IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – Iowa City’s interim superintendent will receive a nearly 10% higher base pay than the man she’s replacing but will get significantly less in fringe benefits. On Monday, the Iowa City School Board approved a 1-year contract for Amy Kortemeyer to take over as interim superintendent for the 2026-27 school year. Kortemeyer was set to retire as superintendent of the Linn-Mar school district after this school year. She had previously worked in the Iowa City Schools from 2015-2023, most recently as deputy superintendent. Kortemeyer will be tasked with cleaning up a financial mess that the Iowa Board of Education called “mind-boggling”. That included the district taking out millions of dollars in loans without board approval, failing to complete a financial audit for 3 years and losing the district’s bond rating. The result has been significant spending cuts with more cuts expected to balance the budget. Kortemeyer will receive a higher base salary, earning $285,000 in annual salary, which would have made her the fourth highest paid in the state this school year. That’s just less than a 10% increase from what Iowa City Schools paid Matt Degner this school year. However, Kortemeyer will get significantly less than Degner in fringe benefits. While Degner received $39,014 in deferred compensation to a retirement account this past school year, Kortemeyer will get $14,109 in deferred compensation. Kortemeyer will also receive $3,000 in an annual vehicle allowance, compared to Degner’s $7,200. Both Kortemeyer and Degner also received a technology and cell phone allowance. All told, Kortemeyer’s total compensation outlined in the contract adds up to $304,109. The Iowa Department of Education reported Degner’s total compensation this school year amounted to $356,324, the fourth-highest total in the state.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – The Cedar Rapids Community School District will launch an online learning option for 3rd through 12th grade students for the 2026-27 school year. The Five Seasons Virtual Academy will offer daily, live video sessions with teachers and fellow students. Students with individualized education plans (IEPs) or 504 plans will receive all required state and federal services online according to the district. Transportation will be provided to district buildings on required testing days. To learn more about FSVA, contact the district at 319-558-2204 or email fsva@crschools.us.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – A Maquoketa woman was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison for vehicular homicide. The district court judge wrote in a prior verdict that on August 11, 2025, Kaylynn Knight was driving while also on her cell phone, and unintentionally caused the death of Jayseth Paul. As part of Monday’s sentence, she will also pay $150,000 to the victim’s family. According to court records, Paul had pulled his semi over on the side of Highway 61 to secure his cargo. Knight was headed southbound on the road. Authorities say she was travelling 73 miles per hour without braking when her SUV hit Paul. They determined she would have had 11 seconds to react to seeing Paul’s truck. Investigators also determined Knight was on her phone right before the crash. A hands-free law went into effect July first of last year, just two months before Knight’s crash.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – An Iowa City man has been arrested after police say he helped steal nearly $2,000 in items from a victim at the Pedestrian Mall. Boubacar Dioubate, 20, is charged with second-degree robbery and theft. A criminal complaint filed by Iowa City Police said three people robbed a man around before 1 a.m. on April 18 in the 100 block of South Clinton Street. The victim told officers that the suspects pulled a knife on him and threatened to stab and shoot him. They took the man’s cell phone, necklace and $200 in cash, approximately $1,700 in stolen items. According to the complaint, Dioubate was seen on security footage assaulting the victim, grabbed away the victim’s phone and pocketed the victim’s necklace. Officers traced the phone’s location data to Dioubate’s apartment following the incident.
