LM May 2023

IASA Members Meet the New State Superintendent

By Jason Nevel IASA Director of Social Media and Publications

The person Dr. Tony Sanders’ credits for “saving” his life is much better known for his tales of death and horror. “Stephen King saved my life,” Sanders told a crowd of superintendents at IASA’s Meet the State Superintendent event in Normal on April 26. “As a kid, I struggled to read and tried to avoid it at all costs. Pet Sematary was the first book that made me enjoy reading. Because of that experience, literacy is a clear passion of mine.” Sanders took over in late February as State Superintendent of Illinois. He previously served as superintendent of the state’s second largest district, School District U-46 in Elgin. IASA is sponsoring three Meet the State Superintendent events across the state. The first session was held in Mount Vernon, the second in Normal and the final session will be held May 11 in Naperville. In the first two sessions, Sanders shared his backstory, goals at ISBE and answered questions from superintendents. Despite having two parents who were educators— including his father, Ted, who served as State Superintendent in Illinois in the 1980s—Sanders said he really wanted to be Johnny Fever, the popular radio DJ. After high school, he earned a degree in communications and worked at several radio stations. “I got married and realized we could not survive on a DJ salary,” Sanders said. “That’s when I went to work for the state.” Sanders worked in public relations for the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation and later moved into a similar role with the Illinois State Board of Education. “When I started working for ISBE, I realized I never wanted to leave education,” Sanders said. Sanders left ISBE to become chief communications officer for St. Louis Public Schools. He then moved north to Illinois at U-46, first as chief of communications and accountability and later on chief of staff. He was hired as CEO/Superintendent in 2014.

“There was always only one job that I would ever leave U-46 for and it’s this one,” Sanders said. As State Superintendent, Sanders said his top three priorities are strengthening early childhood education, bolstering the educator pipeline to address the teacher shortage and reimagining the statewide system of support for schools. He also touched on some other goals during the IASA sessions, including: • Updating ISBE’s grant management system, which was built in the 1980s. • Streamlining guidance on career pathways. • Re-thinking the CTE funding formula. • Retaining staff at ISBE and filling vacancies. • Strengthening ISBE’s governmental relations team. • Improving the partnership with the IASA-ISBE Advisory Committee. If you want to attend the third and final Meet the State Superintendent session on May 11 at the Naperville North High School Auditorium, click here to RSVP.

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LM May 2023