East Mills Hires New Principal

MALVERN - East Mills has found its new principal.

Linda Rempe was offered and accepted the junior-senior high school’s new principal job last week and was formally approved by the East Mills School Board in a special meeting last Monday at the school.

East Mills Superintendent Paul Croghan said Rempe’s experience stood out among the five interviews Croghan and the district conducted in June.

“She’s been an assistant principal, she’s been a curriculum director and an activities director, mostly in Washington state,” Croghan said. “With that experience, her positive attitude and her willingness to work at things, we think we got a great hire here.”

Rempe most recently served as curriculum director and talented and gifted coordinator for the Harmony School District in Bonaparte, Iowa. For the last year, Croghan said, Rempe has been working as a substitute teacher in the Burlington Community School district. Prior to coming to Iowa, Rempe worked in education in Washington state as a principal and vice principal.

Rempe, whose first day on the job is today, was unavailable for comment.

The hiring of Rempe closes a search that began in May when Andy Irwin resigned to become the activities director at Shenandoah High School. The school appeared to have zeroed in on a different candidate in mid-June, offering the job to Joanna Morenz, only to see the former Laurens-Marathon and Pekin principal decline the position two days later.

Also at Monday’s special board meeting, the board granted approval to issue $1.6 million in a general obligation school capital loan for the roofing project at East Mills Junior-Senior High School and the planned geothermal project at the East Mills Elementary School in Hastings. In February, district voters approved a physical plant and equipment levy (PPEL) to cover the costs of both projects.