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Following several days of public concerns and criticisms about the decision to hire an assistant superintendent despite questions about his employment history, the Fort Dodge Community School District is no longer moving forward with hiring Dr. Craig Doster.
"After additional reflection and feedback, Dr. Doster will no longer be joining our team and his recommendation for hire will not be on the board agenda at tonight's meeting," was the statement issued on behalf of the district on Monday.
On May 17, Doster, a Rockwell City native, was named the next assistant superintendent, to serve under incoming Superintendent Josh Porter. After the announcement, while carrying out routine research on the individual named, The Messenger found several news articles from the Chicago Tribune and other sources outlining his May 2022 resignation as superintendent of Beach Park School District in Illinois.
According to the reporting, Doster's resignation came after complaints from staff of a management style "rooted in intimidation and bullying."
Doster also resigned from Flossmoor School District in Illinois due to "philosophical differences in direction and approach that could not be reconciled" in November 2016, according to reporting at the time from The Daily Southtown newspaper.
Throughout the rest of last week and over the weekend, several parents in the school district, as well as community members, began to speak out online about their concerns over the decision to hire Doster despite his history at Beach Park and Flossmoor. Many also reached out directly to Porter and school board members.
Doster's hiring was expected to be approved by the FDCSD School Board on Monday, but just hours before the meeting, the district announced the item had been removed from the agenda. Porter said he could not specify if the decision to not move forward came from Porter, Doster or the school board.
In an email to FDCSD staff, Porter said the district will be evaluating the plan for moving forward.
"Once determined, our plan will be shared," he wrote.