School district of the year

Coeur d'Alene School District isn't one to shy away from controversy.

In recent years, the district has openly tackled the topics of disputed reading materials in its high schools, cell phone problems in classrooms, and offering the most challenging curricula for its highest-reaching students through magnet and charter schools and advanced programs.

We believe it's the willingness to risk a little to gain a lot that has not just encouraged excellence throughout the district, but crystallized it. We further assert that this atmosphere of excellence is more than a feeling. It's quantifiable in the impressive scholarships Coeur d'Alene students earn, in the careers so many of them go onto, and internally, in the recognition some of its top teachers receive.

When Winton Elementary first-grade teacher Erin Lenz was named Idaho Teacher of the Year last Thursday, she became yet another name on a growing list of educational accolades for the district. Lenz is the sixth Coeur d'Alene teacher since 1999 to win the honor. As Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna noted Friday morning, no other school district in the state can match that.

Of Lenz, a former classroom aide who went on to earn a degree in education so she could teach, District Superintendent Hazel Bauman heaped enormous praise when she stated matter of factly, "She can teach any child to read."

Lenz joins an exclusive group that just keeps growing. In 1999, Judy Bieze was the state's teacher of the year. That honor was followed by Nancy Larsen in 2000, Patti Perry in 2003, Paula Conley in 2005, and Mike Clabby in 2007. All five witnessed Lenz's shining moment Friday.

Our congratulations go to Lenz, who will represent Idaho in the National Teacher of the Year competition. We also applaud Bauman and current and past members of the district's governing board, who set the bar so high for superior performance. But most of all we commend the district's teachers who push themselves and their colleagues to never being satisfied with good enough. They're willing to live with some controversy and even complaints when the risks are relatively low and the rewards so great.