Public invited to provide input on new Cedar Rapids schools superintendent

CEDAR RAPIDS — The Cedar Rapids Community School District is hosting virtual community input sessions next week as a part of its superintendent search.

The four sessions, held via Zoom, are set for 4:45 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10; and for 8 a.m., noon and 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11.

In-person parent and student input sessions also are being those two days at Roosevelt, Harding, Wilson, Viola Gibson, and Maple Grove schools; and at the Educational Leadership and Support Center, Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance and Grant Wood Area Education Agency. The sessions will be limited to 30 participants at each location.

In addition, more than 20 in-person sessions are planned by invitation only. The district emailed invitations this week to more than 12,000 families and students, 2,500 staff, 24 civic leaders, 48 community partners and 46 community leaders.

Last week, a survey went out to staff, families and community members to “gather perceptions” of the school district and “determine the desired characteristics of the new superintendent,” according to a district newsletter.

The survey — which closes Nov. 12 — can be found here.

Cedar Rapids Superintendent Noreen Bush, 51, died of cancer last month, and the school board last week appointed Art Sathoff, who retired in June as superintendent of the Indianola school district, to serve as interim superintendent,

The board has hired an Illinois firm — Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates — to identify candidates to become the next superintendent of the state’s second-largest school district, possibly as early as January.

To sign up for a virtual community input session, follow this link.

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