Tim Lowe

Tim Lowe

William Howard Taft Elementary School
Boise Independent School District
Boise, Idaho
tim.lowe@boiseschools.org

Tim Lowe has served Boise Independent School District as an administrator since 2001, most recently leading William Howard Taft Elementary School, a linguistically diverse K-6 school with a significant refugee population. When Lowe arrived at Taft in 2016, many teachers and staff had resigned themselves to the school’s reputation for instability and poor student behavior. Lowe quickly saw an opportunity for positive transformation and led his leadership team in implementing a PBIS program to create consistent behavioral expectations with clear pathways to success. Supported by trauma-informed professional development and a self-regulation “toolbox,” the program led to a swift reduction in disciplinary referrals, dropping from 305 to 129 annually in just two years. The impact of this shift has been far reaching in a school where 98 percent of students are low-income and 30 percent do not speak English as a first language. Recognizing the real limitations of economically struggling families to participate in school life, Lowe has created numerous community and university partnerships to ensure that students benefit from positive role models while also bringing visibility to the community’s diverse population. These efforts are characteristic of Lowe’s compassionate nature, which colleagues applaud as a signature of his leadership. Lowe was a member of the Idaho Air National Guard. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Boise State University and a Specialist Degree from the University of Idaho, Boise.