LEWISTON, ID – Tim Sperber got his first and only tattoo during a high school pep assembly. He wasn’t a student. He was a principal.
Yeah, he lost a fundraising bet with high schoolers.
But really, the permanent tattoo more accurately illustrates his devotion to the Lewiston School District.
Sperber has been a teacher and principal at every level over the past 20 years. Now, he’s taking on his highest aspiration — to lead the North Idaho district as superintendent.
“I joke around. I’ve been in school for 54 years. That sounds crazy, but it’s a good place to be,” Sperber said. “It keeps you young and it keeps you excited about life.”
Sperber takes over from Lance Hansen, Idaho’s 2025 superintendent of the year, who is headed to take the same job in nearby Kennewick, Washington.
“Tim (Sperber) has all the skills needed to lead a district,” Hansen said. “He has the ability to connect with multiple groups.”
Hansen and Sperber came up in the school district together, serving as vice principals at Lewiston High School under Bob Donaldson, who served as superintendent before Hansen.
It’s no surprise that due to their long history together, Sperber’s plans for the district align with the work Hansen started. He wants to expand professional learning communities (PLCs), continue with the lead teacher program, and continue to be a high achieving district.
Hero teachers inspired Sperber
Sperber grew up in Coeur d’Alene as the product of two logging families. He remembers his fifth grade teacher at Borah Elementary, Sharon Bonds, as the first person who got him.
In middle and high school, teachers and coaches continued to be positive influences in his life. So when he got a football scholarship to the University of Montana Western, home to the state’s teacher’s college, becoming an educator made sense.
It made even more sense when his wife, Michelle, caught his eye and he transferred to the University of Idaho to be with her his senior year.
The couple moved to Genesee after graduation and had two children. They both taught at Genesee High School, where Michelle stayed for more than two decades.
Sperber moved on to coach football and serve as the athletic director in Colton, Wash., for nine years.
Twenty years ago, he was hired as the principal at Tammany High School, Lewiston’s alternative school. He then moved to Lewiston High where he served as athletic director and assistant principal for five years.
But the job was a lot while parenting young children so he took an unlikely position as the principal at Whitman Elementary School.
“I thought there is no way in God’s green earth that I’m going to be at an elementary school,” Sperber said with a chuckle.
He quickly fell in love with the school and students in grades pre-k through sixth, calling it the “greatest job in America.”
About four years ago, Hansen called and asked Sperber to take over as the principal at Sacajawea Middle School. There Sperber calls himself the “culture keeper.”
He strives to build relationships with everyone in the school’s orbit from students, part time staff, to parents and siblings.
“I start my day in the front of the building, and I greet every kid that I can. I wave at every parent that I can as they pass through the parking lot,” Sperber said. “Building a relationship with everyone so they know you’re approachable. They know that you’re accessible. It sets the tone for the whole day and the whole year.”
When Hansen told Sperber he was leaving, it felt like the right time to add a new job to his resume, Sperber said.
“I’ve always wanted to work at the central office. And I love this school district. I love what I do,” Sperber said. “And I thought, why not? I’ll throw my hat in the ring. And here we are.”
Continuing the Lewiston legacy
With decades at the Lewiston School District in various roles, Sperber said his biggest strength is his institutional knowledge.
“I can hit the ground running and continue the programs,” he said.
He already works closely with the other principals in the district and is proud of existing program like PLCs and the district’s recent emphasis on reading.
Sperber said he loves adult learning for district employees, especially that the district holds professional developments during the typical work day.
“We’re in a great spot and we just need to keep going,” he said.
Hansen said that Lewiston has a really unique and strong culture.
“Our board is very protective of our culture,” Hansen said. “They’re protective of the intangible things.”
Hiring Sperber, who has spent most of his career in the district, prioritizes an understanding of the community in the district’s highest leader, Hansen said.
Sperber’s biggest concern is finding good leaders for Lewiston high School after both the principal and assistant principal took jobs elsewhere.
“Our team is going to obviously be restructured a little bit, so I’m looking forward to putting the right people in the right places and just keep the train moving,” Sperber said.
He plans to hire an assistant superintendent to spread out the work of leading the district, a position that was not present during Hansen’s tenure. Sperber acknowledged that he has less experience with district finance and procedure than he would like but plans to lean heavily on the experts in those positions and Hansen’s expertise.
Right now Sperber’s big focus is moving into the district from Genesee, an important step, he said, because he wouldn’t feel comfortable proposing a levy if he didn’t have to pay the tax himself.
The Lewiston community has long been supportive of the district and Sperber hopes to be the kind of leader that helps that continue.
Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org.
