Ventura chooses new school leader

Elementary Principal Brian Rodemeyer accepts position

     Ventura Elementary School Prinicipal Brian Rodemeyer has been named as the district’s next superintendent.
    The School Board offered Rodemeyer the job following a Saturday workshop with Area Education Agency 267 personnel, followed by a regular Board meeting.  Rodemeyer will be paid $80,000 annually.  He will receive no health insurance benefits. 
Rodemeyer and outgoing Superintendent Dan Versteeg previously gave up medical benefits in exchange for a pay raise, saving the district $15,000.  Versteeg was serving in a 60 percent capacity under the agreement.
    Rodemeyer will continue to serve as elementary principal, while also taking on the responsibilities of the superintendent.  The reduction from 2.6 administrators to 2.0 will yield the district an annual savings of $47,000.
    “In a perfect world it would be great to have three administrators,” said Rodemeyer.  “But in these times, based on the size of the district, it is a necessity to have just two based on dollars and cents.  It will mean going back to school for an endorsement, a few more nights, putting my head down and getting to work.  I’m ready for it.”
    Rodemeyer said he has already enrolled in a certification course offered by the University of Northern Iowa.  It will be a two-year process to earn certification.  In the meantime, he will apply for temporary certification.
    His background includes a wide range of experience in the field of education.  He began his career as a teacher and coach in the Pomeroy, and later Everly School Districts.  He then served as high school principal at Titonka.  When that district joined the Buffalo Center and North Iowa School Districts he served as middle school principal.  He was assistant high school principal and athletic director at Algona prior to coming to Ventura as elementary principal and curriculm coordinator.
    Rodemeyer considers the Ventura School District to be financially stable, yet like most districts in the state, faced with challenges. 
    “We’re holding our own, but we have concerns like all school districts,” he said.  Among those are facility concerns at the high school for which bond issues have failed.
    Versteeg and Board President Larry Costello both expressed their confidence in Rodemeyer, saying he knows the district and has a vision for its success.  Versteeg noted Rodemeyer was the leader for a design team which oversaw a recent expansion project at the elementary school.