MFL MarMac is starting the search process for a new superintendent. Current superintendent Tim Dugger, who’s been with the district since the 2023-2024 school year, plans to retire at the conclusion of this school year. The school board accepted his resignation, effective June 30, 2027, at its Oct. 12 regular meeting.
“This is a pretty big decision for the board,” said Dugger, who encouraged the board to share its vision for the position and hiring process.
He said MFL MarMac is in competition with several school districts already, most notably nearby Waukon and Eastern Allamakee. Starting the search process early helps, though.
“Right now, you’re good because it’s October. If it was January or February...” Dugger said.
Board President Jonathon Moser broached the idea of sharing a superintendent with another district, as MFL MarMac did with Eastern Allamakee when Dale Crozier was superintendent.
“I’m not saying I’m for it—just throwing it out,” Moser said. “The incentives are good for the district. We could potentially offer a higher salary and get a different pool of applications. Or go by ourselves, which is fine too.”
The board discussed the option, but ultimately decided it would prefer not to share.
“I think it’s always a benefit when your superintendent is here in the building. In the past, with Dr. Crozier sharing, it worked, but he was quite seasoned,” noted board member Joshua Grau.
He also cited the experience levels of the district’s other administrators—a combined four years between Abbey Cottrell at the elementary school, Brett Jackson at the middle school and Chet Bachman at the high school.
“It may be different if you had a superintendent who’d been here for 25 years,” Grau added.
Bachman agreed, stating, “I’ve seen both ends, and I really like the strength of one superintendent. Somebody you can lean on, who’s there all the time. Not that we don’t lean on each other.”
Moser said it might also be best to have a superintendent solely dedicated to MFL MarMac considering potential projects.
“That’s going to take a lot of administrative bandwidth,” he said.
Board member Marti Post mentioned that may even be attractive to a candidate.
“I would like to think it might be something really exciting, with some of the projects that are upcoming and being able to take some of those on,” she said.
The board will rely on a search firm to help lead the district in the hiring process for a new full-time superintendent.
Along with Dugger’s resignation, the board considered several other staffing changes at last week’s meeting. That included hiring Sheila Moses and Jill Winkoski as elementary paraprofessionals and approving Tracy Decker a volunteer coach for high school football and Bailey Winter a volunteer coach for high school girls basketball.
