Rusty Taylor thinks of himself as a jack of all trades. 

Not just in his professional life as the Lakeland School District’s new superintendent, but as an athlete and family man. 

Taylor, 57, took on the role last month after a difficult few years for the district with budget cuts, failed levies and leadership departures. 

But none of that was a thought for Taylor when accepting the position; instead, he was focused on family. 

Taylor and his wife had a three-year plan to move up to North Idaho from their home in Arizona to be closer to their grandchildren. Taylor’s son, Christopher Taylor, is an administrator at Lake Pend Oreille School District in Sandpoint. 

The couple bought a home in Rathdrum, hoping to be closer to family but also close to the amenities of Spokane and Coeur d’Alene. The goal was to move after Taylor’s step daughter finished her senior year of high school in the spring of 2026. 

When Lakeland’s superintendent and assistant superintendent resigned this spring, Taylor jumped at the chance to apply. 

Now, as he takes the helm, Taylor says his focus is supporting students, pushing the district into a better financial position and finding ways to improve facilities.

Winding path to education

Taylor grew up in Texas. He began struggling in school after his mother died when he was 8 years old.

“I didn’t like school, not at all,” Taylor said. 

Because of behavior issues, he ended up in special education classes in high school. 

His favorite subject was history, Taylor said, and one teacher would just put lessons on the board and go sit in her office. Taylor confronted her. 

“I just said ‘Look, you need to come out here and teach us. This is not right,’” Taylor recounted. 

The teacher’s response was to put him into a general education history course with the prediction that he would have to come “ask nicely” to return to her course after he failed. 

Taylor asked his girlfriend at the time to teach him how to be a good student. Another friend told him to just pick up a book and start reading if he wanted to improve. He buckled down and excelled in the course. 

“After that, I just, all of a sudden, I realized I can do this,” Taylor said. 

He finished high school in general education courses and earned a track scholarship to South Mountain Community College. He wasn’t quite ready for that level of school, he said, so he took a break before finishing a degree in hotel and motel management for Pima Community College. 

He and his then-wife moved to the Grand Canyon to work at a resort. But after their first child was born, his wife at the time wanted to go back to school. 

Taylor joined her, took one education course and was hooked. 

“I was motivated, once I took that class, I knew what I wanted to do,” he said. “I knew what I wanted to be.” 

A year later, he got his first teaching job on the Apache reservation in Whiteriver, Ariz. 

“It was the best five years and the worst five years of my life,” Taylor said. 

While there, he learned to meet students where they’re at. He coached junior varsity basketball and learned to build relationships. 

As he moved on to other teaching roles, he picked up whatever subjects had a need from special education to American history, algebra, civics, physical education and theater.

“I’m kind of a jack of all trades,” Taylor said. 

In 2006, he took over as the principal of Valley Union High School in Elfrida, Ariz. 

While there, he implemented professional learning communities and emphasized professional development around literacy to help raise reading and writing scores, Taylor said. He earned recognition through the Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction’s “Circle of Honor” program. He continued to work as a district level administrator while also building a side hustle as a basketball referee, something he hopes to continue to do in Idaho.

Taylor’s most recent role was at a small elementary school district on the Mexico border. 

Looking out for Lakeland

Since his arrival, Taylor said he has met one-on-one with all of the district’s five trustees.  Those conversations centered around defining his role and theirs, Taylor said. 

“What do you want me to do, alright? Once you’ve told me my expectations, then let me do it,” Taylor said. “I can help this district, I have the tools to do it, if you just let me do the job.” 

Taylor said he’s happy the board is curious and asks so many questions. 

“They want to understand the process and they want to make decisions that they feel are best for our community,”  Taylor said. 

Trustee Bob Jones said last month that he thought Taylor was the best candidate due to his “breadth” of experience at all grade levels, with special education, and knowledge of school finance.

“He’s well-experienced and came across as very confident in his abilities,” Jones told EdNews.

Jones said he thinks Taylor will fit well into the community but will have to learn the quirks of Idaho funding and educational systems.

Taylor hopes to spend a significant portion of his time supporting the finance team, after they dealt with cutting $2 million from the budget last year. He is concerned that the district has needed to pull from the fund balance in the recent past and with how tight the budget is in general. 

“Everywhere I go I want to be the best,” he said. “We just have to figure out how we can best use those resources together. But to be the best, I need resources.”

One of Taylor’s first communications with the classified staff was a letter notifying them they would not be receiving raises this year and could see reduced hours, due to budget cuts. Administrators will also not be receiving a raise. 

The position is due to a state mandated increase to the certified staff salary schedule, he said. The increase put the district in an even tighter financial position which is unfortunate but teachers also deserve to be fairly compensated, he said.

“I can’t imagine a world where we complain that we’re paying our teachers more money,” Taylor said.

He also is concerned about district facilities — upkeep and aging buildings. 

The district’s supplemental levy has been hard to pass in recent years despite making up nearly 20% of the budget. Taylor said he understands people in the area already pay a lot in taxes, with property values skyrocketing. 

But that the school district is the largest employer in Rathdrum and is key to not only keeping families afloat but a contributing factor to why so many people want to move to the area. 

“It’s an investment in our community,” he said of the levy. “If I see that need, I’m going to go and ask.”

Taylor said he plans to spend his first year in assessment mode on all fronts before making major changes. He hopes to encourage community engagement in schools and therefore support for the district.

“I want to make this very clear, and I mean no disrespect to our board, I don’t work for them,” Taylor said. “I work for our kids. Kids are first.”