LM Nov-Dec.2019

Dr. KevinBlanke 2020 Illinois Su of theYear It’s a unique situation and one other educators, especially his fellow superintendents, ask Blankenship about. While he admits he’s been busy, Blankenship is not one to complain about any of the unique challenges he faces, like overseeing two budgets or keeping lines of communication open with two school boards. That selfless attitude is one of the reasons he’s earned the respect from staff in both districts he serves and why he was named 2020 Illinois Superintendent of the Year. “He prides himself in keeping quiet on those things and just doing everything he can to help both districts succeed,” says Joe Kuhlmann, preK–12 principal at Scott-Morgan CUSD #2. “He cares so much about the students and community and you will always see him willing to lend a helping hand, wherever it is needed.” Shared Superintendent Blankenship has been an educator for 25 years, including eight as superintendent. He currently serves on the IASA Board of Directors (Two Rivers Region) and is one of a handful of superintendents in Illinois who is also a certified police officer. Nominees for Illinois Superintendent of the Year are judged on the following criteria: leadership for learning,

Each morning when Dr. Kevin Blankenship pulls into the parking lot for work, he knows it won’t be long before he’s back in the driver’s seat. The superintendent of Scott-Morgan CUSD #2 for the past eight years is now also the leader of Winchester CUSD #1 as part of a shared-superintendent agreement the two school boards entered into locally. Being a dual superintendent requires Blankenship—the 2020 Illinois Superintendent of the Year—to be visible in each district. That means he typically spends the morning in one district and the afternoon in the other. According to the Illinois State Board of Education, Blankenship is one of two superintendents in the state to serve as a dual superintendent of two unit districts. Combined, the two districts he leads serve about 900 preK–12 students in west central Illinois. Roughly 50 percent of the students in the two districts are considered low income. By Jason Nevel IASA Director of Social Media and Publications

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LM Month 2019