Superintendent's Welcome

Welcome to our website and to our district! Please take a few moments to explore our district and its schools via our website and in person. We welcome you to our district and our schools.

I am proud to be serving as interim superintendent for the Keokuk Community School District. During the year's opening celebration, I promised the staff and the community...

that I would continue to be passionate...about the education of our students.
a commitment to listen and reflect...even though we may end up disagreeing.
that I would continue to work hard...I know of no other way.
a focus on setting and achieving our goals...so we can accomplish as much as possible for our students.
that I would put forth a substantial effort to learn about areas that I have not been responsible for in previous years...I love to learn new things!
a bit of impatience as we strive to improve student achievement...we have much to do!

Basically, I promised them more of the same passion for education and quality of work that they have come to expect from me!

Although this year will be one of transition--an interim superintendent, new principals (high school principal, high school assistant principal, and George Washington principal), an updating of our website, the negotiations of three contracts...I can assure you we will have a lot of action.

Working with the Board of Education, in August the superintendent goals were outlined:

Goal 1: Improve district-wide student achievement

Goal 2: Promote the success of all students by providing professional development for district staff to ensure that student achievement is at the highest levels possible.

Goal 3: Continue to promote excellence by developing long-range and short-range plans including a strategic plan, comprehensive school improvement plans, a technology plan, and professional development plans (that address district PD needs, administrator PD needs, teacher PD needs, and support staff PD needs).

Goal 4: Improve district-wide communication by developing the use of print and electronic information, increased community presentations and involvement, and opportunities for community input.

Goal 5: Review personnel practices (recruitment, hiring, evaluation, retention) and develop processes to ensure consistency in personnel practices.

We also will be updating our Strategic Plan (October 31-November 1). In April, we will work with the Department of Education during our 5-year site visit. And of course, we will continue to work to improve our students' achievement!

With the help of the Keokuk community the construction of a fitness center is moving forward. In May we won a Carol M. White Physical Education grant ($347,000) that will provide both strength equipment and aerobic equipment for the center. The grant will fund additional equipment to support K-8 physical education and professional development for the PE teachers and coaches. This is a perfect example of how the hard work of the Keokuk community coupled with the acquisition of outside funding can provide great opportunities for our students.

Near the end of the opening celebration I talked about each employee being a purveyor of hope for our students. For me the hope of education is to show students the importance of learning so they have as many doors open to them as possible and so they become lifelong learners. As an institution...we must give every student hope and like the Army slogan says... Be all that they can be! Each staff member was challenged to set a goal...they were asked: What will you do to instill hope in the students that ride your bus, play on your playgrounds, enter your classrooms, and participate in your extra-curricular activities? I ask the same thing of each visitor to our website and our schools... What can you do to instill hope?