Superintendent Mike Fisher’s administrator license expired Nov. 30; renewal submitted

OSKALOOSA, Iowa — The Oskaloosa Community School District said this weekend it learned Superintendent Mike Fisher’s Iowa administrator license “expired on Nov. 30, 2025.”

The district said “the expiration was due to an oversight” and that it “has been acknowledged by Superintendent Fisher.” The district added, “Superintendent Fisher has acknowledged the oversight, takes full responsibility, and apologizes for the error.”

In a message included with the district’s statement, Fisher also accepted blame, writing, “This is totally my fault and I own all of it.” He said, “On Friday night, I was notified by a community member that my administrator license expired on November 30, 2025.”

The district thanked the person who raised the issue. “Dr. Fisher appreciates the community member who notified the board of the oversight,” the district said. “We appreciate the community member’s commitment to our core values of health and kindness.” Fisher identified the person in his message, writing, “I’m appreciative to Mr. Scott VanVeldhuizen, who let our team know on Friday about the issue so I could get it corrected.”

The district said this can happen elsewhere in Iowa. “This is a situation that does occur from time to time across the state, and the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners has an established process for addressing it,” the district said.

OCSD said the renewal was done online. “The renewal process is straightforward and was completed online over the weekend,” the district said. Fisher said, “As soon as I became aware of the issue, I completed the online renewal process and secured a temporary extension in case the renewal process takes additional time.”

The district said Fisher took time off while the renewal is processed. “In accordance with guidance from the Board of Educational Examiners and consistent with the process the district follows for all staff, Superintendent Fisher took paid time off (PTO) on Monday to allow the renewal to be finalized,” the district said. “The estimated processing time for the renewal is 24-48 hours.” The district said, “Superintendent Fisher will continue to utilize PTO until the extension has been processed by the BOEE.”

Fisher also described taking a day off. “Following Osky Schools’ process on how we handle these situations, I took a personal day today,” he wrote. “I hope to be back in the office on Tuesday.” He added, “If, for some reason, my extension isn’t updated on the BOEE website by the morning, I’ll take an additional personal day Tuesday, so I’m following our policy, expectations, and precedent.”

Fisher said the mistake came from a calendar reminder. “I have a personal calendar invite to remind me to renew my license, but I later realized I had mistakenly set it for 2026,” he wrote.

The district said it wanted to speak directly about what happened. “This approach ensures the matter is handled appropriately and transparently,” the district said. “The district appreciates the opportunity to address the situation directly and remains committed to accountability and compliance with all licensure requirements.”