He Brought Branden Durst to Priest River.

When Branden Durst rolled into Priest River to claim the top job at West Bonner County School District, he didn't arrive the way most job candidates do: in his own car, having found the place on a map. He reportedly stepped out of Sen. Scott Herndon's vehicle, which is about as subtle as a gift basket with a return address. Herndon, who at the time ran the Bonner County Republican Central Committee and whose endorsement helped put board chair Keith Rutledge in his seat back in 2021, apparently decided that a district of roughly 1,000 students, fresh off a failed levy and a budget slashed by a third, really needed an Idaho Freedom Foundation policy analyst with zero days of experience as a teacher, principal, or school administrator. The board obliged on a 3-2 vote, passing over Susie Luckey, who had spent nearly 40 years in the district's classrooms and offices, in favor of a guy who had to be driven to the interview by a state senator.

The hire was so far outside Idaho's credential requirements for superintendents that the same 3-2 majority had to declare a literal "state of emergency" to install him, which is a fun thing to do when the emergency is one you created on purpose. Durst's first draft contract asked for a housing stipend, a district-provided vehicle, and free meals at the schools, so at least he'd eventually stop needing rides. Hundreds of residents packed the junior high auditorium to object, a legislator got escorted out by police, two trustees walked out of their own meeting, and the chair and vice chair who engineered the whole thing (at Herndon’s direction) ended up facing a recall. Durst resigned less than 3 months after he started; he was unable to meet licensing requirements for the job. Herndon, meanwhile, got exactly what he came for: a district that was never his, run by a man he chauffeured in. Priest River didn't hire a superintendent so much as have one dropped off at the curb.