By Hailey Peck, The Daily Nonpareil
Photo caption: Iowa School for the Deaf recently welcomed Superintendent Chris Kaftan to Council Bluffs.
IOWA SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF
Trading good seafood and congested traffic commutes for farmland and corn stalks, Chris Kaftan has recently moved from the east coast to the middle of the country.
Kaftan recently became the new superintendent of the Iowa School for the Deaf and the affiliated Iowa Educational Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
Kaftan will be only the second deaf superintendent in the history of the school, which is located in Council Bluffs. ISD has been around since 1855 and brought in staff for the former school for the visually impaired in 2012.
“I’ve always known about the Iowa School for the Deaf. It had had a huge legacy since it came around,” Kaftan told The Nonpareil in an interview. “I feel honored to be selected to be able to serve these programs, and I also feel that it validates my journey through the field.”
Kaftan brings more than 20 years of experience in education with him. While he originally never thought he would want to be a superintendent, he’s excited his career has led him in that direction. Kaftan started in education as a high school teacher who taught deaf students in greater Washington, D.C..
Kaftan also has experience as the director of curriculum and instruction for the Maryland School of the Deaf and was a secondary principal at the Marie Philip School at the Learning Center for the Deaf in Massachusetts.
As Kaftan begins his time at ISD, he is most excited to meet the students and the rest of the staff.
“Since I’m new to the program, my biggest priority is to get to know people. I want to meet the student, staff, and their families,” Kaftan said. “We want to make sure we’re providing high-quality education for the populations we serve.”
While Kaftan’s main focus is in education, he has dabbled in a few other fields as well, allowing him to have unique experiences to bring to campus. Kaftan has served on four different media teams for Team USA in the Deaflympics.
While his plans for acclimating to the Midwest are to explore through hiking and camping, plans for the future of the school are a little different.
“First, I am going to give myself some time to learn from the students and the staff what’s been going good and what has been challenging, then bring it back to the leadership team to address it from there,” Kaftan said. “I didn’t come in because I wanted to change everything overnight. I wanted to come here to make sure that what’s already happening continues to foster.”
Kaftan says one of the best ways to ensure the success of the school is to get to know the school and community, which is where his main focus is. He’s also focused on the outcomes of the school’s deaf-blind student population.
“(My goal) is that our students in the blind and deaf program can graduate and pursue their passions, their dreams, aspirations, and their career or educational goals,” Kaftan said. “I want them to feel like they have the tools and strategies to do so.”
