Effective yesterday (Saturday), Superintendent of the Carroll Community School District, Rob Cordes, has stepped down, taking early retirement after 14 years in the lead role during his 18 years at Carroll. Cordes has spent 34 years in education, coming to the district as the Middle School Principal. He says that though he is retiring from the district, he is not yet done working.
He says he believes that the face of education in the state will be changing in coming years.
As he looks back on his tenure in education, he says technology has been the biggest change to take place. Today’s students have grown up with technology and it is second-nature to them. For some of the staff members, it is a much different story and a steeper learning curve as it becomes a staple in everyday education. Cordes says when he gauges how successful his career has been, he never looks at his own accomplishments but rather at those of his students.
On the other side of that coin, the biggest challenge he says he has faced while superintendent is hiring of staff. He has seen the numbers of applicants for teaching positions plummet, especially at the high-school level. The biggest challenge is that younger people don’t want to be an hour and half from a larger urban area. He predicts that in 10 years or less you will see more of a regional high school concept. It is very expensive to operate a high school because of all of the offerings needed at that level. First, he says, you will see more sharing and then consolidation—possibly involving technology, even though he believes there is no substitute for face-to-face instruction. One of the things that Cordes says he won’t miss in the coming months is getting those calls at 4:30 a.m. and going to check roads. But more importantly, trying to ensure that all of those kids, on the bus or driving, get to school and home safely. And when it comes to listing what he will miss most of all—it is those students, the faculty, the staff and the parents that have made the Carroll Community School District his home away from home for just short of two decades.
