Board picks Eagle Grove principal as new superintendent

     Eagle Grove Elementary Principal Joe Erickson will be the next superintendent of North Iowa Community Schools.

     The North Iowa School Board ended its superintendent search ahead of schedule on May 2, as it offered the job to Erickson during a special meeting. The board held meetings Monday, April 30 and Wednesday, May 2 to interview three candidates for the job, and board members voted unanimously to offer the position to Erickson.

     The board had originally planned to bring finalists back to the school May 7 to meet with staff, students and community members. Board President Matt Duve explains they decided to offer Erickson the job following the interviews on Wednesday because they knew he was being considered for a job at another school. Duve says Erickson’s interview went very well, and the board and administrators are very excited that he will be coming to North Iowa.

     “He knew what he wanted, we knew what we wanted in a superintendent, and he just fit all the criteria,” said Duve. “He was very prepared. He knew the district well.” Duve adds that Erickson is extremely community-oriented, and he’s excited to be a K-12 leader.

     Erickson, a native of Massena, will officially start at North Iowa on July 1. He has been the principal of Eagle Grove Elementary since 2014. The school serves more than 400 students. Prior to being an administrator, he spent a total of nine years teaching. He taught elementary students at the Red Oak Community School District and Riverside Schools in Oakland, and he taught sixth grade and coached baseball and girls’ basketball at the Corning Community School District. He took a break from teaching for a couple of years and worked at Wells Fargo Financial in Des Moines. He says he quickly figured out that he wanted to return to education.

     He received his Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Buena Vista University and his Master of Education in Educational Leadership from Iowa State University. He recently completed a two-year superintendent course at Drake University to earn his Specialist Endorsement.