Superintendent getting to know schools, community
Tom Messinger is home.
He has always called southwest Iowa home and after landing the open superintendent position with the Red Oak Community School District, Messinger was excited to make the across-state trip.
“It’s good to be back to the area I consider to be home,” Messinger said. “It’s about an hour to where I grew up. My parents have lived in the same house there since 1970, so I’ll get to see more of them.”
Messinger grew up in Casey, northeast of Atlantic. After receiving his degree from the University of Iowa, Messinger has spent the last 22 years in education. He comes from a relatively large high school in Burlington, but is happy to be back in a smaller community.
“[I’m excited to be in Red Oak because of] the atmosphere in the community. It’s just been very welcoming,” Messinger said. “People have just been great so far, making sure if I need anything, giving me their numbers and telling me to give them a call. It’s really a transition that’s been made a lot easier by the community of Red Oak and people here in the school system. I hadn’t moved in 11 years, so when you’re in the same spot for that amount of time, moving can be somewhat scary, but people have just been great here.”
Messinger brings with him a 15-year-old son, Ryan, who will begin his sophomore year at Red Oak High School this year.
“[My son is] a very sociable person,” Messinger said. “He can talk with anybody and meet new people and be best friends with them now or later. [He’s] really excited about sports. He’s a sports nut [and] loves baseball, loves golf. He’s one of those people who can just fit in anywhere.”
Messinger also has a daughter who will remain in Burlington with her mother and stepfather to finish her senior year of high school.
Before interviewing for the superintendent position in ROCSD, Messinger knew he would possibly be a superintendent one day, he just wasn’t sure when that day would be. He said he applied for the position when it became available and knew it was the right move for him. “I didn’t know exactly what year or what time I would want to be a superintendent or move to that spot, but there [was] the opportunity here in Red Oak, [so I] applied for it and came over to interview,” Messinger said. “I called a friend of mine on the way home from the first round of interviews [and said] ‘I really hope this works out.’ It was a great experience with the board and when I came over for the big day of interviews, all day long, my first thought was ‘I’m going to be kind of nervous.’ I’m not a person who’s applied for many jobs throughout my life. But, it turned out to be a fun day. I mean, I really enjoyed speaking with all the different people that are here and then got offered the job and I’ve been excited about it ever since.”
Messinger said he is trying to learn as much as he can right now about his new school district and community. He wants to be a member and get to know the people in Red Oak.
“For me to be successful, or for me to be happy or satisfied, I’m not somebody who comes in to change things just to change things, so I’m doing as much information gathering as I can,” Messinger said. “I don’t want this to sound egotistical, but I also want to become known because if people are going to find me approachable, they’re going to have to know me. I do think it’s very important for me to make sure that people know who I am because I am living here, I have a house here and so it’s one of those things where I’m going to be a community member and I’m also going to be in the school system here. So, that process of getting to know people, having people get to know me, that’s going to take a little bit of time.”
He said communication is important to him. He plans to keep an open communication with community members so they’re aware of what is going on inside of the school district.
“I think every community learns in a different way, and every community seeks information in a different way,” Messinger said. “So, until I really understand how is it this community expects to receive information or what type of information do they expect to get, that’s one of the things I’ve got to learn and figure out. My general answer is I do believe you’ve got to keep people informed. You’ve got to be willing to sit down with people and have conversations. You’ve got to be willing to accept a phone call from somebody who doesn’t want to ask a question at a public meeting because they don’t want to step up in the spotlight for it.”
The new Red Oak superintendent said he is excited for this new challenge and plans to learn as much as possible. He wants to make decisions that benefit the community as a whole, no matter what stance on an issue a person takes.
“Just because people have differences doesn’t mean that one’s right or wrong, but we’re all still living here in Red Oak together and we’ve got to be respectful of that,” Messinger said.