The Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD) faces a number of challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, including student safety, school retention and creating a sense of normalcy.
At the forefront of that fight was then-interim Superintendent Matt Degner
He officially became full-time director in January 2021 following the resignation of Steve Murley. 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 Dive National Director of the Year Award.
The Dive Awards, presented by an online publication that recognizes K-12 administrators and school districts across the United States, are based on excellence in “student achievement, whole-child programming, postsecondary pathways and community engagement.”
The Dive Awards also recognize District of the Year and Principal of the Year.
Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD) Superintendent Matt Degner poses for a photo outside the district’s Educational Services Center (ESC) at 1725 N. Dodge Street on Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020, in Iowa City, Iowa.
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In October, Degner was named a Top Ten School District Superintendent by Education Insider and subsequently received the Dive Award.
Dave cited Degner’s pandemic navigation, improving the district’s competitive advantage in Education Savings Accounts (ESA) and school choice vouchers, and expanding pre-K and post-secondary opportunities. Degner oversees Iowa’s second-largest school district after Des Moines Public Schools, with more than 14,000 students in four high schools, 20 elementary schools and three middle schools.
“He will always have trust in the team around him as we all do what we do,” Kristin Pedersen, the district’s executive director of community relations, said in a release.
Reversing open enrollment losses by expanding preschool
Enrollment in the Iowa City Community School District fell to 14,392 students this year, 189 fewer students than the previous year despite a 2% enrollment increase since 2020.
What is the district doing? Address declining enrollment head-on with an “aggressive enrollment campaign.”
“We are a loser in open enrollment,” Degner said in the release. “We lost students who chose to go to other districts. Now, we’ve actually increased that number, with more students coming into our district than leaving.”
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This community-wide effort includes a robust preschool program that offers full-day preschool in 20 elementary schools across the state, although the state only funds half-day preschool. All elementary schools in the district offer free half-day pre-kindergarten, and some elementary schools offer afternoon classes. Many students can attend full-day pre-K at no cost as long as they qualify for the Shared Vision Pre-K program.
“We talk about this by attracting families and having a good first experience in our area and then choosing to stay with us,” Degner said.
On January 15, 2026, Iowa City Community School District Superintendent Matt Degner and Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa President Christine Landa cut the ribbon on the Dream Accelerator at the district’s Educational Services Center in Iowa City, Iowa.
Expanding higher education and a community-centered mindset
The district recently celebrated the opening of an innovation center to strengthen community connections and student outcomes.
The Innovation Center houses new Kirkwood Career Academy classrooms that “bring dual credit career rhythms directly to the site.”
Notably, the Innovation Center has a unique partnership with the nonprofit Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa to create a second Dream Accelerator. 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 worked for the Iowa City School District since 2013 and previously served as assistant superintendent and principal of Southeast Junior High School.
His connections run deep: Two of his children currently attend the district and another is an ICCSD graduate. His wife, Dr. Kate Degner, is a school district teacher and adjunct professor at the University of Iowa.
“Matt has done a lot to rebuild community relations by attending a variety of events, whether it be building-level PTO meetings or community-wide events,” ICCSD Board President Ruthina Malone said in the release. “People are seeing him more and being able to talk to him more about some of the things he and his staff are doing in the district.”
Jessica Rish is the entertainment, dining and education reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be contacted via: JRish@press-citizen.com or on X (formerly Twitter), @rishjessica_
This article originally appeared in The Iowa City News-Citizen: Iowa City’s Matt Degner is state Sheriff of the Year
