Three finalists for the PCM superintendent’s position will be interviewed next week by the PCM School Board.

With the help of the search firm Grundmeyer Leader Services in Huxley, the school board has focused their list of candidates on Aaron Becker, Tony Hiatt, and Justin Jeffs.

Becker currently serves as superintendent of the Hampton-Dumont Community School District in north central Iowa. He has more than 20 years of experience in Kindergarten through 12th grade leadership and instruction, which includes serving as the principal at Fairfield High School.

Hiatt is the director of elementary education in the Pleasant Valley School District. He oversees pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade programming, and has led initiatives that earned all six elementary schools “Exceptional” or “High-Performing” ratings on the Iowa School Performance Profiles. 

Jeffs is currently the principal of Kate Mitchell Elementary School in Ames. He has driven instructional, academic, and behavioral modification initiatives that led to an “Exceptional” Iowa School Performance Profile ranking. Under his leadership, standardized test scores improved by more than 40% in one year, and the school achieved the district’s highest staff retention rate.

The PCM School Board has scheduled final interviews with each of the three finalists for Thursday, December 19th. The board then plans to discuss the candidates and reach a final decision soon after the formal interviews. The next PCM  superintendent will begin their new role on July 1st, 2025.