23028 Annual Report 22-23_hi

Message From The President

The opportunity to connect and collaborate with superintendents across the state has been one of the great joys of serving as President of the IASA Board of Directors. In each meeting, we discuss unique challenges and share perspectives about how legislation or other

Never forget or take for granted the tremendous opportunity you have as superintendent. The future of education is yours to mold and shape—all in the vision of what your students and community needs. To help you achieve your goals, you have an incredible partner in the IASA. One of the great benefits of serving on the IASA Board of Directors is connecting with my counterparts from across the country. I can say with confidence that Illinois has the best administrator association in the country. Other states may offer some of the services we enjoy as members, but no one else offers the complete package of legal support, mentoring, networking opportunities, on demand professional development, legislative advocacy, communications support and resources. To carry out these services, IASA has a talented and passionate staff. If you ever need assistance, someone from IASA is always available to assist you. To close, it’s been an honor to serve as IASA President. The opportunity to connect and collaborate with superintendents across the state has helped me grow as a leader and strengthen educational programs for students within my district. For helping me improve the lives of students, I’m incredibly grateful. At the end of the day, that’s my purpose.

state initiatives will impact our districts. While the circumstances vary from region to region, there is never any debate or misconception about what the North Star of the Board should be when it comes to determining opposition, support or strategy. Every decision comes back to—what’s best for students. Staying grounded and focused on continuously supporting my students, teachers and community has always been my purpose in education. I know it may sound cliché, but superintendents can’t lose sight of their purpose. This job can wear you down and spit you out. Issues like the teacher shortage, unfunded mandates, personnel matters, union issues and board relations can cause superintendents to become jaded or pessimistic about public education. I steadfastly believe that serving as a public school superintendent remains the best job on the planet. My family jokes I like it so much that I elected to serve as dual superintendent of two districts, Scott-Morgan CUSD #2 and Winchester CUSD #1. Ultimately, each of you applied for this job because you wanted to, not only shape the lives of students, but also shape the lives of your teachers, staff and your community.

Dr. Kevin Blankenship IASA President 2022–2023

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