LM May 2025

Message From the Executive Director

Celebrating Our Retiring Educational Leaders

Dr. Brent Clark

As we close another remarkable school year, I want to take a moment to honor and thank the dedicated superintendents across Illinois who are concluding their distinguished careers in public education. Your decades of service and steadfast commitment to students have left an indelible mark on our state’s educational landscape. Many of you began your careers in education when computers were novelties in schools, when communication happened through handwritten memos and face-to-face conversations, and when the educational landscape looked vastly different than today. Whether as teachers, principals or administrators, you witnessed the transformation from chalkboards to smartboards, from encyclopedias to instant access to global information. More significantly, many of you navigated seismic policy shifts like No Child Left Behind, weathered economic downturns that threatened school budgets and, most recently, led your communities through a global pandemic that redefined how we think about teaching and learning. In the aftermath, you’ve tackled academic recovery while addressing student trauma and reimagining support systems where mental health services became essential for learning to flourish again. Through it all, you demonstrated strategic leadership that doesn’t just react to change—it leverages change to benefit students. Your collective advocacy with superintendent colleagues became a driving force behind one of Illinois education’s most significant victories: the passage of Illinois Vision 2020. This initiative delivered the Evidence-Based Funding formula, resulting in nearly

$2 billion in increased K-12 funding. You didn’t just support this legislation—you championed it, testified for it, and refused to accept the status quo when Illinois students deserved better. Your influence extended far beyond Springfield’s corridors. At IASA conferences and professional gatherings, you shared your innovations, struggles and breakthroughs, inspiring colleagues and sparking district wide improvements across the state. As you transition to retirement, your legacy lives on in the students you’ve served, the colleagues you’ve inspired and the communities you’ve strengthened. Your mentorship shaped emerging leaders, your wisdom guided districts through crisis and your commitment to excellence elevated public education across Illinois. Thank you for showing us what it means to lead with purpose and finish strong. Best wishes to everyone in retirement.

Click Here to View List of Retiring Superintendents

3

LM May 2025