Pekin?s superintendent leaving for Minnesota job

PACKWOOD ? Pekin Community School District Superintendent John Dotson is retiring from education in Iowa, but has secured a new job as school superintendent in southwest Minnesota, he said.

The Pekin school board learned of his retirement/resignation at Monday?s meeting and this morning, the board and administrators met again to approve a search process with Ray and Associates to replace him.

?The board tabled that decision this morning,? said Dotson. ?A few board members had been contacted by a private individual who has offered to help with the search and we?re meeting again at 7 a.m. Monday to hear about that.?

Today?s meeting agenda also included a discussion to approve the process to hire a middle school principal/curriculum director.

Pekin curriculum director Laurie Bennett resigned after the 2011-12 school year and elementary principal Jeff Eeling resigned recently to take an elementary principal position in Fairfield.

?We?re getting the principal hiring process solidified,? said Dotson. ?I think we?ll have the interviews and be able to offer contracts for two principals before I leave [June 30],? he said.

?My decision to leave Pekin was really forced by the IPERS rules,? he said. ?I meet ?the rule of 88? and need to retire out of the system.

?I still have a lot of good working years left and I still greatly enjoy education and what I do, so I?m moving north to Minnesota to work.?

IPERS, the Iowa Public Employees Retirement System, has requirements about retirement using a formula that adds years of service plus age.

?My time at Pekin has been very good,? said Dotson. ?I know I had a hard decisions to make coming in [in 2009] and deal with negative spending authority. I know making cuts is not always a popular action, but I think the district is on solid ground.?