Ken Marang is quick to point out how much he has enjoyed his time with the Fort Madison School District, in particular the students, the teachers, the school board, and the community. But he said it's time to look to the future, which is why he will retire as superintendent on June 30, 2016.
Marang made his announcement during the school board's most recent meeting.
"I wanted to give (the school board members) plenty of time to find somebody, so they could start early," said Marang. "They are probably going to (start looking) around December. I am going to retire so I wanted to let them know that."
Marang took over as superintendent in 2005. His time in southeast Iowa marks about a quarter of his career in education, which also included time in the classroom as a biology teacher, as a principal, and as a coach at the high school and college level.
Marang plans to continue living in Fort Madison, even after stepping down. He even has some post-superintendent plans. He said he's done consulting work for a Cedar Rapids-based firm that government bodies use to identify job candidates, adding that he would like to continue that.
"I worked with (Ray & Associates) the last few years, helping them with that. I will probably do quite a bit more with that," said Marang. "I really enjoy it so I think I will do more of that."
Marang expects the search process for his replacement to get underway in December, with a hiring possibly in March. He emphasized that he won't be part of it.
"There was one (school) board that hired me 11 years ago and this is almost an entirely different board," said Marang. "They need to look for what they want without any encouragement from me. Those people need to get what they want."
Marang said he will approach his final year on the job as he has the previous 10 in Fort Madison.
"I don't think anything (is) going to really change at all. I am not going to sit on my laurels for a year."
The school board unanimously accepted his retirement.
