LM Nov-Dec_2021

Message From the Executive Director The Pandemic Proves Again: If You Can Play Ball In Illinois, You Can Play Anywhere

Dr. Brent Clark

with the emergence of a new variant. At the end of the day, people are still counting on you to lead and push your district forward through difficult times. I’ve written in the past about the importance of setting short, medium and long-term goals with a bright dot out on the horizon that signals the pandemic is behind us. I strongly believe that staying focused on those goals, revising them to meet your current situation or writing them for the first time is the best way to build hope. You have to have a personal strategy to continue to navigate this challenge. The other thing I would stress is to continue to connect and build your personal network. Illinois is filled with phenomenal leaders who are willing to support you. At 9 a.m. Monday, IASA will host another Supt 2 Supt virtual session. The event is the perfect opportunity to discuss complex topics in a safe environment with trusted peers who understand what it’s like to walk in your shoes. Information about the session has been emailed to superintendents and can be resent upon request. To close, the halfway mark on this school year is almost here. I hope you can spend quality time with your family and recharge over the holidays. Afterwards, superintendents have to step back up to the plate and play ball. History has shown you’re up for the challenge.

I’ve always told superintendents that if you can play ball in Illinois, you can play anywhere. Illinois has historically been an extremely complicated and politically diverse state—not to mention the high degree of unfunded mandates, years of funding challenges and an ongoing teacher shortage that school leaders have been forced to navigate. Serving as superintendent has always been demanding and then the COVID-19 pandemic arrived and pushed the difficulties, demands and stress up multiple levels. Time and time again, superintendents have stepped up and worked miracles. When the doors closed in March 2020, superintendents found a way to continue to feed students and families. In the 2020–21 school year, school leaders reworked schedules, supported their staff, flooded their districts with technology, drove the school bus, taught a class when nobody else was available, enhanced communications to stakeholders and tried to provide a safe learning environment for students and staff. I want to thank you once again for being tremendous leaders in a time of crisis. You truly answered the call and have a lot to be proud of. As we head toward the end of the semester, the scrutiny has ratcheted up again as students and community members have grown tired of wearing masks and following state-mandated COVID-19 mitigations. In many places, it feels like schools are one of the few places where the guidelines are enforced. It’s not easy, and we all want answers, guidance and a timeline of when school can return to normal. IASA, and many of our members, have repeatedly voiced this concern to statewide leaders. I recognize it’s hard to feel optimistic, especially

3 LM Nov./Dec. 2021