School wasn’t Randy Lords’ strength as a kid, but teachers taught him he could “do anything.”

“They taught me to read,” said Lords, Madison School District superintendent and the Idaho Association of School Administrators’ 2026 superintendent of the year.

Lords recently reflected on the recognition, the educators who helped shape his accomplishments, and his approach as a school leader.

Former Bonneville teacher and administrator Marjean McConnell-Lewis was one of Lords’ early educators. Decades after Lords’ left her third-grade classroom, the two became assistant superintendents at neighboring districts in eastern Idaho. Lords still credits McConnell-Lewis and other teachers for much of his success as a student and beyond. (Lords in 2015 nominated her for the IASA’s Distinguished Service Award, which she won.)

“Oh, he always gives credit to other people,” McConnell-Lewis told EdNews. “For Randy, it’s not about a position, it’s about providing a good environment for kids to learn.”

Lords became Madison’s superintendent in 2021, but being a baseball coach, history and government teacher, and building administrator also drove the focus on one of his approaches for guiding the district: servant leadership.

That includes getting educators what they need to work “that magic” at school, he said.

School safety has been a big focus for Lords, who has spoken at the National Student Safety and Security Conference and spearheaded key changes in Madison over the years.

One change includes consolidating safety procedures. Many schools use entire binders to outline steps during an emergency, Lords pointed out. “Teachers don’t have time to grab a three ring binder off the shelf, thumb through it all and decide what they want to do.”

So he compressed his district’s process into what he calls the “basic three”: lockdown, shelter-in-place and evacuation – easy-to-remember steps. 

He also emphasizes the need for close relationships between schools and local law enforcement. 

“I can … call the chief of police in Rexburg, and he’ll answer my call,” Lords said. “I don’t have to call his assistant.”

He’s also focused on value for students, from desired classes to advanced coursework. Despite downward enrollment trends in Idaho, Lords is confident in his district’s variety of offerings, including online and vocational programs. 

He touted the Madison’s emphasis on postsecondary opportunities for high schoolers. Eighteen students in the district graduated with associate degrees last year, he pointed out.

Traditional districts like Madison can also be schools of choice, he said.