Last Straw:They paid a superintendent to stay home, then asked taxpayers for more

The record

• Every Lakeland trustee was endorsed by the KCRCC.¹
• Four superintendents in six years under KCRCC board control.²
• In March 2026 the board put Superintendent Rusty Taylor on paid leave and gave no public explanation.³
• The board paid Taylor more than $200,000 to stay home while asking voters for a $15 million levy.⁴
• The board clerk resigned, calling trustees "curt, dismissive, and condescending."³
• A former clerk said board chair Michelle Thompson screamed at her in the office.⁵
• 99 community members and 3 former superintendents signed a letter demanding the trustees resign.⁵
• A former superintendent retired early; her doctor cited board-related stress as a contributing factor.⁵
• The district withheld and redacted records and charged over $1,000 in fees, which Idaho Education News reported as a potential violation of state law.⁶

Who

• Michelle ThompsonBoard chair.
• Randi BainTrustee.
• Ramona GrissomTrustee.
• David QuimbyTrustee.
• Jeff BrodheadTrustee.

Sources

1. Lakeland School District: the full storyRigged Red Card
2. Lakeland trustees place superintendent on administrative leave with payIdaho Ed News · March 2026 (archive)
3. Lakeland super put on paid leaveCoeur d'Alene Press · March 2026 (archive)
4. EDITORIAL: Lakeland school board may be undermining its own levyCoeur d'Alene Press · March 2026 (archive)
5. 'Out of control': Lakeland community, former superintendents ask trustees to resignIdaho Ed News · April 2026 (archive)
6. Lakeland redacts, withholds and delays release of public records following abrupt leadership ousterIdaho Ed News · April 2026 (archive)