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JD Gould
School Board Trustee Zone 2
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I am a fourth generation cattle rancher and farmer in Buhl. I graduated from Buhl HS in ‘03 and BSU in ‘08. I spent 9 years active duty and 12 reserve duty as a Marine Infantry Officer with two combat deployments to Afghanistan. During that time I learned a lot about leadership, and performance under pressure.
Service
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How are you currently serving in Buhl? What past or current community activities have shaped your approach to leadership?
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I am a volunteer baseball, football, and wrestling coach for kids of all ages. I am a Buhl Youth Sports board member. I am a member of the Mid Snake Water Resource Commission. I am also a member of the Magic Valley and Idaho Cattleman’s associations. I have served as a School Board Trustee in previous years. All of these experiences have taught me how to be collaborative and tackle tough issues.
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Transparency
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How do you plan to address the community’s concerns about trust and transparency in local government decisions?
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I plan to continue to strive to be a man of integrity. Honesty is the best policy and I will always be open and honest with those I serve if elected.
Division
How will you work to bridge divides in our community, especially among groups with differing views?
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Listen first, speak second. Compromise usually develops the best policies, but in order to achieve that, I have to listen to all sides of the issue first.
Public Input
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What role do you believe public input should play in your decision-making process if elected?
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It needs to be a top priority. Anyone who is elected is elected to serve their constituency, and not their own self interests.​
Buhl Schools - Urgent Need
What is one specific issue facing Buhl Schools that you believe needs immediate attention, and how would you approach it?
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Filling all of the staffing shortfalls we currently have. It is imperative that we provide our students with a full staff to further their education. It is also very taxing on our current staff to have to fill multiple roles. I believe having a fully staffed school district will provide our students with a better education.
Meeting Student Needs
How will you ensure the Buhl School District meets the needs of all students, including those from diverse or underserved backgrounds?
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By ensuring that our administrators and staff are doing so and holding them accountable when they aren’t. It is not the role of a board member to run the day to day operations of a school district. The school board needs to hire the best administrators we can find and help in developing good policies. ​
Funding Priorities
School districts often face tough choices around funding. What priorities would guide your decisions about how to allocate resources in Buhl Schools and how would you address limited funding?
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I think any prospective board member should show a little humility and go in with an open mind if elected. Public school budgets and revenue streams are very complicated. Having served as a Trustee in the past, it took time, research, and honest conversions to understand the school district’s financial side. What will guide my financial decisions is the same for what will guide all of my decisions if elected. Whatever best educates our students is my top priority.