Lakeland trustees spent $118,160 to pay out former superintendent Rusty Taylor’s contract after putting him on leave last year, ending a contentious departure that cost the district nearly $160,000 in salary, benefits and a settlement payout.

The board chair says the settlement allowed Lakeland to avoid more expensive litigation. But Taylor maintains trustees had no cause to place him on leave and argues a lack of clear expectations from the board led to conflict during his nine-month tenure.

Documents obtained through public records requests show conflict between Taylor and trustees over the discipline of a teacher. Documents shared by Taylor show trustees characterized a meeting with a patron as a grievance against Taylor, but the patron told EdNews he did not file one and that trustees initiated the meeting.

Trustees declined to answer questions about Taylor’s departure and settlement, which the board unanimously approved after an Aug. 19 executive session. Board Chair Michelle Thompson defended the settlement in an email but did not answer EdNews’ questions and declined to be interviewed.

“What I can tell you is the District pursued the most reasonable and cost-effective method to resolve the unfortunate situation we were in,” Thompson wrote. “Any other approach would have placed the district in costly litigation, and that would not have been a good use of tax-payor dollars. It is disappointing that, while this matter is resolved, there is a need to resurrect the turmoil, which no longer exists.”

Taylor’s departure is the latest in a string of controversies Lakeland has faced in recent years, including failed levies, leadership turnover and tense trustee elections.

An optimistic start

Taylor said he arrived in Rathdrum in July 2025 with an optimistic view of the district. But after individual meetings with trustees who seemed supportive, he said he received limited direction and felt unclear about the board’s goals.

“I found myself guessing a ton,” he said. “And a lot of the time I was wrong.”

Tensions also emerged between Taylor and trustees over the board clerk, who raised concerns over unclear agenda items and trustees not following district policies. A confrontation at an agenda planning meeting with Thompson grew tense, both Taylor and the clerk Sierra Schrader told EdNews.

“She blew up on me, screaming at me in the office,” Schrader said of the September 2025 incident.

But a more consequential dispute came later, when the board and Taylor clashed over how to discipline a teacher.

Charlie Kirk comment strains trustee relationship

Taylor said a “personnel matter” occurred in September that strained his relationship with trustees, but he declined to provide details. Emails obtained by EdNews detail the matter.

A Lakeland teacher heard two students talking about a situation involving Kirk on Sept. 10, the day he was fatally shot. “He probably deserved it,” the teacher said, according to documents.

When the teacher learned Kirk had been shot and killed after finishing her school day, she emailed the students and apologized, noting she did not know the activist had been shot when she made the remark. The parents of the students indicated they were satisfied with the teacher’s apology, Taylor said in emails.

Still, the matter set off an email exchange between Taylor and Thompson.

On Sept. 17, Taylor emailed Thompson about the situation after consulting the district’s attorney, who said it was a First Amendment issue and that the teacher is “essentially protected.”

Thompson responded that day, arguing the teacher violated the board’s personal conduct policy. Taylor agreed but, because the teacher had no prior verbal or disciplinary letters in her file, he pushed for a documented verbal warning.

Thompson argued that a letter of direction, the next level of disciplinary action, should be the “minimum” punishment.

“Respectfully, you do not know this community nor do you understand the history of this community. You also don’t know how far that school has come,” Thompson wrote in the email. “Giving an insubordinate teacher who violated policy a slap on the wrist is like pouring gasoline on a fire. It is a ridiculous move and definitely ‘The Lakeland Way.’ No accountability again.”

Thompson said she also spoke with the attorney, who supported a written reprimand. Taylor’s response included a quote from the attorney, who said the comments did not amount to district speech or cause enough disruption to warrant greater discipline.

Taylor said he asked for a second opinion from a different attorney and argued he was following steps in the district’s handbook and the law. It’s unclear in emails what discipline the teacher received, but she continued to teach at Lakeland High School through the end of the school year.

Taylor told EdNews his relationship with trustees began to “deteriorate” after the disagreement with Thompson.

That fall, longtime trustee and retired superintendent Bob Jones, who often cautioned his fellow trustees when they approached legally questionable territory, announced he wouldn’t run for another term. Jeff Brodhead won the seat after being endorsed by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee. His win cemented a conservative majority on the board and changed the dynamic, Taylor said.

Read More on the contentious election here.

Trustees voice concerns about Taylor’s leadership

Trustees evaluated Taylor on March 18, rating him at or below a 1 out of 5 in most categories, according to a copy of the evaluation he gave EdNews.

He called the meeting “tense.”

“I came out, and I appreciated that the board has a right to evaluate me, but I didn’t think their ultimate results aligned with the evidence that I had,” Taylor said.

Taylor said he was still committed to leading the district but had a challenge ahead: a proposed four-day school week pilot program he needed to present to trustees.

Parent Dustin Howe said during the public comment portion of the meeting that Friday childcare under the four-day school week would strain Howe’s finances. Trustee Brodhead asked Taylor whether he planned to give Howe another job to cover the cost. Taylor chuckled before responding, later saying the laugh was directed at Brodhead’s question, not Howe.

Taylor said the exchange was an example of Brodhead’s lack of experience with the school system. Brodhead did not respond to questions about the interaction, but trustees later noted the interaction in formally reprimanding Taylor.

See a recording of the meeting here.

The board voted against the four-day school week proposal. By the next Monday, trustees had placed Taylor on administrative leave with pay.

At the time, Thompson told EdNews Taylor was not under investigation and that no specific incident had led to the leave.

“It was a bad fit,” Thompson said. “Mr. Taylor agrees with that.”

Taylor reached out to Tara Malek, the attorney who helped overturn North Idaho College President Nick Swayne’s firing in 2023. Taylor hoped for a similar outcome.

Leave sparks legal limbo

Community members responded to Taylor’s leave at the next board meeting on April 15.

Three former superintendents and dozens of community members submitted an open letter asking board members to resign over Taylor’s leave of absence. The group said the board’s action and a potential settlement with Taylor could cause voters to reject a plant-facilities levy in May. The levy failed weeks later.

The dispute escalated over the next two months:

• April 17: Malek sent a letter to trustees, arguing they unlawfully discharged his contract and asking for his job back.
• May 20: Trustees sent Taylor a letter of reprimand, arguing that the March 18 chuckle during the four-day school week discussion incited the incident.
• May 28: Trustees offered Taylor $85,995 to buy out his contract.

The trustees’ letter of reprimand contradicts Howe’s recollection of events. In the letter, the trustees say Howe asked to meet with the board over a grievance against Taylor. Howe told EdNews he never filed a formal grievance against Taylor and that the board clerk reached out to schedule the meeting.

“I never filled anything out, and I never signed anything,” Howe said.

He met with trustees in executive session, Howe said, and expressed frustration with Taylor. Taylor’s laugh and comment about job qualifications was “extremely disrespectful,” Howe said.

Trustees did not respond to questions about the incident or grievance. They have since rewritten the district’s policy on handling grievances.

Issues surrounding Taylor’s ouster extended into summer. Members of the group that asked for trustees to resign began a recall campaign to oust the trustees after they refused to resign. The recall failed when organizers didn’t gather enough signatures.

Taylor said the ordeal was difficult because he felt his reputation had been damaged, and he feared never getting another superintendent job. He eventually received an offer to be the special education director in West Bonner. At that point, Taylor said he was ready to settle with Lakeland, which he did in August.

He received his settlement in addition to $40,000 from his salary from March to July, which the district continued paying him.

Taylor said he’s moving on and hopes the district can heal and succeed.

“I wish nothing but the best for Lakeland,” Taylor said.

Thompson said the district is also moving on.

“We are moving forward with a qualified, skilled, and prudent Superintendent who is able to communicate effectively, support the staff, and lead with vision based on the needs and concerns of the LJSD community,” Thompson wrote in an email.