Future Decorah School Superintendent Mark Lane shares more thoughts about coming to Decorah

Mark Lane is the newly appointed Superintendent of the Decorah Community Schools.

Lane has served as the Associate Superintendent of Human Resources and Operations for the Urbandale School District for the past six years. He has led multiple district initiatives including Professional Learning Communities, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, Teacher Leadership and Compensation,  and strategic planning. He also coordinated efforts that led to the passage of a bond referendum. Mark was instrumental in the Urbandale School District being honored with Gold Award status from the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence in Education.

decorahnews.com contacted Lane to get some more thoughts about his selection.

Lane says that he and he wife are excited about the opportunity to be a part of the Decorah community.  They were both very  impressed with the warmth and kindness of the people they met Monday during the interview process.  

Why Decorah? Lane says that  "Decorah Community Schools has a strong reputation across Iowa as a district that pursues excellence in educating the whole child.  When the opportunity to apply to serve as superintendent became available, I was eager to submit an application.  The interview process confirmed that Decorah Schools will be a wonderful place to work, and the community will be a great place for my family to live."

Besides the obvious credentials that fit with educational experience, leadership and finance experience, Lane added what he thought was another skill set he brings to the job: "As I join Decorah Community Schools, I will work to foster open lines of communication, and a collaborative approach.  As a former school counselor, I think it is important for people in leadership to ask good questions, and then to take the time to listen in order to gain understanding and build consensus."

Lane will begin a three year contract on July 1st, with an annual salary starting at $160,000. It is expected he will work with retiring Superintendent Mike Haluska in the interim period to acquaint himself with the system and current issues.