LM Nov-Dec.2019

ship erintendent

Click here to see video testimonials from those who nominated Dr. Blankenship for Superintendent of the Year.

communication, professionalism and community involvement. The Illinois Superintendent of the Year Selection Committee then reviews the applicants and chooses a winner. Blankenship received the award at the Joint Annual Conference in Chicago. “I am extremely honored and privileged to serve as superintendent of two tremendous school districts. Both school communities work hard every day to provide the best education possible for our students,” says Blankenship. “Illinois has so many outstanding superintendents that I also view this award as a reflection of the work that all superintendents do on a daily basis.” The genesis of his becoming a shared superintendent started when David Roberts, former superintendent of Winchester CUSD #1, announced his retirement in 2018. The leadership from each board discussed the idea of a shared superintendent and Blankenship expressed a strong interest with the possibility of leading both districts. Members of both school boards discussed the idea and a committee was formed to weigh the pros and cons. In the end, both boards recognized Blankenship was the right person to lead both districts forward. Three months into the school year, the transition has gone smoothly.

“Dr. Blankenship was the right choice to lead our district forward,” says Trista Freeman, school board member in Winchester CUSD #1. “He’s been great as far as communication with the board as well as maintaining visibility at both districts.” 21st Century Learning Since Blankenship was hired at Scott-Morgan CUSD #2 in 2012, the district has seen significant improvements in the areas of technology, academic performance and facilities. At that time, the district relied on a T-2 service line that couldn’t handle an abundance of devices at one time without crashing, not to mention a 1:1 initiative. Blankenship worked with community business leaders and the Rural Electrical Cooperative to bring fiber connectivity to the district. “The project was completed in my second year, and it really opened the technological learning gates in the district,” he says. Scott-Morgan CUSD #2 has since implemented a 1:1 initiative with Google Chromebooks, where students in grades 5–12 take home the devices. All third and fourth graders have Chromebooks at school and students in grades K–2 use iPads.

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LM Month 2019