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The state of Iowa will pay $440,000 to settle a 2022 disability discrimination case from a former employee of the Iowa Department of Education.

Amy Williamson, the former deputy director of the Iowa Department of Education, resigned from her position in 2022 after allegedly facing retaliation for complaining to the governor’s staff about civil rights violations within the agency.

State records indicate that before she resigned, Williamson had worked for the Iowa Department of Education since May 2007. In October 2020, she was promoted to deputy director of the agency. She remained in that position until she resigned in February 2022.

Williamson, at a 2022 hearing on her claim for unemployment benefits after leaving the Department of Education, recounted she had concerns with some of the department’s human resources policies in early 2021. She also alleged her concerns were not taken seriously by the then-director of the Iowa Department of Education Ann Lebo. Lebo resigned from the role in February 2023 and currently works in the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.

Williamson said Lebo later conducted an “employee review” to show she had not met certain mandatory deadlines. Williamson protested, arguing the deadlines had been met. She also alleged Lebo was “not pleased” after she relayed her concerns to the governor’s office in January 2022.

At the unemployment benefits hearing, Williamson said her role as deputy director was reduced after her meeting with Lebo. She was no longer responsible for managing K-12 education, and someone was to be hired to replace her in that role. Her oversight went from managing 138 people to supervising three administrative consultants and a secretary.

Two days after her duties were reduced, Williamson experienced gastrointestinal bleeding and was treated at an urgent care clinic and diagnosed with an acute stress reaction. Her doctor took her off work for six weeks.

While on medical leave, a job was posted for an administrator at the department with nearly identical duties to her position, including all of the responsibilities that had just been assigned to her by Lebo. She was advised by her doctor not to return to work because her illness was a direct result of work-related anxiety and stress.

On Feb. 24, 2022, Williamson submitted a letter of resignation. She later applied for and was denied unemployment benefits. Williamson appealed the decision and the Department of Education did not participate in the hearing.

According to Iowa Assistant Attorney General Christopher Deist, the state agreed to settle the appeal for a total of $440,000. As part of the settlement, Williamson will receive a $59,000 payroll check, a $200,000 settlement check, and $180,000 payable to Fielder Law Firm to pay for attorney fees and litigation costs.

The Iowa Department of Education will also be reimbursed $4,517.68 for Williamson’s share of FICA taxes.

Kyle Werner is a reporter for the Register. Reach him at kwerner@dmreg.com.

We’ve been moving through the Midwest, analyzing ZIP codes in terms of their home values, and going state by state to identify the most expensive ones. Recently, we investigated the most expensive ZIP codes in Michigan and Wisconsin. Now, we are going to take a look at Iowa’s most expensive ZIP codes.

So, read on to find out the most expensive ZIP codes in Iowa in 2024, based on data from Zillow’s home value index and the Census Bureau.

The Most Expensive ZIP Codes in Iowa

Using data from Zillow’s home value index, plus the Census Bureau’s 2023 American Community Survey, we analyzed thousands of ZIP codes across the country. We’ve been identifying the most expensive ZIP codes on various geographic levels, including on the state-level and on the city-level. Here, we’re going on the state-level with what are the most expensive ZIP codes in Iowa.

As part of our analysis, we took into consideration the latest monthly home values Zillow has — December 2024 — as well as the average of 12 months of median home values from January 2024 to December 2024, in order to gain a more complete picture.

Below are the 20 most expensive ZIP codes in Iowa.

The Top 5 Most Expensive ZIP Codes in Iowa

The No. 1 most expensive ZIP code in Iowa is 50061, covering an area south of West Des Moines and includes towns like Cumming and Orilla. This is an affluent place, beyond the immediate suburbs of Des Moines. The median household income in ZIP code 50061 is $130,250, while the average household income is $175,415. Around 30% of households earn at least $200,000 a year in this ZIP code. Home values rose markedly in 50061, with the median home value going from $404,552 in December 2019, to $578,220 in December 2024, which is 42.9% in five years. The growth over just the last year is arguably more impressive, at 4.9%; it rose from $552,312 in December 2023 to $578,220 a year later.

The No. 2 most expensive ZIP code in Iowa is 51355. It is centered on Okoboji, with its entire left-side boundary being West Okoboji Lake. The lakefront homes here are beautiful and the scenery exemplary. Back in December 2019, the median home value in ZIP code 51355 was $343,041. A year later, it had risen by about $30,000. But from December 2020 to December 2021, the median home value jumped from $371,560 to $433,999. By the end of December 2024, the median home value had reached $517,944, a rate of 51% over five years.

The No. 3 most expensive ZIP code in Iowa — 51331 — is right across the lake, to the south of ZIP code 51355. The third most expensive ZIP code is centered on Arnolds Park, which is connected to Okoboji by Okoboji Grove Road. The median household income in ZIP code 51331 is $84,615, whereas the mean household income is $109,911. This ZIP code experiencing the greatest home value appreciation out of the top five most expensive ZIP codes. From a median home value of $295,105 in December 2019, the median rose by 61%, to reach $475,070 in December 2024.

The fourth most expensive ZIP code in Iowa is 50323, which covers western Urbandale. It’s a little over 11 miles from Des Moines to this ZIP code. Incomes here are very high. The median household income in ZIP code 50323 is $173,659. The average household income is $202,398. Home value growth in 50323 was slower than in the other top most expensive ZIP codes. From a median home value of $348,828 in December 2019, values increased by 31.5%, reaching $458,591 in December 2024.

The No. 5 most expensive ZIP code is 50229, which is a sprawling ZIP code centered in Prole. It stretches from Prole in the east to Patterson in the west. This ZIP code covers a largely rural area southwest of Des Moines. Incomes here are certainly higher than the state average. The median household income in ZIP code 50229 is $106,087, while the average household income is $125,598. Home values increased by more than 40% in 50229. The median home value back in December 2019 was $322,235. It then grew by 41.5% over the next five years, reaching $456,018 by the end of December 2024.