Landt resigns from Reardan school board

Drew Lawson, The Times | Last updated Aug 05, 2021 4:47pm0

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REARDAN – Nick Landt submitted his resignation from the Reardan-Edwall School District Board of Directors after almost 12 years on the board. The remaining and present board members accepted his resignation at the board's June 28 meeting.

Landt said he resigned to avoid a conflict of interest as his wife, Shannon Landt, a longtime substitute teacher in the district, looked to apply for the position being vacated by Larae Peterson.

He said his proudest accomplishment he helped achieve as a member of the board was to help pass the 2018 bond.

"That showed some harmonization gained among our northeastern community members," Landt said. "It was a win-win for everyone in our district."

He is also proud of the district's 2020 hiring of superintendent Eric Sobotta and the way the district overcame expectations during the challenging 2020-21 school year affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I hope the hiring of Eric Sobotta is a hire that takes us far into the future," Landt said. "Last year, we lowered expectations for the district due to COVID, but the district far exceeded those expectations."

Landt said there were a few negative experiences he had on the board that he didn't want to share due to confidentiality concerns, but largely had "good, harmonious relations between the board, staff and community."

"When I first started on the board, a lot of decisions were made in a vacuum," Landt said. "A lot of board members had their own agenda, as did the administration and the leaders of the teacher's union. All of those groups have (now) come together and shown leadership."

Landt had already decided he wouldn't run for re-election this year before his resignation.

"I wouldn't say I'll miss it. I didn't do it because it was personally fulfilling, but my wife and I are graduates of Reardan High and I feel we had a lot of opportunities there," Landt said. "I wanted to keep those opportunities for the future generations. I saw the position as a sense of responsibility."

He plans to focus on his family and continue working his job in Spokane while spending time with his children on the family property 10 miles north of town.