Lakeland School District

The Lakeland Joint School District board is the only school board in Kootenai County where every single trustee was endorsed by the KCRCC. All five seats are held by Rated & Vetted candidates: Randi Bain (Zone 1), Ramona Grissom (Zone 2), Michelle Thompson (Zone 3, Board Chair), David Quimby (Zone 4), and Jeff Broadhead (Zone 5). The documented results include four superintendents in six years, a board clerk resignation over trustee conduct, more than $200,000 paid to a superintendent placed on administrative leave with no public explanation, potential violations of Idaho public records law, and a community petition signed by 99 residents demanding the board resign.

• 'Out of control': Lakeland community, former superintendents ask trustees to resign
  Idaho Ed News · April 2026 (archive)
  • 99 community members and 3 former superintendents signed a letter demanding board resignations.
  • Former board clerk Schrader said Thompson screamed at her in the office.
  • Former superintendent Arnold retired early; her doctor cited board-related stress as a contributing factor.
• Lakeland redacts, withholds and delays release of public records following abrupt leadership ouster
  Idaho Ed News · April 2026 (archive)
  • After placing superintendent Taylor on paid leave, the board gave no public explanation.
  • The district withheld and redacted records in response to public records requests and charged over $1,000 in fees, which Idaho Ed News reported as a potential violation of state law.
• EDITORIAL: Lakeland school board may be undermining its own levy
  Coeur d'Alene Press · March 2026 (archive)
  • The board was paying superintendent Taylor more than $200,000 to stay home while simultaneously asking voters to approve a $15 million levy.
  • The CDA Press editorial board asked whether the problem was leadership or governance.
• Lakeland super put on paid leave
  Coeur d'Alene Press · March 2026 (archive)
  • The all-KCRCC board placed superintendent Rusty Taylor on paid administrative leave, making him the third superintendent pushed out in six years. No reason was given publicly.
  • Board clerk Schrader also resigned, calling trustees "curt, dismissive, and condescending."
• Lakeland trustees place superintendent on administrative leave with pay
  Idaho Ed News · March 2026 (archive)
  • Four superintendents in six years under KCRCC board control.
  • The board asked voters for $15 million while paying the outgoing superintendent not to work.
• Lakeland trustees place superintendent on administrative leave
  Spokesman-Review · March 2026 (archive)
• 'Our goal is stability': Interim superintendent speaks amid leadership shakeup
  KREM · March 2026