Staff and Families,

This week, I began my role as your next Superintendent and I wanted to share how excited I am to be here and serve as your leader.

First, I wanted to thank you. I have experienced an overwhelming level of support and enthusiasm from the community. Thank you for the warm welcome with many recommendations to acclimate to the community.

I started this week sitting with students at Taft as they ate their breakfast. I played basketball with students in the stage/gym at Wilson and I greeted students as they walked in the brand new building at Maple Grove. Let me tell you, those elementary kiddos like to share a lot as they walk into the building.

During my transition, I have walked the halls of Washington, jumped to my feet in cheering on the amazing show choir at Jefferson, and daringly watched confetti fly at the annual pep rally at Kennedy. I was inspired by the young brilliance at Johnson and captivated by the STEM learning at McKinley and I am looking forward to creating a podcast with them soon.

With each encounter, I am in awe of the dedication and commitment of staff and involvement of the community. I am eager to continue touching all corners of our school community, appreciating the amazing aspects of districts and learning more about our individual and collective desires and aspirations for the future.

The Board of Education and I are meeting today to foster a strong working relationship among our team of eight as we build a foundation of clear expectations and trust that will set up the district leadership, the Board, the district, and therefore our students, for success. We will take a look at

• Student achievement and success outcomes
• Preliminary themes emerging from Superintendent listening and observations
• Findings from recent reports and previous Strategic Plan
• Additional areas of attention from the Board gleanings from community

This is a season of restoration for us.

I want to invite you to be a part of the conversations. I will be continuing listening sessions throughout the remainder of the year and beyond. I encourage every student, parent, staff member and our community to be an active participant for helping us move future forward.

Let’s start here:

Please take this six question survey to provide your much needed feedback. This survey is in conjunction with the listening tours I have scheduled throughout the district which will take place over the next several months. My listening tour starts with staff and students. The community sessions will be announced at a later date.

Your insight will assist the Board of Education and I in revitalizing our strategic plan and establishing a clear focus with identified priorities as we work toward our vision of Every Learner, Future Ready!

I will share what I’ve learned through my entry phase as I recognize strong communication and collaboration will be key to reaching our shared goals.

Thank you for welcoming me to this community. If you see me around town, please continue to say hello and make introductions as I am excited about living in the city of Cedar Rapids and being engaged both in and outside of the district.
I look forward to learning more from you and serving as your leader. Let’s go Higher Together! #WEARECRCSD!

Dr. Tawana Grover
Interim Superintendent

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