Bonneville trustee blamed for failed bond

Some supporters of District 93’s failed $56.1 million bond to build a new high school are blaming a school board member.

Trustee Jeff Bird openly opposed and campaigned against the bond, advocates say. Because of this, they’re asking for his resignation.

Bird, who openly disagreed with rerunning the bond the second time, responded to those who say he actively campaigned against it.

“I only contacted a handful of people that day, half of which called me and not vice versa,” he said in an email to one of his detractors.

Some bond supporters are disagreeing with what Bird did.

“I believe that voting yes was the right thing to do. That’s my opinion, and if others don’t feel that way, that’s OK,” said Amanda Van Orden, who has children who attend school in Bonneville schools and supported the bond.

Still, Van Orden said what Bird did was unethical.

“To openly be against it and in a sense recruit people to be against it – I feel that was inappropriate,” she said.

Superintendent Dr. Chuck Shackett said Bird’s actions swayed the vote.

“With 66.5 percent and 17 votes (short), there’s no question if we had all five board members supporting this bond it would have passed,” said Shackett. “Absolutely no question, no doubt in my mind.”

Several parents in the district told KIDK Eyewitness News they want Bird to resign.

Bird told us he only spoke to friends and neighbors who called him to ask how they should vote. He said the extent of the conversations was that he opposed it.

He said asking for his resignation is a witch hunt because he disagrees with bond supporters politically. Now isn’t the time to point fingers, but to find a viable solution for school overcrowding that the community can agree on, he said.

The vote recount for the bond election will be held Monday.