WEST LIBERTY Incoming West Liberty Superintendent Joseph Potts has an unusual career arc, starting in higher education and spanning K-12 education in several states.

But after his years away, the Dubuque native wanted to return to his home state. On Aug. 1, he replaced outgoing superintendent Steve Hanson, who retired after six years in the district and 40 years in education.

In an interview Friday, Potts said his career has almost always involved diverse student bodies, an experience that would serve him well as he guides the 1,400-student school district the most diverse district in the area. West Liberty was the first town in the state of Iowa to achieve a majority Latino population, 52 percent according to the 2010 Census, and the district reflects that.

Potts most recently served as principal of Kentlake High School in Kent, Washington, a diverse district in its own right. Its students speak a collective 138 languages.

Potts said he chose to go into education because he enjoys people.

The happiest times I have ever experienced in my career that I can really work and help people, students, teachers, administrators, he said. If I can be of service to people, I feel that I am doing what I should do.

But a people person can go anywhere and choose almost any career path, from Human Resources to Ministry. Potts credits his career choice to his family both his parents and his grandmother were educators.

Both his mom and grandmother taught in a one-room schoolhouse, where the teachers were the school and eight grade levels learned together as one.

Back then, teachers wore all hats. They taught and disciplined, effectively serving as teacher and principal. At one point, according to the Iowa State Historical Society, almost 14,000 such schools operated, but most of them were closed in the 1960s when new laws mandated the creation of school districts.

My mom talks about her last class in that one-room schoolhouse and she talks about how she had the honor of teaching so many really high performing professionals attorneys, doctors and so on, he said.

In essence, Potts family encompasses the shifts in Iowas education culture. A culture now marked by assessments, specialized roles such as instructional coaches and para-educators and a push toward evidence-based teaching practices. Potts said most of these changes have been positive.

Were really learning how kids learn and how to teach better so that a diversity of children can succeed, he said. So most of it is really focusing our attention on practices and innovations and interventions that actually makes a difference and help kids.

State standards, for example, he said, are a good way of creating consistency between school districts, unifying the quality of education. But technology, while helpful in some applications, can create distractions in the classroom.

Potts said he has been familiarizing himself with the district since hes come on board a couple of weeks ago. The real work will begin next week when students return from their summer vacation. Some of the things the district will have to face in the coming years, he said, are facility upgrades and upkeep and a happy problem unlike many districts in the area, who are struggling with declining enrollment, the West Liberty School District projects that its enrollment will increase by about 100 students.

With it, Potts said, the district may face some challenges in accommodating the students, though Potts stresses that the district is perfectly capable of handling the influx of students at the moment.

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Meet West Liberty Schools' new superintendent - Muscatine Journal