New Linn-Mar Superintendent Amy Kortemeyer trusts ‘amazing staff’

MARION — New Superintendent Amy Kortemeyer says she wants to have the largest impact she can on kids in the Linn-Mar Community School District.

That starts with trusting the “amazing group of dedicated staff members” to carry out the vision and strategic plan of the district, said Kortemeyer, 52, who began July 1.

“The reputation of the district makes it a very easy place to want to be,” she said.

Kortemeyer said her years of experience as a classroom teacher, school principal and district leader have prepared her for the role as superintendent. She served as the director of elementary teaching and learning for Linn-Mar schools from 2008 to 2015 and most recently was a deputy superintendent in the Iowa City Community School District.

“I’m not going to be perfect in the role, but I do feel like I’ve got a lot of people I can lean on,” Kortemeyer said. “You hire good people and let them flourish and count on them and seek their opinions where it’s necessary.”

Kortemeyer was interested in being a teacher from a young age. Two of her aunts were classroom teachers and another was a school counselor.

Kortemeyer’s father-in-law, Michael Kortemeyer, also was an educator and happened to be her principal when she was a student at Lisbon High School. During his career, he was a teacher, administrator, coach and superintendent in Iowa.

“He had done all the roles I aspired to eventually do in education,” said Kortemeyer, calling him “a great role model.”

There are 12 schools in the Linn-Mar Community School District serving about 7,700 K-12 students and 1,200 staff. Kortemeyer also will oversee an annual budget of about $107 million. She will report to the elected officials on the Linn-Mar school board.

Kortemeyer follows former superintendent Shannon Bisgard, who retired at the end of the 2022-23 school year. Her contract is for three years with a salary of $240,000 a year, including benefits, and up to $5,000 in relocation expenses.

Linn-Mar school board President Brittania Morey said Kortemeyer “ticked all the boxes” of what the school board and community desired in the next superintendent.

“She has the academic and student-focused experience we were looking for,” Morey said. “Superintendent Kortemeyer came in with an entry plan that outlined her strengths and what she thought we needed to tackle from a communication standpoint, engaging and building relationships with the community, faculty and staff, and getting to know our students.”

Leading through a 5-year strategic, facility plan

Kortemeyer will lead the district through a five-year facility plan. Projects include construction of a new administration building, a larger performance venue and an indoor athletic center. The district is not planning to pursue a bond issue or raise taxes to pay for any of the projects.

She also will lead the district through a five-year strategic plan, which she hopes will be approved by the school board by the start of the 2023-24 school year in August. The plan includes strategies on how the district can better invest in the school community, foster a safe and healthy culture, empower student achievement, hire and retain high-quality staff and invest in their facilities.

During the search for superintendent, a survey in February found the community wanted the next leader to work to hire diverse educators. That poses a challenge as schools across the country face an unprecedented workforce shortage.

“We don’t have teachers in the pipeline right now,” Kortemeyer said.

Kortemeyer said when she finished her undergraduate program at the University of Iowa, one elementary teacher position would receive “a couple hundred” of applicants. “That’s not what we’re seeing today, she said.

Kortemeyer, however, is a big fan of “grow our own” programs, which provide opportunities for students to explore careers in education while in high school.

The Linn-Mar Community School District last year received part of $9 million in one-time grant money from the state as a part of a program that lets high school students “apprentice” to become paraeducators. Twelve Linn-Mar High School students apprenticed in classrooms, earning an hourly salary and gaining workplace experience.

Iowa City schools — where Kortemeyer worked most recently — also offered a Grow Our Own program to its high school students.

“It’s one strategy to see if kids have a passion for teaching,” said Kortemeyer, adding programs like this also engage historically marginalized people in the teaching profession.

“Kids learn best from educators who look like them,” she said.

An Eastern Iowa educator

As deputy superintendent in the Iowa City district, she oversaw all aspects of teaching and learning and assisting in implementing a learning model expected to help the district reach its goal of achieving equitable outcomes for all students. This learning model — Marzano High Reliability Schools — also is used in Linn-Mar schools to create a safe, supportive and collaborative culture.

Kortemeyer also taught in the Cedar Rapids Community School District and was principal at Erskine Elementary School from 2002-08.

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