Taylor comes to North Idaho from school district in Arizona
The Lakeland Joint School District has hired a new superintendent.
Trustees of the Lakeland Joint School Board voted to hire Rusty Taylor during Wednesday night's board meeting.
Taylor joins Lakeland after serving as the superintendent of Naco Elementary School District in Naco, Ariz.
Family is what first and foremost brought Taylor to Rathdrum, he said. His oldest son and his family live in North Idaho. His wife's family has been in the area for well over 30 years.
He said he and his family bought a home last year that is a five-minute walk from Lakeland High School. They were drawn to the beautiful home, the neighborhood and the city of Rathdrum.
"Finally, and now, a position that aligns very well with my workplace skill sets, Lakeland superintendent," Taylor said Thursday.
Taylor said because he is all about shared leadership, his goals for the district are to be determined.
"Our leadership teams will come together and determine those goals," he said. "My personal goals are to create a strong relationship with our board to best serve our students, staff and community. Next, meeting with our district leadership team and then the school administration and setting shared expectations for all of us, including myself. Finally, getting out to our schools and meeting teachers, other staff, students, parents and our community."
The Naco Elementary School District serves about 275 students from kindergarten to eighth grade, whereas Lakeland serves more than 4,500. Taylor said he has been a school administrator at much larger districts than Naco.
"As a teacher, I worked in a district with just under 3,000 students and at a middle school with just under 500 total students," he said. "I knew how large districts operated; more important, in a short time, I will know how Lakeland School District runs with a lot of support from our staff."
Taylor is picking up the leadership mantle from former superintendent Lisa Arnold, who spent 34 years as a teacher and administrator in the Lakeland Joint School District. She served as superintendent for three years, during which the district's supplemental levy failed at the polls in the November election but passed in May following much work to reduce the district's budget.
Taylor said he is aware of the district's supplemental levy history.
"I am so thankful for Mrs. Arnold and her staff's work to get the levy passed," he said. "Most importantly, I am thankful to our voters for their support of the levy."
Chair Michelle Thompson and trustees Randi Bain and Bob Jones voted in favor of Taylor's hire. Vice Chair Ramona Grissom and Trustee David Quimby were absent for the vote, therefore making the vote unanimous.
The district now also has a new assistant superintendent. Jake Massey, who spent five years as the principal of Garwood Elementary, has taken on the role after the departure of former assistant superintendent Lynn Paslay.
"Lakeland has a strong reputation for putting students first, supporting staff and valuing the partnerships that make our schools the heart of the community. I'm deeply committed to carrying that tradition forward and continuing to balance any innovation with values that are core to Lakeland," Massey said in a June 12 post on the school district's Facebook page.
Massey