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Education Elevat g

Johnson-Maden ... cont’d. her passion for helping people with special needs. She currently teaches special education as an adjunct professor at Eastern Illinois University. “That work is incredibly meaningful and important to me,” Dr. Johnson-Maden said. “It keeps me connected to my passion and gives me the opportunity to share best practices with future special education teachers.” Dr. Johnson-Maden has been a strong supporter of IASA’s Women in Leadership initiative. The effort has connected her with peers and provided a platform to share her story and lessons learned with younger female superintendents. Beginning in February, she will be a facilitator for IASA’s new Elevate IASA SuperWomen cohort. The first of its kind professional development opportunity brings together female superintendents from across the state for engaging and thought-provoking sessions designed to boost confidence and strengthen leadership skills. “Both of my children were born while I was a superintendent, and I understand the challenges of school leadership and the difficulties women face finding that work-life balance,” Dr. Johnson-Maden said. “I am grateful and passionate about this opportunity to support other female leaders and elevate the profession.” For the past few years, Dr. Johnson-Maden has also been a coach in IASA’s Transformational Leadership Academy. The coaches act as trusted mentors and help superintendents navigate rocky waters. Meanwhile, at Rossville-Alvin CUSD #7, Dr. Johnson-Maden has overseen a significant turnaround. The district has placed an emphasis on social-emotional learning, provided additional supports for low-income students and removed financial barriers, including waiving lunch fees and purchasing school supplies. “I am a huge believer in the hierarchy of needs and that schools need to do everything they possibly can to support families,” Dr. Johnson-Maden said. “Once a student’s basic needs are met, the real teaching comes in.” Also at Rossville-Alvin CUSD #7, Dr. Johnson-Maden is proud of improving school board relations and building a positive environment for staff. The district regularly engages in team building activities, even hosting a dueling pianos competition. “My belief is if I do everything I can to support my staff, they will do the same for our students,” she said.

Craig ... cont’d.

a good enough job of generating passion, excitement and opportunities for exploration.” Aurora West USD #129 was able to finance the new facility thanks to the passage of $84.2 million in bonds approved by voters in a 2015 referendum. Dr. Craig championed the referendum, which he said changed the trajectory of the entire district. “When I first started in 2014, we shut the district down for four days due to excessive heat because eight of our buildings didn’t have air conditioning. At that time, we only had 23 days of fund balance. The referendum was a game changer for us. It allowed us to complete numerous capital projects, become more efficient and start being proactive about our building needs.” Dr. Craig has also been a strong advocate for Evidence Based Funding. In 2015 and 2016, he was part of a group of superintendents who traveled to Springfield numerous times to advocate for the passage of the Evidence-Based Funding model. The group also helped build a coalition of support among superintendents across Illinois. In addition, Dr. Craig has been vocal about the state’s need to increase funding for early childhood education. “Even when I was a high school principal, I could see the importance of early childhood funding. It’s better to be proactive than reactive. We set our kids up better for success when we make that investment on the front end.” As superintendent, Dr, Craig said he is also proud of his efforts to demystify the district office. He emphasizes to his leadership team it’s important for administrators to be visible in school buildings. He has also used his platform as superintendent to be a strong advocate for public education and promote the vital role educators play in society. A recent example is a video the district published titled “Reinvigorate, Celebrate, and Elevate Public Education.” “Our public schools educate approximately 90% of our nation’s children. Second only to parenting, the quality of our public schools will have the greatest influence on our future,” Dr. Craig said. Lastly, Dr. Craig was tapped in 2018 to chair the Aurora Education Commission, an effort by Mayor Richard Irvin to break down the silos between preK–12 public schools, parochial schools and higher education institutions.

19 LM February 2023