Help LPOSD continue its tradition of excellence

One of the best hires we ever made is our current superintendent, Shawn Woodward. He was and still remains the right guy at the right time. Shawn’s skill set is packed with getting more with less. He is the definition of leveraging your talent. When you get to the upper quartile of student achievement it becomes increasingly difficult to move the needle. He also listens to and responds to the community by opening the first Home School Academy in the state of Idaho and facilitating the development of an experiential learning program.

In today’s economy, if you’re going to attract the best talent it is becoming increasingly important to be competitive. The talent pool is smaller. We used to have dozens of applicants for teaching positions. Now we get one, two or three. For decades we’ve lagged behind Kootenai County in wages and in this current environment we need to at least be on par. The state has acknowledged this and has set goals to properly align wages to help make us competitive. But the state only pays two thirds of our budget.

The Lake Pend Oreille School District has a reputation in Idaho as being one of the leading, cutting edge and high performing districts. That didn’t happen by accident. It’s been part of our deal with the community. The community demands results and I’m proud to say LPOSD has delivered.

Please join us in continuing the tradition of excellence and vote yes on March 12.

STEVE YOUNGDAHL

Sandpoint