NCSD hires Des Moines area educator as new director of teaching and learning

Newton Community School District on Monday hired a new director of teaching and learning. Natasha “Tess” Davis, who has worked in Des Moines area schools for several years, was chosen to fill in the role previously held by Amy Shannon, who announced her resignation in late March. Davis will start July 1.

Before the Newton school board approved the hiring, Davis spoke about her brief experiences with the town and the district and her excitement for things to come.

“Anybody that I’ve met from Newton has such great things to say about the district and learning. I’m excited to grow and learn more,” she said “… I just finished up six years as an assistant principal in a middle school with Des Moines Public Schools. Prior to that I was a teacher leader with concurrent roles.”

She also worked as an instructional coach and a curriculum leader at Valley High School. Prior to that she taught as a math teacher. Still feeling like a teacher at heart, Davis told the school board she could return to the classroom at any day. After all these years in the education field, the passion within her has never died.

“It’s just grown in the different ways we serve students in our different roles,” Davis said. “…(I’ve been involved in) a lot of different ways of serving our students, and I’m excited to bring that here and dig in to what we need to do to help our students grow.”