Des Moines Public Schools, Iowa

Des Moines Public Schools
Des Moines, Iowa
District details
Superintendent: Ian Roberts
# of school board members: 7
Website: Link

Des Moines Public Schools is a school district in Iowa.

Ballotpedia, USATalk, and the Interactivity Foundation organized the Des Moines Schools Community Discussion Project for the 2017 election. Des Moines voters and residents discussed their ideas for the school district online. The results of these discussions were used to create surveys for school board candidates in order to help them state their positions on important issues in the district. Click here to read more about the project.

Click on the links below to learn more about the school district's...

• Superintendent
• School board
• Elections
• Budget
• Teacher salaries
• Academic performance
• Students
• Staff
• Schools
• Contact information

Superintendent

This information is updated as we become aware of changes. Please contact us with any updates.

Ian Roberts is the superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools. Roberts started serving on July 1, 2023. Roberts' previous career experience includes serving as the superintendent of the Millcreek Township School District.

Past superintendents

• Matt Smith was the interim superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools from April 5, 2022 until his successor was sworn in on July 1, 2023. His previous career experience includes working as the associate superintendent for the school district and as a high school principal in the district.
• Thomas Ahart was the superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools. Ahart began serving as interim superintendent on May 15, 2012, and was appointed full superintendent on March 12, 2013. He resigned from the post effective June 30, 2022. Ahart's previous career experience includes working as the district's associate superintendent, a principal, and the director of human resources for the Ankeny Community School District in Iowa.

School board

The Des Moines Public Schools school board consists of seven members elected to four-year terms. Three board members are elected at large, and four are elected by district.

Office	Name	Date assumed office
Des Moines Public Schools School Board At-large	Maria Alonzo-Diaz	November 16, 2021
Des Moines Public Schools School Board At-large	Patrick Dix	November 21, 2023
Des Moines Public Schools School Board At-large	Jackie Norris	November 16, 2021
Des Moines Public Schools School Board District 1	Kim Martorano	August 17, 2020
Des Moines Public Schools School Board District 2	Jenna Knox	November 16, 2021
Des Moines Public Schools School Board District 3	Anna Campos	November 21, 2023
Des Moines Public Schools School Board District 4	Skylar Mayberry-Mayes	April 9, 2024

This officeholder information was last updated on January 22, 2025. Please contact us with any updates.

Elections

School board districts in Des Moines

See also: Des Moines Public Schools elections in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023, & 2025

Members of the Des Moines Public Schools school board are elected on a staggered basis every odd-numbered year.

Four seats on the board are up for general election on November 4, 2025.

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Public participation in board meetings

The Des Moines Public Schools school board maintains the following policy on public testimony during board meetings:

“

Title: Public Participation in Board Meeting The board recognizes the importance of citizen participation in school district matters. In order to assure citizens are heard and board meetings are conducted efficiently and in an organized manner, the board will set aside a specific time for public comment. Public Comment During Board Meetings Citizens wishing to address the board during public comment must notify the board secretary prior to the board meeting. The board president will recognize these individuals to make their comments at the appropriate time during public comment. Citizens wishing to present petitions to the board may also do so at this time. The board, however, will only receive the petitions and not act upon them or their contents. The board has the discretion to limit the amount of time set aside for public participation. Normally, speakers will be limited to 3 minutes with a total allotted time for public participation of 15 minutes. However, the board president may modify this time limit, if deemed appropriate or necessary. Public comment is a time set aside for community input, but the board will not discuss or take any action on any matter during public comment. Public comment shall be limited to regular board meetings and will not be routinely held during special board meetings. Petitions to Place a Topic on the Agenda Individuals who wish for an item to be placed on the board agenda may submit a valid petition to the board. For a petition to be valid, it must be signed by at least 500 eligible electors of the district, or ten percent of the individuals who voted in the last school election, whichever number is lower. Upon receiving a valid petition to the board to place a proposal on the next board agenda for public hearing, the board will place the proposal identified in the petition on the agenda of the next regular meeting, or a special meeting held within 30 days of receipt of the petition. The board will provide a sign-up sheet for all individuals who wish to speak on the proposal, and individuals will be called to speak in order of sign-up. The sign-up sheet will require each individual to list their legal name and mailing address. Each speaker will be limited to an amount of time established by the board president that is reasonable and necessary based on the number of speakers signed up. The same time limit will apply to all speakers on the proposal. Each individual will be limited to one opportunity to speak. The board maintains absolute discretion on whether or not to discuss or act on the public comments made on the proposal. If a petition is related to curriculum, the district maintains discretion to determine whether to stop teaching that curriculum until the board holds the public hearing to discuss the curriculum. The board has a significant interest in maintaining the decorum of its meetings, and it is expected that members of the public and the board will address each other with civility. The orderly process of the board meeting will not be interfered with or disrupted by public comment. Only individuals recognized by the board president will be allowed to speak. Comments by others are out of order. If disruptive, the individual causing disruption may be asked to leave the board meeting. Defamatory comments may be subject to legal action. Legal Reference: Iowa Code §§ 21; 22; 279.8, 279.8B

”

District map

School district map

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.

• Revenue
• Expenditures

Revenue, 2020-2021

SOURCE	AMOUNT	AMOUNT PER STUDENT	PERCENT
Federal:	$106,210,000	$3,348	18%
Local:	$175,291,000	$5,526	30%
State:	$308,874,000	$9,738	52%
Total:	$590,375,000	$18,612

Expenditures, 2020-2021

TYPE	AMOUNT	AMOUNT PER STUDENT	PERCENT
Total Expenditures:	$513,442,000	$16,186
Total Current Expenditures:	$442,455,000	$13,948
Instructional Expenditures:	$253,555,000	$7,993	49%
Student and Staff Support:	$65,976,000	$2,079	13%
Administration:	$59,170,000	$1,865	12%
Operations, Food Service, Other:	$63,754,000	$2,009	12%
Total Capital Outlay:	$45,793,000	$1,443
Construction:	$29,169,000	$919
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other:	$3,914,000	$123
Interest on Debt:	$6,341,000	$199

Teacher salaries

The following salary information was pulled from the district's teacher salary schedule. A salary schedule is a list of expected compensations based on variables such as position, years employed, and education level. It may not reflect actual teacher salaries in the district.

Year	Minimum	Maximum
2023-2024	$38,360	$80,284
2020-2021	$43,375	$66,270

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements.

• Mathematics
• Reading/language arts
• Graduation rates

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year	All (%)	Asian/Pacific Islander (%)	Black (%)	Hispanic (%)	Native American (%)	Two or More Races (%)	White (%)
2020-2021	43	55	26	37	35-39	44	57
2018-2019	49	56	30	43	40-44	52	62
2017-2018	55	62	35	49	40-44	57	68
2016-2017	58	60	38	53	45-49	61	71
2015-2016	60	62	40	55	45-49	61	72
2014-2015	61	62	43	55	55-59	63	72
2013-2014	61	63	42	55	60-69	62	72
2012-2013	60	61	40	54	45-49	60	71
2011-2012	59	60	38	53	40-49	58	69
2010-2011	63	64	43	57	60-69	63	74

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year	All (%)	Asian/Pacific Islander (%)	Black (%)	Hispanic (%)	Native American (%)	Two or More Races (%)	White (%)
2020-2021	46	54	29	40	30-34	49	60
2018-2019	47	52	29	40	30-34	50	60
2017-2018	56	57	39	49	35-39	64	69
2016-2017	59	57	43	52	55-59	64	72
2015-2016	61	55	45	53	45-49	65	72
2014-2015	61	55	46	53	60-64	68	73
2013-2014	60	51	44	52	50-59	65	72
2012-2013	57	49	39	48	50-54	62	69
2011-2012	56	47	39	46	55-59	57	68
2010-2011	62	56	45	53	50-59	63	73

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year	All (%)	Asian/Pacific Islander (%)	Black (%)	Hispanic (%)	Native American (%)	Two or More Races (%)	White (%)
2019-2020	77	85-89	71	71	>=50	75-79	80
2018-2019	83	90-94	82	81	>=50	75-79	84
2017-2018	81	85-89	78	76	<50	85-89	83
2016-2017	82	85-89	80	77	>=50	75-79	86
2015-2016	81	85-89	81	79	>=50	70-74	82
2014-2015	78	85-89	77	73	>=50	80-84	79
2013-2014	82	85-89	79	75	>=50	80-84	84
2012-2013	79	85-89	76	74	>=50	75-79	82
2011-2012	79	80-84	70-74	68	>=50	80-84	84
2010-2011	76	75-79	71	66	>=50	80-84	79

Students

• Enrollment
• Demographics

Year	Enrollment	Year-to-year change (%)
2022-2023	30,739	-1.9
2021-2022	31,323	-1.3
2020-2021	31,720	-5.3
2019-2020	33,402	-0.7
2018-2019	33,623	-3.1
2017-2018	34,673	0.0
2016-2017	34,656	1.3
2015-2016	34,219	-0.4
2014-2015	34,355	0.4
2013-2014	34,230	0.4
2012-2013	34,092	1.9
2011-2012	33,453	1.1
2010-2011	33,091	1.0
2009-2010	32,749	3.5
2008-2009	31,613	-1.4
2007-2008	32,043	0.6
2006-2007	31,866	-0.6
2005-2006	32,068	-0.4
2004-2005	32,194	3.4
2003-2004	31,086	-1.5
2002-2003	31,553	-1.4
2001-2002	32,010	-1.3
2000-2001	32,435	2.9
1999-2000	31,509	0.0

Racial Demographics, 2022-2023

RACE	Des Moines Public Schools (%)	Iowa K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native	0.5	0.3
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander	8.0	2.5
Black	20.8	6.8
Hispanic	30.3	12.5
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	0.2	0.6
Two or More Races	7.0	4.9
White	33.2	72.5

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Staff

• Teachers
• Administrators
• Other staff

As of the 2022-2023 school year, Des Moines Public Schools had 2,077.70 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 14.79.

Teachers, 2022-2023 school year

TYPE	NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten:	67.57
Kindergarten:	192.78
Elementary:	1,313.71
Secondary:	503.64
Total:	2,077.70

Des Moines Public Schools employed 42.00 district administrators and 140.00 school administrators as of the 2022-2023 school year.

Administrators, 2022-2023 school year

TYPE	NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators:	42.00
District Administrative Support:	4.50
School Administrators:	140.00
School Administrative Support:	3.00

Other staff, 2022-2023 school year

TYPE	NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides:	34.00
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors:	316.25
Total Guidance Counselors:	91.79
Elementary Guidance Counselors:	0.00
Secondary Guidance Counselors:	0.00
Librarians/Media Specialists:	1.00
Library/Media Support:	3.00
Student Support Services:	227.70
Other Support Services:	10.50

Schools

Des Moines Public Schools operates 59 schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.

List of schools

SCHOOL NAME	NUMBER OF STUDENTS	GRADES
Brody Middle School	603	6-8
Brubaker Elementary School	622	KG-5
Callanan Middle School	507	6-8
Capitol View Elementary School	505	PK-5
Carver Elementary	423	KG-5
Cattell Elementary School	322	KG-5
Cowles Elementary School	391	PK-8
Downtown School	243	KG-5
East High School	2,040	9-12
Edmunds Elementary School	268	KG-5
Findley Elementary School	304	KG-5
Garton Elementary	455	KG-5
Goodrell Middle School	523	6-8
Greenwood Elementary School	272	KG-5
Hanawalt Elementary	333	KG-5
Harding Middle School	655	6-8
Hiatt Middle School	529	6-8
Hillis Elementary School	305	KG-5
Hoover High School	991	9-12
Howe Elementary	297	KG-5
Hoyt Middle School	486	6-8
Hubbell Elementary	407	KG-5
Jackson Elementary School	406	KG-5
Jefferson Elementary School	338	KG-5
Jessie Franklin Taylor	205	PK-PK
King Elementary School	267	KG-5
Lincoln High School	2,403	9-12
Lovejoy Elementary School	365	KG-5
Madison Elementary School	243	KG-5
Mccombs Middle School	654	6-8
Mckee Elementary School	281	PK-PK
Mckinley Elementary School	285	PK-5
Meredith Middle School	664	6-8
Merrill Middle School	634	6-8
Mitchell Early Childhood Center	395	PK-PK
Monroe Elementary School	423	KG-5
Moore Elementary School	296	KG-5
Morris Elementary School	444	KG-5
Moulton Elementary School	420	PK-5
North High School	1,458	9-12
Oak Park	313	KG-5
Park Ave Elementary School	378	KG-5
Perkins Elementary School	438	KG-5
Phillips Elementary	258	KG-5
Pleasant Hill Elementary School	213	KG-5
River Woods Elementary School	496	KG-5
Roosevelt High School	1,986	9-12
Ruby Van Meter	113	KG-12
Samuelson Elementary School	412	KG-5
South Union Elementary School	442	KG-5
Stowe Elementary School	313	KG-5
Studebaker Elementary School	523	KG-5
Virtual Campus	668	6-12
Walnut Street School	269	PK-5
Weeks Middle School	684	6-8
Willard Elementary School	286	KG-5
Windsor Elementary	296	KG-5
Woodlawn Early Childhood Center	255	PK-PK
Wright Elementary School	273	KG-5

Noteworthy events

2017: City votes to hire outside company to manage crossing guards

The Des Moines City Council voted 6-1 on June 26, 2017, to hire an outside company to manage a crossing guard program for the 22 elementary schools in Des Moines Public Schools. Prior to the vote, the crossing guard program was managed by the Des Moines Police Department in partnership with the school district.

That partnership was first established in 1964. The police department said it no longer wanted to be in charge of the crossing guard program, however, due to a lack of interest from district residents to work for the program and an increase in crossing guards not showing up to their posts. In 2016, officers covered crossing guard duties between 40 and 60 hours a month on average, according to The Des Moines Register. "It's time-consuming. We bear all the responsibility and liability," said Des Moines Police Chief Dana Wingert. "There's too much at stake and too many other things to do."

Sgt. Chip Beardsley, who managed the crossing guard program in 2016, said that low unemployment in Des Moines made it hard to find people to employ in the program. The program paid up to $16 an hour for two one-hour periods per day.

In 2016, the crossing guard program cost $360,000, and the city split that cost with school district. The city estimated that hiring an outside company to manage the program would cost $438,000 for the 2017-2018 school year, as the police department would be involved to help with the transition. After that school year, the city expected the cost to decrease as the police department's involvement decreased.

Prior to the vote, some city council members questioned why the city helped pay for the program. "This should have been changed a long time ago," said Councilman Skip Moore. "They're called school crossing guards, not city of Des Moines crossing guards."

Councilwoman Linda Westergaard said, "We have a wonderful police department and they’re very busy protecting our citizens. I think there’s a better use of their time than to be crossing guards."

Des Moines Public Schools chief operations officer Bill Good disagreed with Moore and Westergaard. "The actions of adults and vehicles are not in our control," said Good. "We feel strongly that it best lies with the police department, who can immediately respond and ticket or correct the actions of what happens on city streets."

The arguments over who should be responsible for the crossing guard program were similar to those expressed when the program was started in 1964, according to The Des Moines Register. At that time, the school district agreed to pay half of the cost of the program as long as the city managed it.

2017: District first in state to adopt sanctuary district policies

See also: Sanctuary policy preemption conflicts between the federal and local governments

Sanctuary policy conflicts

Des Moines Public Schools was one of 15 districts tracked by Ballotpedia that debated sanctuary policies as of October 16, 2017. Learn more about these debates on Ballopedia's coverage of sanctuary jurisdictions  »

The Des Moines school board became the first school board in the state to approve sanctuary district policies when it unanimously approved two resolutions on February 7, 2017. The first resolution affirmed that the district would educate all students regardless of their immigration status, prevented staff from asking about student immigration status, and formalized the district's protocol for dealing with requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The second resolution called on state and federal officials to exempt participants in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program from future immigration restrictions. In the 2016-2017 school year, approximately 4,000 Des Moines students—13 percent of enrollment—were born outside of the United States. While some had legal immigration status, others resided in the country without legal permission.

“This action tonight is about good ethical governance that puts the needs of the whole first by acting to improve outcomes for those with a pronounced disadvantage,” said board member Rob Barron. “That is equity and that is the job of anyone in elected service.”

Iowa Congressman Steve King (R-4) said the two resolutions were unconstitutional and violated two federal laws.

“	I am incredulous that the school board would come to this kind of motivation or conclusion given that the Trump administration has previously stated they will withhold any federal funds that would go to any sanctuary jurisdiction in America.	”
—Congressman Steve King (2017)

President Donald Trump (R) signed an executive order on January 25, 2017, that introduced penalties against sanctuary districts. A memo produced by Attorney General Jeff Sessions on May 22, 2017, stated that a sanctuary district was any jurisdiction that did not comply with 8 U.S. Code § 1373, which required all levels of government to communicate information about immigration status to ICE. A federal ruling on April 25, 2017, halted the executive order.

Des Moines Public Schools spokesman Phil Roeder said the resolutions were not expected to jeopardize the district's funding as they did not direct staff to refuse ICE agents. Instead, the resolutions outlined a process involving the superintendent and legal counsel should ICE agents request access to district schools. Roeder said that the district had never been contacted by ICE agents, according to his recollection.

ICE policy designates schools as sensitive locations. Because of that designation, they are avoided, according to ICE.

The Iowa State Senate passed SF 481, a bill that prohibited cities and counties from adopting sanctuary policies, on April 12, 2017, but the 2017 legislative session ended before the Iowa House of Representatives considered it. If it had been signed into law, the bill would have required law enforcement agencies to comply with federal immigration requests, and it would have withheld state funds from any city or county that adopted sanctuary policies.

After the Trump administration announced plans to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, Barron said it was safe for students residing in the United States without legal permission to attend school in the district. "Nothing will change," said Barron. "If we have to do more to support them and their families, then we will do more."

2012: Resignation of former superintendent and lawsuits against the district

Resignation of Superintendent Nancy Sebring

Former Superintendent Nancy Sebring resigned from her position as the leader of Des Moines Public Schools on May 10, 2012, cutting short her planned tenure in the position by almost two months. Sebring's resignation came after district staff discovered emails between Sebring and a married male lover who was not her husband, according to a school district spokesman who held a news conference on June 2, 2012.

The emails were discovered after the Omaha World-Herald filed a Freedom of Information Act request from the district on May 7, 2012, according to the district spokesman. The Des Moines school board asked Sebring about the emails on May 9, 2012, and she submitted her resignation the next day.

Sebring had been appointed superintendent of Omaha Public Schools and was planning to start that position on July 1, 2012. Instead, she offered her resignation for that position on June 2, 2012, and the Omaha school board voted 9-1 to accept it that day in an emergency meeting.

The reason for Sebring's early resignation from Des Moines Public Schools was not disclosed by district officials. The Des Moines Register, however, followed up on the Freedom of Information Act request from the Omaha World-Herald and gained access to Sebring's emails.

Then-board President Teree Caldwell-Johnson met with reporters on June 2, 2012.

“	At the end of the day, it was about what she did in a professional capacity and she did great things for the district. What she did in her private time in her personal life, that's her business. The fact that it came revealed because she did it on district email is the problem. We've dealt with the problem and I don't really have anything further to say about it.	”
—Board President Teree Caldwell-Johnson (2012)

Sebring said she did not know that personal emails written from her district account would be considered public record. After her resignation was accepted by the board, Sebring issued the following statement:

“	It has been an honor to serve as superintendent. I resigned my position as superintendent six weeks early. I did not follow the guidelines as detailed in the district's policy on Internet use. This was clearly a lapse in judgment which I regret...My offer to resign earlier than scheduled was prompted in part by my desire to shield the district and school board from this issue, enabling the board to maintain a focus on teaching and learning. The media have chosen to focus on this issue as I leave Des Moines, rather than focus on the success and growth the district has experienced over the previous six years.	”
—Nancy Sebring (2012)

In her resignation letter to Omaha Public Schools, Sebring said she appreciated “the confidence shown to me by the Omaha board in hiring me as the next superintendent. However, due to recent events I feel my ability to lead the district has been compromised, thus I am offering my resignation as superintendent of the Omaha school district.”

“It's sad,” Marian Fey, a member of the Omaha school board at the time, told the Omaha World-Herald. “All the way around. For her. For us.”

Thomas Ahart appointed as Sebring's replacement

The Des Moines school board unanimously appointed Thomas Ahart as interim superintendent of the district in May 2012, following Sebring's resignation. Ahart was serving as the district's associate superintendent of teaching and learning at the time of his appointment. He previously served as the principal of Warren G. Harding Middle School.

Ahart was appointed full superintendent by the board in March 2013. He was chosen out of three finalists for the position. His appointment made him the 13th superintendent in the district's history.

Former board member lawsuit against Des Moines school board

Former Des Moines school board member Graham Gillette, who was elected to the board in 2001 and lost his bid for re-election in 2004, joined the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Iowa to file a lawsuit against the school board in September 2012. The lawsuit sought a ruling on whether or not the school board had violated the Iowa Open Meetings Law when they discussed Sebring's resignation in closed session on May 10, 2012.

The public notice for the closed meeting said the school board met “to evaluate the professional competency of an individual whose appointment, hiring, performance, or discharge is being considered when necessary to prevent needless and irreparable injury to that individual’s reputation and that individual requests a closed session.” After the meeting, the school board announced Sebring's resignation and that Ahart would take over as acting superintendent. Caldwell-Johnson also said that Sebring's performance had not been discussed. The school board did not release the tape of the closed meeting when Gillette requested it.

Because Sebring had submitted her resignation prior to the meeting, Gillette and the ACLU said closed meeting procedures should not have pertained to her. “The Des Moines school board members appear to have gone into closed meeting not to discuss the qualifications of employees, as is permitted by law, but to strategize on how to handle themselves politically in the wake of an uncomfortable situation,” Gillette said.

ACLU of Iowa Legal Director Randall Wilson said, “Iowa’s open government laws do not allow public officials to hide serious problems from public view just because they are embarrassing to certain officials.”

Phil Roeder, spokesman for the district, said the board met to discuss personnel matters, which was in accord with the state's open meetings law. “The district will vigorously defend itself against this entirely frivolous lawsuit,” said Roeder.

On December 10, 2013, a Polk County District Court judge approved a settlement agreement between the school board and the ACLU. The judge ruled that the school board discussed some matters in their closed meeting on May 10, 2012, that “did not directly relate to the stated reason for going into closed session." The school board agreed to release taped portions of the meeting in which those matters were discussed.

Former Superintendent Nancy Sebring lawsuit

Sebring filed a lawsuit against Des Moines Public Schools, former board President Teree Caldwell-Johnson, district community relations director Phil Roeder, and district general counsel Patricia Lantz on June 27, 2013. The lawsuit said that "Caldwell-Johnson, Roeder and Lantz, either individually or working in concert, wrongfully undertook steps to ensure the purely personal and private emails would come to the attention of the Des Moines Register and to the public."

Tom Foley, attorney for Sebring, said the emails should have been considered private as they became a personnel matter. "At that point in time, these emails are not only purely personal communication, aren't public record, but also part of a confidential personnel matter — and should have been kept confidential as well," said Foley.

Sebring said, "My understanding of the law at that time as now is it's not the device itself by which you communicate, it's the content of the communication — and I still believe that."

The lawsuit sought lost earnings as well as compensation for "non-pecuniary losses, including without limitation, emotional distress, mental anguish, pain and suffering, inconvenience, humiliation and the loss of the enjoyment of life."

In response to the lawsuit, then-board member Joe Jongewaard said:

“	I am flabbergasted that Nancy Sebring would think the Des Moines Public Schools would ever pay her a dime. As long as I'm there I will never vote to approve any settlement with her. I would hope all of my fellow members would take the same position immediately so Des Moines residents know we are determined to protect their tax dollars.	”
—Joe Jongewaard (2013)

The other members of the board said they would not comment on pending litigation, but Superintendent Thomas Ahart released a statement.

“	This lawsuit is unbelievable. In this matter, the school district did the right thing and properly released public records according to Iowa law, a fact that has already been established by the Iowa District Court. As a public school district, we abide by the state's open records law, and will continue to properly respond to requests for public records. Everyone at Des Moines Public Schools is focused on our number one priority: the education of our 32,000 students.	”
—Thomas Ahart (2013)

In October 2013, the district filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit. Polk County District Court Judge Glenn Pille denied the motion to dismiss the lawsuit in March 2014, which allowed the lawsuit to move forward. Pille also said Sebring's emails should have been considered confidential and should not have been released to the public.

District Judge Robert Hutchison disagreed with Pille. In May and June 2015, Hutchison ruled that Sebring's emails were considered public record and were allowed to be released. "What are otherwise public records cannot be hidden from public scrutiny simply by the records keeper pronouncing them to be the basis for possibly disciplinary action," Hutchison wrote.

On August 10, 2015, the district's insurer settled the lawsuit and agreed to pay $350,000 with no admission of wrongdoing. The payment did not use taxpayer money, but was instead paid through the district's insurer, according to the settlement. The district did, however, pay a $50,000 deductible to the insurer.

Amanda Lewis, spokeswoman for the district, said the insurer agreed to settle to avoid expensive litigation. “It was likely the litigation would have continued for years,” said Lewis.

The district and the defendants, however, said they believed they would have won if the case had gone forward. “Both the facts and the law were on the side of myself, the school district, and the other defendants, and I wish we would have had our day in court. ... I am confident it would have been dismissed," said Roeder.

After the settlement, Sebring said she pursued the lawsuit "to shed light on issues regarding employee privacy." In a statement, she said:

“	Having experienced the devastating effects of having purely private information go viral, I am in a unique position to add insight to the national conversation regarding individual privacy in the Information Age. I am anxious to move forward.	”
—Nancy Sebring (2015)

Contact information

Des Moines Public Schools
2100 Fleur Dr.
Des Moines, IA 50321
Phone: 515-242-7911

About school boards

Education legislation in Iowa

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

Iowa	School Board Elections	News and Analysis
List of school districts in Iowa School board elections in Iowa Public education in Iowa	Iowa school board elections, 2025	United States school shootings, 1990-present

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• Des Moines Public Schools
• Iowa Association of School Boards
• Iowa Department of Education