The Carroll Community School District (CCSD) Board of Education unanimously voted Thursday night to offer a contract to one of three superintendent finalists. Dr. Kevin Lein has accepted that offer and will be the new head administrator effective July 1. Board President, Jen Munson, says they spent hours choosing a candidate following the interviews.
Lein currently works as the Regional Director for Prairie Lakes Education Agency in Pocahontas and served as a high school principal in Harrisburg, SD prior to moving to Iowa. His wife, Amy, and his children, Karter and Kennedy, still live in South Dakota, and Lein, who currently resides in Jefferson, commutes home every weekend to see them. He first visited Carroll in 1978 and says he knew he wanted to be a part of this growing community.
Funding is a primary concern among many school districts after a recent bill set allowable growth at one percent for Fiscal Year 2019. Coming from South Dakota, which ranked 50th in teacher pay for 49 years, Lein says he is acquainted with making the most of limited funding.
He describes himself as passionate about education and truly lives that philosophy. In 2015, a student brought a pistol to school and fired a shot that grazed his chest and arm. He returned to work the day after the incident and later advocated to the courts for the student’s rehabilitation. Lein was humbled to accept the offer and says “It is unlikely I can ever express the necessary gratitude to the Carroll School Board and Carroll community for this opportunity…It is great to be a Tiger!” One of his first actions with the district will be assisting with the hire of a new activities director.
