W. Bonner School Dist. paid former- superintendent Branden Durst $67,500 in settlement

By Emma Epperly
IdahoEdNews.org

The West Bonner School District paid former superintendent Branden Durst $67,500 to settle a lawsuit, according to documents obtained Jan. 19 by Idaho Education News through a public records request.

The settlement marks the end of a saga that began in 2023, when the district hired Durst, who sought to obtain an emergency superintendent certificate. The Idaho State Board of Education denied his request, saying he did not meet required qualifications.

Durst worked as superintendent for nearly four months and appeared to resign in September 2023, when he penned a letter announcing his “decision to seek an amicable and fair exit.” Durst sued the district in 2024 after trustees terminated his contract.

The Idaho Counties Risk Management Program, West Bonner’s insurance provider, paid the settlement, according to Superintendent Kim Spacek. The parties settled in December, shortly before a scheduled trial.

The document included a breakout of settlement costs, including:

• $20,500 for lost wages;

• $20,000 for general damages;

• $27,000 for attorneys fees.

An expert hired by Durst argued the district owed him more than $400,000 in lost wages and damages.

Durst did not respond to EdNews’ questions of whether or not the dollar amount covered his attorneys’ fees. He also declined to share the settlement amount.

“It was never about the amount. It was about fairness,” Durst told EdNews earlier this month.

Spacek said that while he knew little about the circumstances behind the lawsuit, he and the district wish Durst the best.

“For both parties, it sounds like he has his feet in education, like he wanted, and you know the district settled and we’re both moving forward,” Spacek said. “Best of luck to him.”

Durst is head of school and sport for Brabion Academy, a charter school set to open next fall in Nampa.

“For over two years I have tried, repeatedly, to reach a fair agreement. Unfortunately, some trustees at my former employer were unwilling to do so until this late date,” Durst wrote in an email to EdNews. “While the settlement agreement makes clear that my former employer is admitting no fault, in my opinion, it substantiates my claims and demonstrates that ‘my side of the story,’ which the media refused to tell or at the very least obscured, was an accurate reflection of reality.”

Spacek wouldn’t speculate on what going to trial would have cost the district’s insurance company, but he said settling before trial is almost always more cost effective.

“People just wanted it over — everyone wanted it over — and want to move forward,” Spacek said.

Idaho Education News is a nonprofit online news outlet based in Boise and supported by grants from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation, the Education Writers Association and the Solutions Journalism Network. Read more at idahoednews.org.