Lakey-Campbell to lead Idaho school district

DICK MASON, The Observer, La Grande, Ore.
·2 min read

Jun. 4—IMBLER — Drawn by family ties, Imbler School District Superintendent Angie Lakey-Campbell is set to take a position as the leader of the Hansen School District near Twin Falls, Idaho.

The educator said she is looking forward to being closer to her family, noting that she has a brother who lives in nearby Gooding, Idaho. Lakey-Campbell, Imbler's superintendent the past six years, will become superintendent director of the Hansen School District starting July 1.

The Hansen School District, which has 340 students, is comparable in size to the Imbler School District, which has 286 students.

Lakey-Campbell will also serve as the director of federal programs with Hansen's school district. She will be in charge of programs funded with federal dollars in this capacity.

Lakey-Campbell joined the Imbler School District in 2013 after serving as the principal of Cambridge High School in Cambridge, Idaho. Lakey-Campbell had been at Cambridge High School since 1987, except for one year when she worked in the Garden Valley School District in Garden Valley, Idaho.

She said the past 15 months have been particularly challenging because of COVID-19, but she is delighted that Imbler School District was able to offer in-person instruction to all students throughout the 2020-21 school year. Lakey-Campbell credits the help from state legislators in Northeastern Oregon with making this possible.

Lakey-Campbell also lauded the support the school district received from its teachers in efforts to get state metrics changed so that Imbler students could receive in-person instruction during the pandemic. She said this was particularly heartening when she saw many teachers around the United States voicing opposition to having students on campus due to the virus.

Doug Hislop, Imbler School's wrestling coach, credits Lakey-Campbell with strongly backing her students.

"She is very, very supportive of students in and outside the classroom," said Hislop, who was Imbler's superintendent for 10 years before retiring in 2014.

Hislop was named the Imbler School District's interim superintendent for 2021-22 on Tuesday, June 1, by the Imbler School Board.

Imbler High School Principal Mike Mills praises Lakey-Campbell for leading the school district through the trials of the COVID-19 pandemic and skillfully managing the school district's budget.

Lakey-Campbell believes the Imbler School District has a bright future.

"There are too many great teachers and staff and too many great people in the community and on the school board for it not to be successful," she said.

Lakey-Campbell will remain as Imbler's superintendent through June 30.

Dick Mason is a reporter with The Observer primarily covering the communities of North Powder, Imbler, Island City and Union, education, Union County veterans programs and local history. Dick joined The Observer in 1983, first working as a sports and outdoors reporter.