A neighboring administrator and Iowa City native will be the next principal at Liberty High School.
Cedar Rapids Community School District Chief of Schools Adam Zimmermann was approved by the Iowa City Community School District board of directors to lead North Liberty High School on Tuesday, May 12. He will join the Liberty administration ahead of the 2026-27 school year at a to-be-determined salary, according to board documents.
Zimmerman has been with the Cedar Rapids district since 2017, according to LinkedIn, serving in various roles, including as principal of City View Community High School and as Chief of Innovation and Research. He currently oversees the academic success of schools like Washington High School. Zimmerman was appointed chief of schools in March after acting as an interim chief.
The new role is a homecoming for the Iowa City native and West High graduate.
Current Liberty High principal heads to SE Polk
Zimmermann will replace Liberty High Principal Justin Colbert, who is leaving to become deputy superintendent of the Southeast Polk Community School District beginning July 1. Like Zimmerman, Colbert’s move to the Des Moines Metro will mark a return to his alma mater.
Colbert served as the assistant principal from Liberty’s opening in 2017 through the end of the 2019-20 school year, then served as the interim principal before securing the full-time role.
In an email sent to Liberty families, he said the decision to move was “difficult,” but noted that Liberty will “always be important” to him.
“While I’m excited for this chapter in my life, it’s hard to leave a community that I care about so much,” Colbert said in his email. “Liberty will always be important to me, and I will always be rooting for your success and the success of this school.”
Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and education reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached at JRish@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @rishjessica_
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Iowa City CSD taps Cedar Rapids admin, local grad as Liberty principal
Reporting by Jessica Rish, Iowa City Press-Citizen / Iowa City Press-Citizen
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