Kirsten Doebel

Kirsten Doebel, an instructional coach in the Fort Dodge Community School District, has been appointed to a new position that involves the oversight of curriculum and instruction for secondary education.

Doebel will become the district’s director of secondary education, effective July 1.

The FDCSD board approved the appointment at its meeting Monday night.

Doebel said the position will combine the duties that were handled by Stacey Cole and Marcy Harms, who both worked under the title of director of student services.

Harms is retiring after 35 years of service, while Cole has accepted the Storm Lake Community School District superintendent position.

“We are taking one position and rearranging some of the details, but overall we are looking at the curriculum of the district, the instruction that’s happening,” Doebel said. “Ensuring good decisions are being made in accordance to those and getting into classrooms. Helping with all of those things.”

Steph Anderson, the principal at Butler Elementary School, will become the director of elementary education. That personnel move was also approved Monday night.

“She is doing both of those positions at the elementary level and then I am doing both of those positions at the secondary level,” Doebel said.

Doebel is a former high school social studies teacher. She has worked in the FDCSD for the past four years.

She holds a master’s degree from Southwest Minnesota State and a doctoral degree from the University of South Dakota.

Doebel said she is looking forward to helping teachers improve their strategies.

“Our instructional coaching team, being a part of that for the past three years has been amazing,” she said. “They are one of the greatest groups of people I have ever worked with. Getting the opportunity to lead that team will be one of the things I am definitely looking forward to and the great things I know we can do together.”

She added, “Curriculum and instruction is something that I love. I have always loved being able to get into teacher’s rooms and help make curriculum and instruction decisions. Making decisions that are really going to help move our practice forward, which in turn will help move our student achievement forward.”