Iowa City’s Matt Degner won national Superintendent of the Year honors

The Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD) faced a storm of challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, from student safety to retention and creating a sense of normalcy.

At the forefront of that fight was then-interim superintendent Matt Degner

He officially became full-time superintendent in January 2021, following Steve Murley’s resignation. And now, five years into his tenure, Degner’s leadership of one of Iowa’s largest districts and his eye for innovation have earned him K-12 Dive’s National Superintendent of the Year Award.

The Dive Awards, handed out by the online publication honoring K-12 administrators and districts across the United States, are based on excellence in “student achievement, whole-child programs, postsecondary pathways, and community engagement.”

The Dive Awards also recognize District of the Year and Principal of the Year.

More: How Iowa City’s Center for Innovation is pushing kids into the future

The Dive Award honor comes after Degner was ranked among Education Insider’s “Top 10 School District Superintendents” in October.

Dive cites Degner’s navigation of the pandemic, increasing the district’s competitive edge among educational savings accounts (ESAs) and school choice vouchers, and expanding preschool and postsecondary opportunities. Degner oversees Iowa’s second-largest district, behind Des Moines Public Schools, with more than 14,000 students in four high schools, 20 elementary schools, and three middle schools.

“He always credits the team around him, as we all do for what we’re doing,” Kristin Pederson, the district’s executive director of community relations, said in a news release.

Reversing the open enrollment deficit by expanding pre-K

Enrollment in the Iowa City Community School District fell to 14,392 this year, down 189 students from the previous year, although enrollment has increased by 2 percent since 2020.

The perspective of the district? Confronting declining enrollment head-on with an “aggressive enrollment campaign.”

“We lost in the end of open enrollment,” Degner said in a news release. “We were losing students when we chose to go to other school districts. And now, we’re actually benefiting in that number, where more students come into our district than leave.”

More: Join a program to promote investment readiness in Johnson County, Greater IC

The community-wide campaign includes a robust preschool program with full-day offerings in each of the 20 elementary schools, despite the state funding only half-day pre-K. The district offers free half-day preschool at all elementary schools and afternoon sessions at some. Many students can attend full-day preschool for free by qualifying for the Shared Vision Preschool Program.

“We’re talking about it through the lens of capturing families and having a great first experience with our district and then choosing to stay with us,” Degner said.

Expanding postsecondary and community-centered mindsets

The district recently celebrated the opening of its Center for Innovation to strengthen its community connections and student outcomes.

The Center for Innovation houses the new Kirkwood Career Academy classrooms, which “bring dual credit career synergy to the site.”

Notably, the Center for Innovation features a unique partnership with Eastern Iowa nonprofit Junior Achievement for the second Dream Accelerator of its kind. The Dream Accelerator is a “hands-on, immersive career exploration experience” that helps develop financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and career-readiness skills.

More: North Liberty OKs plans for 96 apartments near new UI hospital

Degner has been with the Iowa City School District since 2013, previously serving as assistant superintendent and principal of Southeast Junior High.

His connections run deep: Two of his children are currently enrolled in the district, and another is an ICCSD graduate. His wife, Dr. Kate Degner is a district teacher and assistant professor at the University of Iowa.

“Matt did a lot of rebuilding that community relationship by going out to events, whether it was building-level PTO meetings or community-wide events,” ICCSD Board of Directors President Ruthina Malone said in a news release. “People saw more of him and were able to talk to him more about some of the things he was doing in the district with his staff.”

Jessica Reese is an entertainment, food and education reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. can be reached at JRish@press-citizen.com Or at X, formerly known as Twitter, @rishjessica_

This article originally appeared in the Iowa City Press-Citizen: Iowa City’s Matt Degner is national superintendent of the year.