Announcing New Head of School

Dear Schenck School and ReadSource Friends, 

On behalf of the Board of Trustees and the Search Committee, I am delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Kara A. Loftin as the fifth Head of School of The Schenck School and the Executive Director of ReadSource (formerly The Dyslexia Resource), starting July 1, 2023. The search for a permanent Head of School has taken considerable time, but all who have met her agree that in Dr. Loftin the School has found the ideal leader. She is uniquely qualified to move The Schenck School and ReadSource forward as they meet the challenges and opportunities of a post-COVID world, with its growing need to serve dyslexic students and struggling readers. 

Dr. Loftin brings a broad and deep educational background: she holds a Bachelor’s of Music from Houghton College in Houghton, New York; an M.B.A. from University of Maryland; an M.Ed. in Special Education, Dyslexia Specialization Track, from Fitchburg State University in Massachusetts; and a Ph.D. in Special Education from the University of Northern Colorado.

She will come to The Schenck School from The Craig School in Mountain Lakes, New Jersey, where she currently serves as Head of School. The Craig School serves 130 students with learning disabilities in grades 2-12. Its program includes Orton-Gillingham Structured Literacy Intervention and multisensory teaching, both central to The Schenck Reading Model. At Craig Dr. Loftin oversaw the strengthening of enrollment, capital improvement, and strong financial management. Prior to Craig Dr. Loftin served as Dean of Parent and Student Support Services, and, later, as Assistant Head of School for Academic Support at Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah. In those roles she oversaw the creation and growth of a highly successful Learning Support Center, a  “school within a school,” for students with learning disabilities.  

During her visit to the School, everyone who met with Dr. Loftin came away deeply impressed by her deep expertise, her enthusiasm for The Schenck School, her warmth, and her ability to communicate effectively with different audiences. Faculty and staff, trustees, and parents who met her during her visit all, without exception, came away excited about her candidacy. 

Dr. Loftin is married to Joseph Loftin, who himself has enjoyed a long career in education, including thirty-two years as a Head of School. Most recently he co-founded The Global Culture Education Initiative, which promotes virtual and physical exchange among K-12 schools worldwide. Kara and Joe have three college-age children, and all are looking forward to their move to Atlanta. We very much look forward to welcoming Kara, Joe, and their children to Atlanta and The Schenck family.

I want to close by thanking the Search Committee and its Chair, Jeffrey Wright, for all of the care, thought, and effort they have given to this process. It has taken over a year, with the added step of finding and hiring an interim leader, but we could not be more pleased with the outcome. We are confident that all who meet her will agree that Kara Loftin is the right person to lead The Schenck School and ReadSource in the years to come.

Kim Marks
Chair, Board of Trustees