Sperber picked as Lewiston superintendent

Tim Sperber, a longtime area educator who has been a Lewiston School District administrator since 2006, has been selected as the district’s next superintendent.

Sperber was picked Monday evening by the Lewiston School Board following a closed-door executive session that lasted more than four hours. When the board returned to open session around 9:20 p.m., it voted 5-0 to hire Sperber for the job.

Sperber, who has been the principal at Sacajawea Middle School since 2021, will officially start in his new role July 1. He will replace current Superintendent Lance Hansen, who will leave Lewiston for the same role in the Kennewick School District this summer.

“Tim is such a relationship builder and has some great ideas and thoughts about increasing the culture in the valley, working as a true partnership with our community, which is part of our vision,” said Staci Baldwin, president of the Lewiston School Board. “I think having Tim in here will allow us to not take any steps backward on the trajectory Lance has us on.”

Sperber and one other in-house candidate, Director of Curriculum Lisa Fenter, were interviewed by the board behind closed doors Monday evening. Baldwin said in open session that “we had two great candidates. Both had great strengths.”

Had the board not been confident in picking one of the in-house candidates Monday night, it would have opened a public search, Baldwin said.

“The board definitely did their due diligence, asking questions of the candidates in all aspects,” she said. “They both did a great job — they really did. It was not an easy decision, but I think it’ll be great for the district.”

Sperber is a Coeur d’Alene native who got his bachelor’s degree from the University of Idaho and master’s degree from Washington State University. He was a teacher and coach at small schools in the region before joining the Lewiston School District in 2006 as the coordinator of Tammany High School.

He then became assistant principal and athletic director at Lewiston High in 2007, principal at Whitman Elementary in 2012 and principal at Sacajawea in 2021.

The board appreciated that Sperber had been an administrator at every level of school offered by the district, Baldwin said.

The board had asked Lewiston staff members for what they wanted in a new superintendent, and some traits mentioned included relationship building, communication and transparency, Baldwin said.

“We really appreciate them taking the time to give us their thoughts and opinions,” Baldwin said. “I really feel like Tim checks a lot if not all of those boxes.”

Baney may be contacted at mbaney@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2251. Follow him on Twitter @MattBaney_Trib.