Lisbon and Springville Community School District’s new superintendent has been on the job for the past few weeks, since Friday, July 1.
Prior to starting, Autumn Pino was a common sight in many of the Springville and Lisbon School Board work sessions and meetings.
“When you’re an informal member attending many of those meetings, it’s easier to build relationships and get familiar with the happenings in the districts,” Pino said.
For Pino, the first few weeks have included getting to know people in both communities.
“The striking thing is the immense pride that both Springville and Lisbon School Districts have in their school districts, and that’s very fun and energizing,” Pino said.
Pino graduated from Independence High School, and attended Loras College in Dubuque for her bachelors of education, majoring in secondary special education with an emphasis on behavioral issues.
Pino taught at Prairie Elementary as a special education teacher for a number of years.
She went back to Loras to get her masters degree in education. She was a principal in a school near Galena, Ill., and then in Maquoketa Middle School for four years. She was an associate principal in Bettendorf, followed by her tenure as principal at Cedar Rapids Roosevelt for 11 years.
She got her superintendent certificate from the University of Northern Iowa.
Pino said the size of the districts of Springville and Lisbon is what drew her to the job.
“It allows me to be visible at both schools, and I really loved the accessibility to the students in the Lisbon School district as well,” Pino said.
Pino said coming from Independence, she’s a small town girl at heart, and has known graduates from both districts.
“The graduates all speak with a great deal of pride of their schools, and that was a good feel as well,” Pino said.
She also noted she was encouraged by people in both communities to apply for the job and it felt like the right job at the right time.
“When superintendents look at any job, we’ve got to look if it’s the right fit, the right time and what value we can add,” Pino said.
Pino knows at Lisbon, early discussions by the school board have centered on a new industrial technology classroom wing and other improvements to the physical space.
She’s also getting closer to her administrative teams at Springville and Lisbon. At Lisbon, both the secondary principal is new to the district, while the activities director is transitioning from a teacher to the new role.
“I’ve been working to make sure we have concrete visions on our roles in the district, as well as how I can help them with their new jobs,” Pino said.
Pino will be holding listening sessions in both Springville and Lisbon throughout the fall. These sessions are more a meet and greet format, but also an opportunity for citizens to leave advice or suggestions to priorities.
The first sessions are planned for Monday, Aug. 1 in Springville with Pino at Sally’s On Broadway from noon to 1:30 p.m. and at Springville Public Library from 4 to 5:30 p.m. She will hold listening sessions at Cabin Coffee in Lisbon Tuesday, Aug. 2 from 9 to 10:30 and Friday, Aug. 5, from 9-10:30, and another Friday, Aug. 5, at Sally’s on Broadway from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
Pino said she loves refurbishing items, feeding her art side.
She also loves watching and rooting for the items her own children are passionate about. Her son is definitely passionate about soccer, and her daughter is for the fine arts. Pino says she honors time with her family, noting the busy schedules of both the students and adults.