Three finalists selected to be Johnston's interim school superintendent starting in July

Phillip Sitter, Des Moines Register
·2 min read

Two superintendents from Iowa and Missouri and Johnston Community School District's own associate superintendent are the three finalists named Wednesday to be Johnston's interim superintendent.

The three finalists will interview on Monday with the Johnston Board of Education after a search with Grundmeyer Leader Services created an original pool of 17 candidates, according to information the district shared with families.

The three finalists are:

  • Eric Knost, who is currently the superintendent of Missouri Excel Centers in St. Louis and led the Lewis Central School District in Iowa between 2019 and 2022;

  • Russell Reiter, who is currently superintendent in Independence, Iowa and was superintendent in Oskaloosa for eight years;

  • Nikki Roorda, who is currently Johnston's associate superintendent of teaching and learning and was the regional director of the Heartland Area Education Agency for 12 years.

Johnston's school board is looking for qualities in candidates including proven experience in leadership, school improvement and innovation, an ability to build a positive school culture and an "ability to build consensus and hold others to high standards."

The board hopes to name its pick for interim superintendent sometime next week, with the person selected to start July 1.

Johnston's current superintendent, Laura Kacer, resigned in February, effective at the end of June.

No reason for Kacer's resignation was given beyond the school board's desire to seek "a different direction in leadership."

Kacer's resignation came after a lawsuit was filed by the family of a Johnston High School student who alleged she was suspended after refusing to change a T-shirt she wore in class that quoted the Second Amendment and depicted a rifle with the text "What part of 'shall not be infringed' do you not understand?"

The school board expects to reopen applications in the fall for a long-term superintendent. It's also expected that a survey will be used to gather input from district staff, parents and community members, with formal interview teams to also provide the board with feedback on finalists.

District spokesperson Lynn Meadows said the district hopes to have a long-term superintendent in place by July 1, 2024.

Phillip Sitter covers suburban growth and development for the Des Moines Register. Phillip can be reached via email at psitter@gannett.com. He is on Twitter @pslifeisabeauty.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Three finalists selected to be Johnston's interim school superintendent