The Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD) has faced a whirlwind of challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, from student safety to retention and creating a sense of normalcy.
At the forefront of that fight was then-interim superintendent Matt Degner
He officially became full-time superintendent in January 2021 following the resignation of Steve Murley. And now, five years into his tenure, Degner’s leadership of one of Iowa’s largest districts and his eye for innovation have earned him the K-12 Diva National Superintendent of the Year award.
The Diva Awards, given by an online publication honoring K-12 administrators and districts across the U.S., base their award on excellence in “student achievement, whole-child programming, postsecondary education and community engagement.”
The Diva Awards also recognize a District of the Year and Principal of the Year.
Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD) superintendent Matt Degner poses for a photo Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020, outside the district’s Educational Services Center (ESC) at 1725 North Dodge Street in Iowa City, Iowa.
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The Dive Award comes after Degner earned a spot on Education Insider’s “Top 10 School District Superintendents” in October.
Dive cited Degner’s navigating the pandemic, enhancing the district’s competitive advantage amid Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) and school choice vouchers, and expanding preschool and postsecondary opportunities. Degner oversees Iowa’s second-largest district behind Des Moines Public Schools, with more than 14,000 students at four high schools, 20 elementary schools and three middle schools.
“He will always give credit to the team around him because it takes all of them to do what we do,” Kristin Pedersen, the district’s executive director of community relations, said in a news release.
Making up for open enrollment losses by expanding pre-k
Enrollment in the Iowa City Community School District fell this year to 14,392, down 189 students from the previous year, although enrollment is up 2 percent from 2020.
The district’s approach? Confronting declining enrollment head-on with an “aggressive enrollment campaign.”
“We were the losers in terms of open enrollment,” Degner said in the news release. “We were losing students who were choosing to go to other school districts. And now we’re actually gaining from that number, where we have more students coming into our district than leaving.”
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The community-wide campaign includes a robust preschool program with full-day offerings at each of the 20 elementary schools, despite the state only funding half-day pre-K. The district offers a free half-day at all elementary schools and afternoon sessions at some. Many students can attend school for free by qualifying for the Shared Visions Preschool program.
“We talk about it in terms of capturing families and getting them a great first experience with our district and then choosing to stay with us,” Degner said.
Iowa City Community School District Superintendent Matt Degner and Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa President Christine Landa cut a ribbon on the Dream Accelerator Jan. 15, 2026, at the Iowa City, Iowa, district’s Educational Services Center.
Expanding the postsecondary and community-focused mindset
The district recently celebrated the opening of its Center for Innovation to strengthen its community connection and student outcomes.
The Center for Innovation is home to new Kirkwood Career Academy classrooms that “bring the dual-credit career cadence right on-site.”
In particular, the Center for Innovation presents a unique partnership with the nonprofit organization Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa for the second Dream Accelerator of its kind. The Dream Accelerator is a “hands-on, immersive career exploration experience” that helps develop financial literacy, entrepreneurship and career readiness skills.
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Degner has been with the Iowa City School District since 2013, previously serving as assistant superintendent and principal of Southeast Junior High.
His connections run deep: Two of his children are currently enrolled in the district and another is an ICCSD graduate. His wife, Dr. Kate Degner, is a district professor and adjunct professor at the University of Iowa.
“Matt has done a lot of that rebuilding of that relationship with the community by attending events, whether it’s building-wide PTO meetings or community-wide events,” ICCSD Board of Trustees President Ruthina Malone said in a news release. “People saw him more and were able to talk to him more about some of the things he was doing in the district with his staff.”
Jessica Rish is the entertainment, dining and education reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached at JRish@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rishjessica_
This article originally appeared on the Iowa City Press-Citizen: Iowa City’s Matt Degner is National Superintendent of the Year