RATHDRUM — Michelle Thompson and Ramona Grissom will retain their seats as chair and vice chair of the Lakeland School Board.

During the regular meeting and annual reorganization of the board Wednesday evening, Thompson and Grissom nominated each other for the positions and each won their respective seats by 3-2 votes. Trustee Bob Jones, who participated via phone, nominated Trustee Randi Bain for both positions. She received two votes each time. The votes were written on pieces of paper and not announced during the meeting, except for those of Jones, who declared his votes for Bain.

The Press received the signed ballots via email following a request to the district office. The votes were as follows: For vice chair, Bain voted for herself, Thompson voted for Grissom, Trustee David Quimby voted for Grissom and Grissom voted for herself. For chair, Bain voted for herself while Thompson voted for herself and Grissom and Quimby also voted for Thompson.

Thompson and Grissom have served on the school board since 2019. Thompson has been the chair since 2020 following the resignation of the previous board chair, Rena Olmstead.

During public comment before the reorganizing votes were cast, Lakeland mom Maren Maier, who has served on nonprofit boards and in leadership roles in the community, said she appreciated Thompson’s leadership the past year but requested the board consider allowing Bain to step into the role of chair. She noted Bain's public service, preparedness and financial experience that would be helpful during upcoming levy challenges.

“It’s healthy for board governance and leadership to have the role of chair rotate at times as it allows others to carry that extra level responsibility, provides opportunity for growth and diversity of leadership styles," Maier said. 

In an emailed response to a request for comment Thursday, Thompson wrote she plans to continue to lead the board meetings with commitment and dedication to the chair position as well as give community members, patrons, students and staff opportunities for their voices to be heard through public input. 

She said she does not have personal goals as the chair.

"The board will create its goals together, and we will collectively support the goals created," she wrote. "There is no personal agenda or rogue adventure to be had by me." 

The Lakeland Joint School District's two-year, $9.52 million replacement supplemental levy failed to garner the needed support during a tight election in November. The board has been holding frequent meetings, slowly working toward making decisions regarding possibly running another levy, budgetary priorities and declaring a financial emergency.

Rebecca Hasz, the parent of a 2024 Lakeland High School graduate and a current Lakeland Middle School student, has been a district employee since 2000 and has lived in the district since 2004. During public comment, she said others would say how lucky she was and praise the district for its accomplishments when she told people she works for the Lakeland School District.

"Since the failure of this levy, I have received nothing but looks of concern and questions about what we are going to do next," she said. "I am bewildered by how we got here from there in such a short period of time." 

Hasz said the school board and district administration appear to be at odds. She said the board and the district need to work together to get behind one cohesive message to share with the community. 

“It is time to set aside individual agendas and come together for one agenda — the success of our district," she said. "Once the decision is made to rerun the levy, the message shared out to the community needs to be one of support, and it needs to come from all arenas."

She said if Lakeland does not change its trajectory, it will follow the path of West Bonner School District. 

Earlier this year, West Bonner closed Priest River Junior High after a one-year, $4.6 million levy attempt failed in May. Lakeland, West Bonner and Boundary County were the only three school districts in Idaho whose levies failed at the polls in November. 

"Unable to attract quality teachers, we will become a training ground for new teachers coming out of college who only stay for a couple of years and then move on to better opportunities," Hasz said. "I realize calling for a state of emergency is not taken lightly, however, it is a signal to others that our district is in turmoil and not on steady ground. Teachers, students and parents are looking for stability. We need to figure out a solution to this problem and reassure them that we can provide a secure educational future for our students.”

Lakeland Education Association President Jason Bradbury said he truly hopes the board will rerun the levy, even if it is for a reduced amount, so it will not have to file for a state of emergency.

"Even if they do, that levy amount will still have to pass in May," he said. "I'm really hoping that our community can get behind and support this great school district like they have always done in the past until this last one."

If another levy fails and a financial emergency is declared, Bradbury said, it would be devastating for the district. Programs and staff would have to be cut, he said. The board has already discussed reducing salaries.

"If that were to happen, I fear that a lot of our teachers would be forced to go to different school districts because after all, we face all the same challenges of the rest of the community just getting by month to month as it is with the high costs of inflation and housing," he said.

If the board decides to file for a state of emergency, negotiations with the teacher's union will be reopened to discuss salaries and benefits. Nothing else in the current negotiated agreement can be discussed unless the education association agrees to it, Bradbury said.

"I feel that we have worked very well with this school board and our district's administration in the past and would hope nothing would change," he said. "Obviously, I am not for cutting any wages at all and think it would be a huge mistake to do that. I fear we would lose way too many of our good teachers, and unfortunately, our students would suffer those consequences."

According to state statute, the board has the right to reopen contract negotiations with the teacher's union and impose its last, best offer, even if the union does not agree with what is put forth.

"I certainly hope it doesn't come to that and that we can all work very professionally and diligently together to do what's right for all involved," Bradbury said.

He said some ideas have been shared about how to go about things differently in the district to help with cost savings.

"I think that will help the community to know that we are trying and doing the best we can to hear and help them," Bradbury said. "I have already shared all of my LEA executive team's ideas with the board and look forward to working with them to come up with some of those solutions that make the best sense."

    Grissom