Education leaders rewarded

COEUR d’ALENE — Leadership premiums paid to Coeur d’Alene School District teachers and staff this year will amount to approximately $514,800. The school board approved this year’s estimated schedule of leadership premiums during its Sept. 10 meeting.

The funds come from a program that the Idaho Legislature carved out of the salary schedule, said district spokesman Scott Maben. The program is in its fifth year.

Its purpose is to reward educators who go “above and beyond their usual role,” Maben said. “Examples include school technology leader, safety coordinator, anti-bullying program coordinator, department heads, and those who serve on building leadership teams.”

Among other awards, 15 educators were each awarded a $1,000 school technology leader premium, while four were each awarded a $900 safety program coordinator premium. Three high school personnel were each awarded $900 for their work as anti-bullying program coordinators; 23 high school department heads and action team chairpersons were each awarded $900 for those extra duties; and 125 building leadership team members will each receive $1,000 for work on their teams, according to district documents.

The leadership premiums are allocated by the district at the school board’s approval. Each premium is good for one year and is paid in June upon completion of the extra duties, Maben said.

Administrators are not eligible for the program, he said.

Exact figures funded by the state will not be known until the end of the school year, when the district’s average daily attendance numbers are calculated, Maben said.