EACSD Superintendent Dr. Dale Crozier nominated for Superintendent of the Year honor from Keystone AEA

Each year the School Administrators of Iowa (SAI) selects a Superintendent of the Year from nominations made by each of the area education agencies throughout the state of Iowa. This year, Superintendent Dr. Dale Crozier, joint superintendent of MFL/MarMac and Eastern Allamakee Community School Districts, was nominated for the honor from the Keystone Area Education Agency (AEA).

The nomination is made by other administrators in the AEA. This is the second time Dr. Crozier has been nominated during his career as a superintendent. The individual selected as Iowa's Superintendent of the Year was Guttenberg native Gary Zittergruen, Superintendent from Benton Community School District. He was bestowed that honor at an August 2 ceremony.

According to the SAI website, the criteria for the Superintendent of the Year honor, in addition to being a current well-respected superintendent or AEA administrator involved with professional organizations, requires the individuals nominated and chosen should have made outstanding contributions to the well-being of the educational community in areas such as curriculum, staff morale, community support, student interest and the learning environment. In addition, the individuals nominated should provide creative leadership which is inspiring and motivating to others.

Dr. Crozier has been a superintendent for 27  years. Seventeen of those years have been at MFL/MarMac. During  the last seven he has also served as superintendent of the Eastern Allamakee Community School District in a shared capacity. Prior to his current positions, he worked at Midland-Wyoming, in Nebraska and at Akron-Westfield.

Crozier received is doctorate from Nova Southeastern University, his Specialist degree from the University of Wyoming and his bachelors degree from NW Missouri State University. When he first started teaching, he taught social studies courses and philosophy-ethics classes. He also coached wrestling. He still finds time to teach a concurrent enrollment class in philosophy and ethics for Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC).

He stated, “I enjoy teaching. It’s my way to relax. It’s my hobby. I love working with the students.”

His philosophy of education stresses the team approach where everyone’s contribution makes for a positive experience. He stated that his nomination is a reflection on his districts and what great places they are to work.

“This is very much a 'It’s not about me, it’s about we' recognition. I am really lucky to have a super staff at Eastern Allamakee and MFL/MarMac. Both are great schools. This nomination is a reflection of everyone else," he said.

Being a shared superintendent is not always an easy job, Dr. Crozier reflected. Everyone believes that his/her issue should be the first one dealt with. As a shared superintendent, prioritizing what is best for the kids is always uppermost in his decision.

Crozier continued, “I try to be everything that people want but I can’t physically be in both places 100% of the time. I have to flow with the situation. I have two great boards of education that have allowed me to make this work, to be where I need to be and do what I need to do. Technology has helped because we can Skype and I can stay in contact all the time. Both districts are headed in the right direction. Enrollment continues to be a problem, but we keep on adjusting in order to make it work. I think both districts have bright futures and are very sustainable for the foreseeable future. I enjoy working with small to mid-size districts because there is more personalization and interaction with people.”

Dr. Crozier lives in McGregor with his wife and stepson. He also has three adult children.