Two retired educators from California, a high school substitute teacher and one incumbent are running for two Nampa School District trustee seats in November.

Incumbent Brook Taylor in Zone 4 is defending her seat from candidate Andy Kersten, a retired teacher and administrator from California’s Central Valley.

The race for Zone 5 is wide open, as incumbent Jeff Kirkman is not seeking re-election. Two candidates are vying for his seat. Lauralyn Salinas is a farmer and substitute teacher with five kids. George Halladay is a recently retired secondary school teacher who has taught in both California and Idaho.

Election Day is Nov. 4 and early voting begins Oct. 14. Click here to find what zone you live in.

Zone 4
Brook Taylor (Incumbent)
Brook Taylor / Photo Courtesy Nampa School District

Taylor was first elected in 2021. She owns tanning supply company All Hours International, LLC. She did not respond to several phone calls and emails from EdNews.

At a candidate forum in October 2021, Taylor made clear her opposition to mask mandates and critical race theory, according to previous EdNews reporting.

“We cannot understand how these mandates affect each family,” she said at the 2021 forum.

Also at that 2021 event, Taylor advocated for spending federal relief money on mental health resources for students and teachers.

Earlier this year, Taylor voted to declare an impasse with the teachers’ union and closed negotiations.

“I feel like you guys are squabbling for pennies in a situation that would greatly cripple this organization,” Taylor told union members at a special meeting in February. “So it leads me to believe that you guys don’t truly have the organizational health of this district at heart.”

Taylor’s predecessor, Kim Ross, endorsed Taylor in an October 2021 Facebook video. Ross mentioned a meeting she attended with Taylor regarding remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“What impressed me most about this visit with Brook was she wasn’t there to advocate for herself,” Ross said. “She was there to advocate for all the other families and community members that were really struggling during this time.”

Andy Kersten
Andy Kersten / Photo Courtesy Andy Kersten

Kersten is a retired educator with 33 years of experience as a teacher, building administrator and district superintendent in California’s Central Valley. He moved to Idaho in April 2024 and volunteers with CASA to advocate for foster kids.

“I really have a lot of experience in education and I’ve worked with the board,” Kersten said. “I understand the board’s role. It’s not to run a district, but it’s to hire a superintendent who runs the district.”

He said he’s been watching Nampa School District for a few years and has some ideas on how the district can bring back families that have left. The district has faced declining enrollment over the past decade and in 2023 closed four schools.

Public schools should improve communication with parents and provide more support to teachers to improve academic performance, he said. As a superintendent of a small district in California with declining enrollment, he said he called families that left so he could learn more.

Kersten said he would like voters to know that he has been an educator for most of his adult life and always puts kids first.

“I know the questions to ask to hold people accountable,” he said. “I know the things that need to be put into place to support teachers.”

Zone 5
Lauralyn Salinas
Lauralyn Salinas / Photo Courtesy Lauralyn Salinas

Salinas raises cattle and grows corn on her family farm in Parma, but most of the time she’s working as a substitute teacher at Columbia High School.

Her time in classrooms has given her a unique perspective, she said. She’s seen how teachers react to policy and how administrators work with staff.

“I’m in the school often,” Salinas said. “I have substituted a lot and have taken a lot of long-term positions, covering maternity leaves and things like that.”

Salinas said she’s passionate about making sure the district is supporting kids and ensuring they can be successful.

“These students that are in the Nampa School District right now are going to be the students who are running businesses and making decisions when I’m retired,” Salinas said.

As a trustee, she said she would both listen to concerned community members and rely on her own values.

George Halladay
George Halladay / Photo Courtesy George Halladay

Halladay recently retired from a 23-year career as a secondary school teacher in California and Idaho.

“I retired and I have nothing else to do with my time,” Halladay said. “Plus, I don’t like the way they’re treating the kids.”

Halladay said he would like to ban cellphones in schools and is concerned that students can graduate with over 100 days absent.

“I would write up a proposal saying, ‘This needs to stop,’” he said.

Halladay said he is running a “by the mouth” campaign and doesn’t plan on putting up signs.

“I just tell people, ‘Hey, I’m running for school board,’” Halladay said. “If you want to vote for me, fine. If you want to vote for somebody else that’s running for the seat that I’m running for, go right ahead.”

As a teacher, Halladay said he got tired of the politics within schools.

“Kids think they’re so entitled,” he said. “You say one little wrong thing and they’ll go down … to the admin in a heartbeat. I just couldn’t handle that crap.”