Keokuk School Board names new superintendent

KEOKUK (WGEM) - The Keokuk School Board announced Thursday night that it had offered a contract to Kathy Dinger as the new superintendent and that Dinger had immediately accepted.

The board reported that it voted unanimously to hire Dinger based on consistent feedback from the interview teams composed of students, teachers, support staff, administrators and community members.

Dinger was chosen from a pool of eight candidates that was narrowed down to three finalists.

According to the board, Dinger was born, raised and graduated from Keokuk High School and continues to reside in the community.

For the past 10 years, she has served as the superintendent of Bushnell-Prairie City School District in Illinois, where she is responsible for all functions related to the leadership and governance of its schools.

She has been responsible for overseeing multiple school renovation projects as well as implementing key initiatives like standards based grading, new programs for students and increased student enrollment following several years of decline. In addition, she presently serves as an adjunct professor within the College of Education at Western Illinois University, where she earned a doctorate degree in educational leadership in 2018.

Previously, Dinger served as director of curriculum and instruction and principal in the Libertyville School District in Illinois.