[May 21, 2013] Cedar Falls superintendent candidate stresses relationships, longterm planning Tweet May 22, 2013 (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Thomas Van Soelen spent Monday night walking the streets of Cedar Falls asking anyone who would talk to him about the school district. Tuesday, he spent the day answering questions that will help the Cedar Falls Board of Education determine if he is the best man to lead the district through the coming years. Van Soelen, a Sioux County-native, is currently an associate superintendent at the City Schools of Decatur in Decatur, Ga. He believes a move to Cedar Falls would be a perfect fit both personally and professionally. The location is nearly equidistant from his parents in Hull, Iowa and his wife's family in southern Minnesota. Even more importantly, Van Soelen said his experiences in Georgia have prepared him to become a superintendent in Cedar Falls. When looking for a new place to land Van Soelen sought a place that would allow him opportunities for intellectual, relational and change management work. "It's critical that Cedar Falls have someone in this position ... that knows how to manage change well. And I think the critical piece about knowing how to manage change is consistent communication," he said. "The consistent communication comes to all these different stakeholder groups." Van Soelen said he's done all those things in his current district, which serves about 3,500 students. In particular, the district has dealt with a 37 percent increase in enrollment over the last five years. The community recently passed a $55 million bond issue to build a new middle and high school. He looked at the process the Cedar Falls board is taking to make its decision and was impressed, particularly the 120 days of community input. But, he sees that as an even greater opportunity than just gathering input on infrastructure. Van Soelen thinks that would be the opportune time to ask community members about what they see for the district in the next 5 to 10 years. "With this high school project and a new superintendent coming in at the same time it seems like a ripe opportunity for strategic planning," Van Soelen said. "... If we could broaden those questions we would be gathering data that would be incredibly helpful in crafting a strategic plan." Van Soelen's district also has a foreign language program that begins in kindergarten, a recently launched 1:1 iPad program in fourth and fifth grades and a "bring your own device" technology initiative at their high school. Superintendent Mike Wells attempted to introduce an elementary foreign language program, but the initiative took a back seat after he resigned in February. The district is also considering its technology options, and has a "BYOD" program at the high school. Jim Moody, a Cedar Falls parent, said Van Soelen appeared educated and passionate. "He could bring a lot of experiences from outside the local community. He's been in a lot of the same situations Cedar Falls schools district is going into with the growth and that and he's been through where we are today," Moody said. "I really appreciate the longterm planning. It's hard to be successful 10 years down the road when you don't know what you are doing five years from now." Other superintendent finalists are: Andy Pattee, superintendent in the Charles City and Riceville districts. Douglas Van Zyl, superintendent for the Fort Dodge Community Schools District. Rich Powers, principal at Cedar Falls High School. Van Zyl will visit the district Wednesday. Powers will interview Thursday. A public forum is scheduled from 4:45 to 5:45 p.m. in the James L. Robinson Administration Center, 1002 W. First St. The board intends to make a final decision later this month so a new superintendent can begin work July 1. ___ (c)2013 Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier (Waterloo, Iowa) Visit Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier (Waterloo, Iowa) at www.wcfcourier.com Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]