Meeting: 07/28/2026 - 11:45 AM Special Session - Hybrid Special Session
Location: 901 Walnut Street, Conference Room 609, Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines Community Schools is scheduled to hold a special session focused primarily on personnel recommendations. The agenda also includes roll call, approval of the meeting agenda, and adjournment.
Key Items on the Agenda
Personnel Recommendations
The superintendent recommends that the board approve a personnel package containing three resignations and 32 certified staff elections. The proposed hires span elementary, middle and high schools, preschool, special education services, and other district programs.
The three resignations listed in the packet are:
- Jayde Kennedy — SEBH Interventionist at Hiatt Middle, effective June 8, 2026.
- Karen Perkins — English Language Learner Teacher at Studebaker Elementary, effective July 28, 2026.
- Carol Seid — Interim Principal at Moulton Elementary, effective June 30, 2026.
32 Certified Staff Elections
The packet proposes 32 certified staff elections, with all listed hires scheduled to take effect August 10, 2026. Individual salaries range from $50,569.00 to $77,412.00.
The proposed positions cover a broad range of instructional and student-support needs, including:
- Classroom teachers in kindergarten through fifth grade.
- English Language Learner teachers.
- Special education teachers, an Early Childhood Special Education position, a Speech Language Pathologist, and a Special Education Consultant.
- Academic, social-emotional and behavioral intervention positions.
- School counselors.
- Digital literacy, science, math, social science, business education, and nursing teachers.
- A nurse at Ruby Van Meter.
The recommendations involve numerous district schools and programs, including Monroe, Lovejoy, Stowe, Carver, Oak Park, Windsor, Edmunds, Capitol View, Samuelson, King, South Union, Garton, Greenwood and Willard elementary schools; Hiatt, McCombs, Hoyt, Brody and Harding middle schools; East, North and Roosevelt high schools; Central Campus; McKee Preschool; Ruby Van Meter; and Special Education Network 1.
Financial Details
The personnel document provides individual salaries for each of the 32 proposed certified elections. The highest listed salaries are $77,412.00 for a counselor at Greenwood Elementary and $77,236.00 for a Special Education Teacher - Strat II at McCombs Middle.
Other listed salaries include $72,417.00 for a Special Education Consultant, $71,494.00 for a Digital Literacy Teacher, and $66,928.00 each for a Business Education Teacher at Roosevelt High and a nurse at Ruby Van Meter.
Meeting Procedure
The special session is scheduled to begin with roll call. The agenda includes a recommendation to approve the agenda as presented before the board reaches the personnel recommendations.
The packet identifies the personnel recommendations as an Action item, with the superintendent recommending board approval. The packet does not document an outcome for that recommendation; any board action would occur at the meeting.
What to Watch at the Meeting
The central decision scheduled for this special session is whether the board will approve the superintendent's personnel recommendations. Because the packet is narrowly focused, the proposed staffing changes — particularly the 32 certified elections scheduled to become effective August 10 — make up the substantive business presented for board consideration.
