 2 years, 1 year, and 2 brand new). Now is a great opportunity to formalize roles, norms, SOPs, etc. which reflect the norms which most boards operate against in Idaho (or, for now, at least those that we believe will have the best and greatest impact on student success).

Discussion: Board officer elections come in January. What are the board’s priorities from a chair person? Which responsibilities/norms/SOPs should be prioritized to ensure optimal board performance and community relations? Is the board willing to collaboratively build norms/SOPs over the course of the upcoming year? To help our board mature, what foundation needs to be established early on to ensure the best chances of success for our students?

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The next board meeting is this Wednesday at 6:00pm. Until then!

Brad Howlett

I’ll see you at tomorrow’s board meeting at 6:00pm: <Agenda Link>

Until then,

Brad Howlett

When faced with decisions, or even just the opportunity to draw a conclusion, there is nothing more important than having a full set of facts. As a trustee, I am morally and ethically responsible for making decisions based upon a full set of facts, and it is impossible to gauge the performance of a trustee (or board) without having the same facts at hand. This is why transparency at the board level is so vital to earning and retaining public trust.

Thinking strategically, providing transparency is the greatest opportunity for community engagement. Presenting the entire picture around an issue or decision for the community’s awareness is the only way to create confidence or trust in a board. If transparency is not offered, there would be no way for you, the public, to understand why certain decisions are made. I have heard public officials say that “the public just needs to trust their elected leaders.” How is trust built without offering a full picture? Without offering their motives, objectives, core values, and philosophy, any trust given would be fragile and shallow (at best).

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I write these emails so that you can understand my philosophy, values, and motives. I hope that I am transparent enough for you to actually predict my decisions when you and I have a full set of facts to work with. It is incumbent upon all of your representatives to offer you a full set of facts prior to and during decision making so that you know that the best possible decision is being made. Anything less risks creating the perception that personal agendas drive decisions. It also gives representatives too much opportunity to operate—consciously or subconsciously—from a personal motive. This speaks directly to accountability, both to oneself and to the public—another core benefit of transparency. If you think that these statements are too extreme, what evidence do you have to suggest otherwise?

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As we approach the polls this Tuesday, I hope that you have gathered a full set of facts about each candidate on the ballot. The right candidate prevailing is vital to building or restoring trust between the respective institution and the public. This is vital for the success of our students for the rest of their lives. When evaluating candidates, I hope that you have enough information to determine which one shares this philosophy of transparency and community engagement (trust), so that our community and our government institutions can partner as equals to create the world we want our youth to inherit.

The election is Tuesday, November 4th, and the next board meeting is November 5th, at 6:00pm. I hope to see you at both!

Brad Howlett

In just one week—Tuesday, November 4th—our community decides which future we give to our kids. I’ve included links to your sample ballot and candidate profiles to help you cast an informed vote at the end of this message. While there may be other offices on your ballot, you and I agree, I believe, that nothing is more important than our youth. Trustees and school boards directly impact every single student who walks through our doors—and even the local kids who don’t.

Even if your kids are grown, or you don’t have any in school, you still shape the world they’ll live in. If you homeschool, remember that your children will one day marry, work with, and and be likely governed by those educated in our local schools. What kind of world do you want your kids (and mine) to inherit? Ask yourself this: which candidate will personally sacrifice to provide the best possible future for our youth?

No one has to agree with me on every issue for us to work well together on the board. The only thing we need to agree on is that every single child in our community comes first—before anything else. When trustees put kids first, a board of trustees who have different perspectives reconcile their differences for the benefit of our students: through transcendent decisions rather than compromise.

That said, I want to pose a brief critical thinking exercise: Which candidates have focused on what’s best for kids? You likely know what’s best for your own children—now, which candidates have spoken to those priorities? Does a candidate share your vision for what education should be to create the world you want your children to inherit? Does their vision make you excited about your kids’ futures? Governance can be learned—but heart, commitment, and a willingness to personally sacrifice for the sake of our youth cannot be learned. Who do you trust to build a better future for your kids, grandkids, and neighbors’ kids?

As promised, here are some links to help make voting easier. If you have questions for the candidates, I always encourage you to reach out to them directly or attend one of their campaign events in person.

Sample ballot and voting locations: <Link>

Valley Lookout candidate profiles: <Link>

McCall Star News candidate profiles: <Link>

Please make a plan now to vote next week. My family and I appreciate you taking that ~10 minutes to ensure that all of our community’s kids have the best possible education to build their adult lives upon.

See you at the polls!

Brad Howlett

“Dear Friend and Community Member,

“I apologize for my lack of communication lately. I developed a hernia, and had to have it surgically corrected. I have been in a mental fog for the last few weeks, but am now on the mend.

“Before my medical issues arose, I sent you a letter presenting the two predominant perspectives that I hear from community members. These are a) that the school is doing well and is on the right track and, given time, will be a great school; and b) that public education and our school is not the best option for educating our community’s youth; that essentially people only enroll their students if they feel there is no other workable option. I would like to share my own personal perspective with you. But first, I’ll outline some of the background upon which my perspective is built. The below list includes only general dynamics that I’ve identified in the educational industry, and all contribute to the environment in which our school operates.

“Public schools in general have lost a lot of support from communities. Any given day, people can look up the news and find headlines about schools making poor decisions, ignoring their communities to pursue a personal agenda, or taking action that adversely effects students in order to secure some funding, or championing ideology over academics. The list goes on and on. Whether or not this is the case locally doesn’t matter. This is what many of us see, nearly every day, and seeing it erodes trust in the institution of government-provided education.

“The system measures itself. Where an institution has little to no competition in their market for apples-to-apples comparison, what can you compare the institution to? Compulsory public schooling is also a very new concept as a standard or requirement, leaving little history to compare today’s outcomes to. The federal Department of Education is younger than many of you are, and the last state in America to require kids attend elementary school did so in 1929. Even if a long history of compulsory public schooling was available in the USA, the measures of success change often. This eliminates the ability to compare our schools to their own past performance (i.e. did the goalposts change or did the school change). The point is that the standards of success are constantly in flux, making success a moving target. For any given scorecard, there exists a large number of variables which changed during the time period measured, providing endless excuses as to why any score may have been achieved by a school (this goes for good scores and bad).

“An institutionalized sense of entitlement. Public K-12 schools seem to have an attitude of all of their problems being the State’s fault. Given that the State funds public schools and establishes the framework within which schools are required to operate, officials in many localities like to play the victim. “We wouldn’t have financial problems if the State funded us better,” and “We wouldn’t have behavioral problems if the State would provide us special education departments” are very common phrases among those who don’t practice ownership of their school. Institutions tend to perpetuate themselves. Therefore, they are forced to market themselves as indispensable and virtuous in order to be successful in their self-perpetuation, usually with the aim of increasing their budget or getting community support. If an organization is indispensable and virtuous, they can’t possibly be the cause of any problems, right? If you’ve ever read the book “Extreme Ownership” by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, you’ll know why I’m bothered by the victim role so much. It hamstrings an organization’s ability to be exceptional.

“Elected officials tend to be motivated by personal desires. While the State owns the education system and the yardstick used to measure success, each district is governed locally by people with personal agendas. I bet that most of you believe that your elected representatives typically don’t represent the electorate nowadays, regardless of which office they hold. Many run for office because they have strongly held personal beliefs and selfish ambitions of their own. Anyone popular enough can govern, say, a school district, leaving them able to implement their own personal vision or pet project. We hear about this happening all the time during board development trainings, and it is the norm rather than the exception.

“The State of Idaho only requires a one year “strategic” plan, sometimes referred to as a Continuous Improvement Plan or CIP. As nearly every adult will attest to, planning one year at a time is more of a tactical plan than it is a strategic plan. Most major goals take several years to achieve, and require incremental milestones along the critical path to those larger goals. Most organizational strategic plans span the course of five to ten years, depending on the state of the organization when the strategic plan is developed. Strategic plans are typically developed to support an organization’s Mission Statement (the reason an organization exists) and Vision Statement (what it looks like when an organization is fulfilling its mission). What are Cascade School’s mission and vision?

“Here is my perspective regarding our school, summarized:

1. Lack of community support or involvement. Only a handful of parents regularly step up to support the school in a meaningful way.

2. We, the community, have not compiled our success criteria in a way that can be shared and measured.

3. Our school’s woes are ours, personally, to solve. The victim card cannot be played if we want the best possible educational experience for our kids. We can request help from the State, but in the end, we must decide our own fate.

4. There is no benchmark to gauge an initiative’s merit, or whether or not an initiative or change fits our community.

5. Our latest long-term strategic plan expired last year and, in my own opinion, was incomplete. A one year CIP is useless without overarching parameters of long-term success and growth targets.

“I will share in my next letter what I believe our next steps should be to address every single one of our fundamental challenges. Before I do that, I want to make sure that I have a complete picture of the community’s perspective. What do we do with this information? Do you have thoughts that don’t align with mine? Do you think I left an important dynamic off of this list? I want to hear from you personally. No matter your opinion, I’d like to hear your perspective on the best paths forward.”

Brad Howlett

As the election fast approaches, I’ve been thinking about how to help you to be a high-information voter. While I have shared my views on the challenges facing public education in the past, I have decided to share out some of these views again. I am sending out two of my early emails from early 2024, as they are pertinent to the election of your school board seats more so today than they were when I sent them out originally. Our world is changing faster and faster, and AI is now impacting local businesses, individuals, and especially our youth. While this should be added to the list in my original email, I have not edited the below email at all, and it is 100% intact as originally presented. Some of the stats have changed, and we are certainly not #1 in science anymore. However, the relevance of the message has only increased since January of 2024. I hope you find value in this flashback, just keep in mind that there are more recent headlines and technologies out there that make the situation more urgent than ever. Enjoy!

January 27, 2024:

“Dear Friend and Community Member,

“There are a couple of perspectives which are prevalent within the community that have been on my mind. I’d like to share them with you as a parent and community member in hopes that we can have these important conversations with civility and love. No matter how good something is, improvement can always be made. And until we can establish a baseline or starting point, we can’t pick a path forward toward that improvement.

“I have spent much time considering the two perspectives I hear most. While, at first, they seem to be in competition with each other, I believe they are actually directly related to each other and serve to establish our baseline and our path forward.

“Our school is doing the best it has in many years. This is objectively true, no matter your personal experience or perspective, according to most widely accepted benchmarks of success that public schools strive to live up to (think state and federal requirements, test scores, financial stability, etc.). The school and many community members are very proud, and they should be: this improvement has garnered the attention of lawmakers in the capitol, because of the magnitude of change in such a short period of time! Cascade School is #1 in the state in science and in the top 10 districts for math, according to State measures. A short time ago, we were under State scrutiny due to our inability to perform as a school. This unbelievable progress shows that Cascade can perform at a level that nearly no other district can realistically imagine. A sincere thanks to every person who helped make that happen!

“Now that our school’s current position is established, I introduce perspective number one: that the school is doing great and all we need to do is “stay the course.” Few, if any, large changes remain to be implemented, and gradual, incremental, and measurable progress is what we should now strive for. The enormous progress within our school must be a sign of better things yet to come, and that our trajectory is established and our placement at the top of the pack is secured, barring any extreme failures at the top of the organization.

“The second perspective is not as glamorous, but it seems to be the most commonly held perspective in Cascade. Additionally, the second perspective provides the greatest opportunity to utilize the proven capabilities within the school that are responsible for the amazing achievements of late. The second perspective isn’t attributed to one dynamic or another, but is attributed to many different dynamics when they are viewed as a whole. To understand the second perspective, it requires us to zoom out and look at things from a higher level.

• Nampa School District has lost around 2,000 students over the last ten years, while the population of Nampa nearly doubled since the year 2000, according to two different news articles (here and here) which reported on the closures. The second article states that this is not unique to Nampa, and is a trend being observed across America.

• While anecdotal, I have heard tales from different perspectives regarding the Fruitland School District. A few years ago, the Treasure Valley Classical Academy opened its doors in Fruitland, which boasts a fully classical curriculum. A parent in Fruitland whose kids now attend TVCA has shared with me in great depth how much of an improvement he’s seen in his kids’ educations after they switched from the traditional public school system. In fact, he speculates that every kid enrolled in the traditional school now has their name on the waiting list to get into the classical academy. I heard a portion of the other side of the story while at the ISBA convention in November: the superintendent of the traditional public school shared in a seminar that ever since TVCA opened, she has had to field constant complaints and criticism about her school’s inferior curriculum, and the attitude of the public toward the traditional school has nose-dived. Meanwhile, TVCA has hit their growth milestones years ahead of schedule and are actively planning expansion now.

• Nationally, homeschooling is the fastest growing form of education in America. Already on an upward trend, homeschooling skyrocketed thanks in large part to the measures taken by governments in response to covid-19. And almost all of the kids who began homeschooling during covid are still homeschooling today. Although the catalyst would reasonably merit removing kids from public school, it seems that nearly every family who took their kids out decided that homeschooling was superior to public schools long-term, for whatever reason.

• Idaho does not keep statistics on how many families homeschool, so anyone interested in that data must extrapolate from various sources and/or use anecdotal information. According to the most recent census data, the number of youth ages 5 to 19 within Cascade city limits is 196 out of a total population of 1,005 (about 19.5%). The total population of our School District, according to Valley County, is 2,100. While there is no formula or set of assumptions that will be perfect, I will make a good faith attempt to illustrate the point I am trying to convey. By age 19 a young person should be out of high school, so let’s adjust the 19.5% of the population within city limits down to an ultra-conservative 13% and apply it to the entire population living within the district boundaries (including within city limits). 2100x.13=273 potential students in district boundaries. School enrollment is 210, leaving a conservatively estimated 63 students not enrolled in Cascade School. Regardless of whether or not you agree with my assumptions or math, nearly everyone in Cascade knows several families that homeschool their kids here. And the more people I meet, the more homeschooling families I meet that are not connected to other homeschooling groups. I estimate that I’ve personally met families that comprise 40 or 50 kids being homeschooled, and I don’t know a lot of people. No matter how you frame it, Cascade has a very large homeschooling population per capita. In fact, some of these families recently got together to create a “micro-school”.

• Among Junior High and High School students in Cascade, over half earned a spot on the High Honor Roll last Thursday. High Honor Roll has traditionally been a way to spotlight the highest academic achievers – the best of the best. In Cascade, it appears that High Honor Roll is the new average. When everyone is special, no one is.

“A lot of factors play into the second perspective, but the summary is this: Parents have higher expectations than what public school currently offers. However, public schools in Idaho, like ours, have sufficient flexibility and empowerment to become a high-standards school. Our kids are showing us that one of the highest achievements offered is too easy to achieve. Our friends and community members are showing us that they believe our school is not the best education option for their kids. Idahoans are proving that they are convinced that public schools are inferior to all other options. Nationally, more and more parents are paying twice (and working twice as hard) to educate their children at home rather than let the public schools do it for them. Anyone who denies that public schools need to compete for student enrollment today risks being accused of deliberate ignorance.

“BUT – these two perspectives are not mutually exclusive. They can coexist, and even help each other improve. We have a high-performing administrative team and teaching staff that brought our school out of the bowels of complete failure to becoming a good school in the eyes of the State. We have parents who are participating in, if not providing, their kids’ education who help out with school activities. We have a diverse skillset among community members, and a community whose values are agreed upon loud and clear. If we, as a community, can agree that our school’s position has improved greatly, but that the environment, perception, and expectations around K-12 education have changed just as drastically over the same span of time, we are in a position to leverage all state and local resources to ensure our youth are getting the education that parents and society expects for them. And, based upon the new norm of High Honor Roll, our students are ready.”

As your Trustee, I just wanted to send you a reminder that the District Board of Trustees will be appointing either Ryan Taylor or Monica Gokey Bequette as the Zone 5 Trustee this Wednesday. Appointments are different than elections as the public does not get to vote the trustee into office—they are chosen by a majority vote of the Board. This appointment is going to fill the vacancy that Paula Bartlett left when she relocated out of the District boundaries.

While the Board has created a protocol to help ensure that the candidate most aligned with the community is appointed (elected officials have the duty of representing the electorate, so they have created a procedure to increase this alignment), it is helpful when the public offers their thoughts. This gives Trustees the opportunity to test their own thoughts against the thoughts of those they represent. Both interested individuals have answered seven questions that the Board chose, in advance, and their answers will be attached to the agenda once it is posted here tomorrow (Monday, Oct. 13). The Board will likely dedicate some time for Trustees to ask any follow up questions during the meeting. You can view the candidates’ letters of interest by going into the September meeting’s agenda here.

If you feel inclined to share your thoughts with the Board, you can email public comment to the Board Clerk no later than Tuesday at 3:00pm (be sure to include your name, address, and phone number for your comment to count!). You can also offer your views verbally during the public comment period at the meeting.

I feel lucky to represent such a great community. I have a deep sense of gratitude for this opportunity to serve, and I wanted to leave you with that thought. Thank you for being my “why.”

Perhaps I will see you Wednesday evening.

Brad Howlett

I hope to present some clarifying thoughts to you early enough in the election cycle to help you make sense of the “political winds” prior to the election. Since I am your school board representative, my anecdotes will largely be based in that context, but the logic behind them translates to other public positions, as well. They are centered around an institution’s Trajectory, Alignment of Values/Expectations between the institution and the public, and those values/expectations (the Community’s Vision) becoming a plan of action and causing improvements.

“Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t” is a phrase most often used by uniformed voters. The normalization of a candidate’s performance (or lack thereof) becomes a comfort zone of sorts, even when a much better option is available. It takes courage to vote against a place of comfort, and the knowledge that better is possible can instill the courage necessary to do so. This is why informed voters are so important; confidence is based in having good information, a “complete set of facts,” if you will. When candidates provide vague platforms or use clout and name recognition to campaign, very little information, intent, or capability is provided. How do we get good information? With incumbents, it’s easy: just look at their track record. This is where Trajectory is evaluated against an incumbent, but often times a challenger has an established track record elsewhere or in other relatable endeavors, which allows trajectory to be extrapolated or assumed.

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Trajectory shows the path of progress an institution is on.

Cascade had one of the best schools in the State 30 years ago, but plummeted so far down the scale that the State Department of Education had to essentially take over our school. The SDE gave the School Board specific orders to correct various serious problems with our school system and monitored the correction of those egregious issues. While this transition to the bottom took several years to achieve, it occurred under the leadership of a school board. It took several years to get us off of the State’s list of non-performing schools. Needless to say, Cascade never wants to go through that again. Rather, we want the school to be the envy of all of Idaho, and set our kids up for their best possible futures. Did an incumbent enshrine what previously made the school great into an system that sustains greatness, or did they watch as our student outcomes devolved? Did a current incumbent lead the school district to being one of the worst? If an incumbent led our school to the bottom, did their leadership approach change deeply enough that our school is immune from this happening again? And if so, what successes has their new leadership style brought forth? In a school setting, these are very important questions and the answers will impact students for years to come, whether positively or negatively. Is the school in a holding pattern? Is the school improving student outcomes and producing contributing adults? Are students ready for college or a career when they graduate?

Alignment of Values/Expectations Between the Agency and the Public

Remember the 3281 Policy controversy? This policy forced teachers to lie to parents, forced school staff to allow boys and girls to share bathrooms, hotel rooms, locker rooms, etc. When the public learned that this had been the District policy since 2009, the Board needed to form a committee of citizens to determine what the community’s values were around it, and to formulate a solution. Once the community spoke with an overwhelming clear and unified voice, the policy was removed with a split vote . Who adopted this policy back in 2009? Did the policy represent the community’s values and expectations when it was adopted, or at any time afterward? Did an incumbent vote in support of the community’s values/expectations or against it, or did they abstain from participating in that vote at all? On a deeper level, how did the values/expectations gap between the District and the Community come to exist in the first place, and where else might it impact the District? When a gap exists, how can a Board of elected representatives possibly speak for We The People? What are the values of the challengers and incumbents? Do those values put the school at risk of another gap of some kind? What are their thoughts about this gap, and do they see any other existing gaps?

Community Vision into Action

The entire concept of representative government is based in We The People determining the government’s priorities. This only works when laymen who hold the collective values and expectations of the community are governing the institution. To avoid disconnects (gaps), elected officials must seek input from the community on matters which pose a risk of such disconnects. Have you ever wondered how a local government institution ends up doing things that the community at large is not in favor of? Simply put, it happens when your elected officials believe that their opinions are superior to those of the electorate, or they don’t bother to ask the community for feedback around a sensitive topic. This is not representation—it is more akin to ruling. When an institution is serving the public and it’s purpose, it’s actions are deliberate and clear. The primary mechanism to do so is a plan of action, often referred to as a Long Term Strategic Plan, a Comprehensive Plan, or other similar written document. If that is not written down, how does anyone know if it’s being followed, or if it is even in alignment with the collective will and expectations of the community?

Questions you can ask to determine if the community’s input will guide the institution are “What is the vision you would implement?” “How will you determine the appropriate direction of the institution?” “What do you see as the most important things that the institution needs to accomplish?” And, if the direction expected by the community is known, “How will you turn the collective will of the community into a plan of action?” If an incumbent has had a few years to enact a plan and create improvement, you can simply look at their accomplishments in that role. If there are no accomplishments, or if their accomplishment is declining performance or a growing disconnect between the institution and the community, a vote for their challenger may be what is needed. If there is no plan, that could also be considered an answer in regards to their vision (or, more accurately, their lack of vision).

Summary

I hope that these tips are helpful. I will not tell you what to think. Rather, my goal is to help you make good decisions at the polls. Be sure to give each candidate the chance to answer your questions and make your personal priorities known to them—not just in an election year, but on an ongoing basis. How they respond to you directly, and what they do with the collective will of the community, is the most important aspect of representative government.

Would you like to continue this conversation? Subscribe for more, or reach out to me directly. Cascade is a small town and I am easy to find!

Brad

At the Superintendent’s suggestion, the Zone 5 trustee appointment has been moved to October. At the meeting this Monday (September 15th at 6:00pm), creation of an appointment protocol for the Board to utilize during the selection process will take place. This change is reportedly due to feedback from members of the public which was shared with the District.

While the Board retains full control of who they appoint, it is helpful for them to know the public’s thoughts on the matter (after all, their purpose is to represent the electorate to the District—YOU!). Personally, I believe that we should have a logical and transparent selection process which prioritizes the role of the Board in creating systems to unlock every student’s highest possible success on the way to graduation. This includes having an attitude of service to students, District patrons, staff, and the Cascade community at large. I hope that you will reach out to your trustees or the District Office to share what you believe the selection criteria should include.

Thanks to everyone who engages and shares your concerns with the District, whether related to this appointment or anything else. A true partnership between any District and it’s respective community requires regular and constructive two-way communication. Thank you for upholding your end of that prerequisite for a healthy District. Help increase engagement by sharing this email with your local friends and family. As always, I look forward to hearing your feedback.

Brad Howlett

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I have come to believe something about men that I will share with you in hopes that it might help you or your loved ones, and our community. I will be speaking in generalized terms, so if generalizations offend you, know that this will make your head explode. This is about the drivers of men, so if you think men and women are the same, you will disagree. If you understand the necessity of generalizations, and accept that men and women are different on the inside and outside, then you might appreciate what I am about to present.

Being a man with a level of self-awareness, I have come to believe that the natural progression of a man is as follows. This is how it is supposed to be according to natural law.

1. Born: infancy and childhood - nothing to offer and completely reliant upon others.

2. Adolescence: weaning oneself off of others’ support (learn to contribute to oneself) during a period of rapid self-discovery.

3. Young adulthood: becoming self-sufficient and growing one’s ability to serve and support (contribute to) others in their immediate vicinity (such as a family).

4. Mature Adulthood: Expand his ability to serve and support (contribute to) others and extend that innate need to contribute to their communities.

5. Late Adulthood: Continue their contributions by sharing their life lessons with younger generations to grow humanity’s ability to find or create meaning.

I did not pull any of these stages from anyone else’s mind, and it is based upon my own observations and beliefs that I have formulated as I have worked my way through life. If anything, I could credit Andy Frisella with clarifying the connection that I present next.

Society has stopped emphasizing masculine development beyond becoming self-sufficient. Phases four and five (and arguably even three) have gone by the wayside and get no attention or acknowledgment. Therefore, men never realize that this is what they need to do in order to live a fulfilling life, much less prepare to do so effectively and intentionally.

This is the root of the “mid-life crisis.” We know that there is supposed to be more, but we don’t know what it is.

Why am I sharing this with you? Because the November election is on my mind (you thought I was going to say something about men’s mental health, didn’t you!). Cascade no longer has a single elected trustee on the board. Men, there is an opportunity to fulfill the natural drive to contribute to the community, but the window closes August 29th. The role of trustee is not for everyone, but I know that this will reach someone who is built for it. Even if you are afraid to lead and govern by principles, this could be your opportunity to fulfill the greater good you are meant to fulfill. Your sons will watch your example and see your growth, taking your example with them and, by doing so, they might avoid the trap of empty adulthood.

I am not presenting this opportunity to disparage our current trustees (heck, I’m one of them!). But I know I would feel a lot better knowing that our community chose some of our board rather than having just “ended up” with them through lack of interest. We might already have the best trustees that Cascade has to offer, but only an election will prove it.

If this message tugs at your heart, I’d encourage you to declare your candidacy for zone 2 or 3 (this must be done by August 29th). Print the paper, get the five signatures, and take it to the courthouse. If you are in zone 5, submit your letter of interest here for appointment at the September board meeting.

I pray that you, the men of our community, will step up and serve the way you were built to—not just for our community’s sake but for your own. Teach your kids about this progression, too, so that they can contribute at the level commiserate to the stage of life that they find themselves in.

With high hopes for our community and our youth.

Brad Howlett