Des Moines Independent Community School District announced that Thomas Ahart will serve as the district’s associate superintendent of teaching and learning. Ahart’s responsibilities will include overseeing childhood education, special education, and gifted and talented programs. For the past three years, he has been principal of Harding Middle School. He has also served as director of human resources at the Ankeny Community School District, director of instruction at the Marshalltown Community School District and as a school improvement consultant at the Heartland Area Education Agency.