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Feb. 19, 2026
The East Union Community School District Board of Education and the Murray Community School District School Board have named three finalists in their search for a shared superintendent. The finalists are Justin Jeffs, Nate Perrien, and Dr. Michael Volk.
The search was conducted in partnership with staff at Grundmeyer Leader Services, who facilitated a comprehensive review process.
Jeffs currently serves as principal of Kate Mitchell Elementary School in Ames, Iowa, a position he has held for 15 years. During his tenure, he has implemented school safety and security policies and led culture-building initiatives designed to improve staff retention. He also guided efforts to improve student academic performance on standardized tests, contributing to a per-individual performance increase of 40 percent. In addition, he designed and implemented a behavior modification plan that reduced suspension rates by 70 percent over two years.
Perrien brings 18 years of experience as a school administrator. He currently serves as junior-senior high school principal in the Red Oak Community School District. His previous roles include middle school and special education director at Red Oak, as well as middle school principal in the Riverside Community School District. In his current role, Perrien has led his building through a $30 million district construction project, including providing temporary learning spaces to minimize instructional disruption. He also hired more than 50 certified and non-certified staff members and implemented new evaluation models to support professional development.
Dr. Volk serves as superintendent, executive officer, and advisor to the board for the Columbus Community School District. In this role, he has implemented LETRS training for elementary certified teachers, contributing to a 25 percent increase in early literacy scores. He also led the district through the successful passage of a voter-approved physical plant and equipment levy. Previously, Dr. Volk served as principal of St. Patrick School in Anamosa, Iowa, and as talented and gifted director for South Tama Community Schools. He was also an educator for 11 years, with a focus on language arts and talented and gifted programming.
As a next step, both boards and the stakeholder interview teams from both districts will conduct formal interviews with each of the three finalists on Tuesday, February 24. The boards will then deliberate and reach a final decision soon after the formal interviews.
The next superintendent will begin leading the East Union and Murray Community School Districts effective July 1, 2026.
Feb. 11, 2026
AFTON — The East Union and Murray Community School District boards of education are working with Grundmeyer Leader Services to hire the next shared superintendent and are providing an update on the shared superintendent search process for staff and district patrons.
The shared superintendent position was posted and advertised by Grundmeyer Leader Services Dec. 1, 2025, through Jan. 31. Candidate names will not be released until finalist interviews, as applicants have the right to confidentiality during the early stages of the search. Some candidates may not apply if their names are disclosed before finalists are selected, particularly if they do not wish their current districts to know they are potentially seeking other employment.
A total of 16 applications were submitted for the position; the applicant pool included 15 male candidates and one female candidate. Four applicants were from outside Iowa, representing Arizona, Kansas, Georgia and North Carolina. Four of the candidates have superintendent experience and two hold doctorates.
Consultants with Grundmeyer Leader Services met with the board of education on Feb. 11. Board members from both districts reviewed cover letters, resumes and written recommendations for all candidates throughout the application process. GLS consultants also provided additional information on each applicant, including disclosures, work-status verification and social media reviews. Additional background checks will be conducted for all finalist candidates. At the meeting, the boards selected six candidates for semifinalist interviews.
Semifinalist interviews will be conducted via Zoom Feb. 17. Following those interviews, the boards will select finalists and invite them and their families to both districts for formal interviews Feb. 24. Once finalists have notified their home districts, their names and short biographies will be released publicly.
Formal interviews will include a school and district tour in both districts, an interview with a mixed interview team in each district and an interview with the combined boards of education. Mixed interview teams will be composed of parents, students, teachers, support staff and community members. Following interviews, all interview team members and tour guides will submit feedback to the boards outlining strengths and potential concerns for each candidate.
The boards will meet that evening to review feedback, discuss candidates and tentatively extend an offer to be the next shared superintendent of East Union CSD and Murray CSD. The selected superintendent is expected to officially begin duties July 1.