Kami Steichen takes the oath of office as Cedar Rapids Community School District Board of Education secretary, administered during the Feb. 3, 2025, school board meeting by board President Cindy Garlock, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (photo/Cindy Hadish)

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — The Cedar Rapids Community School District Board of Directors has appointed a new board secretary to replace Ryan Rydstrom, who had served in that role, as well as chief of staff, for less than two years.

Rydstrom, who was employed by the school district in both positions since April 2023, is on leave and has submitted his resignation, said Elizabeth Jacobi, the district’s chief compliance officer.

School District Superintendent Tawana Grover referred questions about the resignation to Jacobi, who said Rydstrom is still employed by the district until his resignation takes effect in June.

Jacobi declined to say why Rydstrom has been on leave.

He has periodically been absent from school board meetings in recent months.

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Ryan Rydstrom accepts petitions in July 2023 from Save CR Heritage, opposing the demolition of Harrison Elementary School. (photo/Cindy Hadish)

As of Feb. 4, 2025, he was still listed at the top of the school district’s organizational chart, alongside Grover.

The School Board appointed Kami Steichen as the new board secretary during its Feb. 3, 2025, meeting, for a period of five months. No mention of Rydstrom was made during the meeting.

Rydstrom had replaced longtime Board Secretary Laurel Day, who retired in 2023.

When hired in April 2023, his prorated salary was listed at $126,060. Legal notices in July 2024 showed his salary as $142,770. He previously was the school district’s associate director of access and instructional design.

Grover was named superintendent in January 2023, starting around the same time as Rydstrom assumed his role as chief of staff.

Rydstrom’s LinkedIn profile notes that as the school district’s chief of staff, he “oversees the strategic planning, operations, project management and communication of the district, serving over 16,000 students and 2,500 staff.”

He could not be reached for comment.

When asked if Rydstrom’s position as chief of staff would be filled, Jacobi stated “we have no further information at this time.”

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Ryan Rydstrom, far left at the table, participates in a School Board hearing in September 2023, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (photo/Cindy Hadish)