For Decorah's new School Superintendent, the job is about "being able to influence what happens on a daily basis"

New Decorah School District Superintendent Mark Lane has gone from the Urbandale School District, with nearly 4,000 students, to the Decorah School District, which has around 1,800 students.  But Lane told members of the Decorah Rotary Club Tuesday that the reputation of the Decorah School District attracted him to apply for the superintendent position: "There is great pride...this is a special place to be," he said.

Lane is a native of Jefferson, Iowa who says his four grandparents inspired him to go into education.  He told Rotary Club members his grandparents' qualities of kindness, disciple, humility and a sense of joy are qualities "I hope you will see in me."

After earning a degree from Morningside College and working as a teacher and school counselor, Lane became a principal in the Urbandale School District, then an Associate Superintendent.  He said he loves being a school administrator because it involves "being able to influence what happens on a daily basis."  He says in Decorah that will include tackling the issue of how to replace John Cline and West Side Schools.  "These are 30-, 50-, 70-year decisions," he told the group.  He also says he wants to work on the issue of student mental health, especially giving students help in handling the stresss they are now subjected to, and on making sure the school district can negotiate the tight labor market in Decorah in order to find all the people needed to run the daily operations of the school district.