LM Nov-Dec 2025

Leadership Matters Holiday Issue 2025

Dr. Nick

IASA’s 2026 Illinois Superintendent Of The Year Polyak

Read Q&A

Illinois Consortium to Advance English Learner Program Effectiveness

Professional Learning Message from Dr. Dawn Bridges

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Learn more about the innovative strategies in Leyden CHSD #212 that led to an independent panel naming Dr. Nick Polyak the 2026 Illinois Superintendent of the Year. 2026 SUPERINTENDENT OF THE YEAR

Driving Success Webinar Registration Job Bank: Custom Applications Now Available News in Brief Legal Corner Professional Learning: Message from Dr. Bridges

Illinois Consortium to Advance English Learner Program Effectiveness

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QuickCharge AI 15 Resources

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Elevating Education – 2 More Leaders Highlighted

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Volume 13, Issue 9 November–December 2025 Leadership Matters

2648 Beechler Court Springfield, IL 62703-7305 217.753.2213 800 Woodfield Road, Ste. F109 Schaumburg, IL 60173-4717 847.466.5075

Jason Nevel Director of Communications jnevel@iasaedu.org

Brandon Turley Graphic Designer bturley@iasaedu.org

1200 West Main Street Marion, IL 62959-1138 618.364.0501

www.iasaedu.org

Scan here with your phone’s QR code reader to get the IASA APP— Don’t have a QR reader? Go to or and search for IllinoisASA.

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Message From the Executive Director

Illinois Vision 2030: A Year of Progress and What’s Ahead

Dr. Brent Clark

A year ago, IASA asked Illinois superintendents to have their Boards of Education adopt resolutions supporting Illinois Vision 2030. Nearly 550 school districts/entities have since signed on to the statewide advocacy initiative that provides a roadmap for public education in Illinois. As 2025 draws to a close, it’s worth reflecting on how Illinois Vision 2030 has shaped the year — and what lies ahead. What is unique about Vision 2030 is that the partners recognized early on that success in schools goes beyond changing a law or policy. It’s also about creating opportunities to help schools around the four core ideas that form the basis of Vision 2030: • Keep students safe • Keep high-quality educators in front of students • Enhance post-secondary success • Improve the measurement of what is working well in schools. Throughout 2025, IASA used that framework as a guide, from professional learning to school safety to legislative advocacy. Here’s Last winter, IASA adopted AI as a focused learning topic and designed a series of workshops that emphasized future-focused learning, a Vision 2030 pillar. We have continued that series throughout 2025 and will offer another round of workshops in February 2026 on how AI is redefining how schools operate, communicate, and prepare students for the world they’ll enter. We also bolstered our AI focus with a new virtual series, QuickCharge AI 15. The recurring virtual meeting brings together educators the first and third Wednesday of each month for a 15-minute session. We also expanded our partnership with ECRA through the promotion of virtual AI assistants and even added an AI administrator academy. School Safety School safety has also been a focus area. IASA recently partnered with the Illinois Fire Safety Institute (IFSI) to raise awareness of free, comprehensive crisis response and reunification training available to school districts across Illinois. Approximately 30 districts have signed up to bring IFSI to their area as a first step toward hosting large-scale simulation drills. In addition, IASA continued our Spotlight series. The most recent session, featuring our partners at CrisisGo, explored practical ways a look back at areas of focus: Future-Focused Learning

to bridge the gap between schools and local first responders through direct, real-time communication. Shared Accountability This past year will also be remembered for the work, headed by the Illinois State Board of Education, to make substantive changes to the state’s Accountability System. IASA superintendents have been a strong voice so far, and I encourage anyone who hasn’t weighed in to make your voice heard. ISBE has scheduled four additional sessions in its Listening Tour, all virtual from 4-6 p.m.: Jan. 15, Jan. 21, Feb. 11, and March 16. Predictable Funding Every superintendent recognizes the importance of knowing what local and state revenue will be for the fiscal year, which is why a key pillar of Vision 2030 is Predictable Funding. Unfortunately, the continued pro-ration of payments for mandated services — such as student transportation and special education reimbursements — is reaching a breaking point. Earlier this month, IASA announced a statewide advocacy effort — Driving Success: Completing the School Funding Puzzle — to help ensure Illinois continues to fulfill its funding commitments to our public schools. The goal of the campaign is to make the case that fully funding mandated services and continuing the state’s investment in EBF are not competing priorities — they are complementary commitments that sustain strong, equitable public schools. More details about this effort will be shared in a webinar at noon on Tuesday, December 10. Illinois Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents Finally, I want to highlight that the Illinois Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents has joined the coalition of education organizations in support of Vision 2030. We greatly appreciate their support as we continue our advocacy efforts. As this eventful year comes to a close, thank you for your support and partnership. I hope you have a relaxing and rewarding winter break.

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Superintenden IASA’s 2026 Illinois

Dr. Nick

Polyak

of Leyden CHSD #212

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ent of theYear

By Jason Nevel IASA Director of Communications

The Illinois Association of School Administrators has named Dr. Nick Polyak, Superintendent of Leyden CHSD #212, as the 2026 Illinois Superintendent of the Year. An independent panel judged nominees on the following criteria: academic achievement, preparing students for the future, social-emotional support, teaching and instruction and leadership. The following is a condensed and

edited version of an interview recorded on the IASA Podcast. Click Here to listen to the full interview.

amazing school district. We have 3,500 high school students situated just outside O’Hare International Airport. It’s a wonderfully diverse community, very hardworking, blue-collar community. IASA: On November 23rd, you were named 2026 Illinois Superintendent of the Year. Can you tell us how it’s been since then? NP: Well, first of all, thank you. It’s an absolute honor. The 15 minutes of fame is real—it felt more like 48 hours. In today’s world, you get messages in every possible modality: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, text messages, emails, calls, direct messages, people stopping by to visit. One of my favorites is that a professor I had for my master’s program in 2001 actually called me in my office to catch up and say congratulations. People come out of the woodwork on these things.

IASA: Would you start out by telling us a little bit about yourself and your school district? NP: I started my career as a high school math teacher at Lincoln Way High School District. I worked there for 10 years as a teacher, coached soccer and tennis, and served as a dean, assistant principal, and then director of instruction. After those 10 years, I went to Illinois Valley Central School District in Chillicothe to serve as superintendent for four years. Now I’ve been here at Leyden as superintendent for the last 13 years. Leyden is an

continued...

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Polyak. .. cont’d. 2026 IASA Dr. Nick Polyak

Vega the Leyden Eagle mascot, Superintendent Dr. Nick Polyak, left, and East Leyden High School Principal Julie Lam, far right, stand with 2025 Illinois Teacher of Year Victor Gomez, who teaches at East Leyden.

IASA: What are you most proud of that may have contributed to this honor?

IASA: Speaking of Leyden, is there anything about your school district that might surprise people the most? NP: Most people don’t know where Leyden is. That’s usually surprising in and of itself. But I think the consistency and leadership that we’ve had in this school district is usually very surprising. We’ve had, including myself, five superintendents over the last 74 years. We’ve also only had two school board presidents in the last 45 years. So that consistent leadership and trust is really a hallmark of the school district. We just celebrated our 100th anniversary, and I tried to put that in perspective for our teachers. I said 100 years sounds like forever until you think that a teacher’s life cycle is about 33 years. So every classroom has maybe only had three teachers in it over that same period of time.

NP: One of the ones that I’m most proud of are the ones that speak about opportunities for our students. And one that has gotten a lot of notoriety is Teatro Leyden, our bilingual theater program. The National School Board Association gave it their grand prize Magna Award a number of years ago as the top equity program in the country, but what I love about it is it’s opened up language as a superpower for our kids on stage. We have a show every year that we perform in both English and Spanish. When they won that award, they were gifted $10,000 and they used that to hire a Latina playwright in Chicago to write a custom show for Leyden. Our kids got to help workshop the script and do the world premiere of the show. Opportunities like that for kids to perform on stage and get recognized—I think that’s something I’m really proud of.

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Superintendent of

the Year Leyden CHSD #212

IASA: Is creating opportunities sort of an overarching theme in your work?

NP: I think everything is about outcomes for students. As a former math teacher, I always talk about it in terms of trajectory. Every kid is on a trajectory when we inherit them. And if we can improve that trajectory by even one degree, it might not be noticeable in the moment, but the place they land 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years from now is completely different. Everything we do should be about improving that trajectory for kids. IASA: One of those opportunities is Co.Lab. Can you discuss what it is and why you and your team created it? NP: Co.Lab is kind of a redesigned version of freshman year. We had a group of teachers we called the Innovation Incubator that we set loose to say, dream big and think about how we can do school differently. Through many iterations, they came back with what became Co.Lab. It’s like if you could imagine, what if school classes weren’t separate? What if we taught

them combined? So instead of doing science for 45 minutes, ringing a bell and going to another room and doing English for 45 minutes, what if it was all taught together? We have this team of amazing teachers that works with about 100 to 120 students at each of our high schools. In addition to learning their content, they learn confidence in public speaking, they engage with the community, they become more connected to the school community. Years later, when we look back at the data, one thing that jumped off the paper is that when students participate in Co.Lab versus the traditional course path, their graduation rate four years later is three to four to five points higher. Kids are getting connected to the community and finding success, and that’s playing out with their ultimate success in high school.

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Polyak. .. cont’d. IASA’s 2026 Illinois

IASA: In your application, you wrote that college and career readiness is your bread and butter at Leyden. How so? NP: I think it comes back to what I said about opportunities. We hear people talk about preparing kids for college or career. Our approach is to prepare them for college — and career. We have a whole list of pathways that kids can choose — whether they want to go into education or manufacturing or automotive or technology or nursing. Within them, we’ve embedded job-ready credentials. The school district will pay for them to get the certifications to work in those fields. So if they want to go right from high school into the workforce, they’re prepared with the credentials they need, or they can take those experiences to the college level. We work with local industry partners that we meet with, in many cases either monthly or quarterly, to make sure the credentials are the ones they need their employees to have. Those companies turn around and give our students internships and jobs, especially over spring break and winter break and in the summer. It all comes back to us understanding that we don’t operate in a silo. We’re part of the greater community. We need to partner with the workforce to say, what do you need, and make sure we adapt ourselves to the changing workforce so our kids have every opportunity possible.

those machines, getting them the same credentials they would get on the job floor ahead of time, getting them in internships and summer jobs—there’s a local company here that touts that more than half of their entire employee base came from Leyden. Our kids are powering their own communities in that way so that we’re sustainable. Our culinary students will get their ServSafe credentials so they can work in a restaurant. When they get into the upper-level classes, they’ll get their restaurant management credentials so they can go and run a kitchen at a hotel or a restaurant. Those ideals are embedded throughout the curricular pathways. IASA: In your application, you talked about creating significant changes with the development of a new schedule. Can you take me through what that looks like? NP: Prior to our schedule change, we had a very traditional school day. One of the problems was our cafeterias were so small that we had to run five and some years six lunch periods. We had a really bad pedagogy where kids would take 20 minutes of their academic class, then go eat lunch, and come back and take the second half. We couldn’t fix it because the cafeterias were binding us. So we did a nearly $100 million project to build new cafeterias where we could get down to three lunch hours. But that also allowed us to create a period in the day we call Eagle Time that tries to take this 3,500-student high school experience down to 20 so you can be with a small group of kids and build relationships. Those small advisory groups have a four-year looping advisor—a teacher that’s with that same group of kids two days a week for all four years. They take them from finding and opening their locker to filling out the FAFSA and working on job applications at the end. Within Eagle Time, we’ve also embedded curricular supports we call seminars. If students need help in math or writing or SEL, we have embedded supports in the school day. We have a portion called Freshman on Track, where teachers are making sure kids are getting their work in and passing those freshman classes because we know that’s a huge indicator

IASA: Can you give some examples of job credentials that students at Leyden have?

NP: Leyden has one of the biggest manufacturing corridors in the country with Rosemont, Franklin Park, and Schiller Park. If you know how to work a CNC machine, you can make nearly six figures right out of high school. A lot of those companies will pay for a college engineering degree. Getting our kids work experience on

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Superintendent of theYear

NP: It’s absolutely one of my greatest honors to help run the Aspiring Superintendent Academy. We’ve had almost 400 colleagues come through that program over the years. So many of them are sitting superintendents across the state of Illinois. The last time we checked, it was nearly one in six of all superintendents across the state were alumni from that program. It brings me great joy to connect people together and to support them. We’ve built a network of folks across a really big, very diverse state that wouldn’t be possible without something like the Aspiring Superintendent Academy. IASA: You’ve been a superintendent for 17 years with the last 13 being at Leyden. Any advice for new superintendents about what it takes to sustain a long career in a district? NP: There’s no one answer to that question. Maybe the first part is finding a place that’s the right fit, where you fit with that community and they fit with you, and you fit with that board and they fit with you. Over 27 years in education now, one of the truisms I’ve come to understand is that school leadership is a team sport and not an individual sport. I’ve seen a lot of people come and go, and these jobs can attract people with Type A, big personalities. Those people think they have all the answers or they’re supposed to have all the answers. Those people burn out and go away. I’ve seen it happen time and again. The people who approach leadership with humility and connection, the ones who are willing to pick up a phone and say, hey, have you dealt with this before? Can you help me with this? Those are the people that really thrive and make it in this job. Coming at it from finding the right fit and approaching the job with humility and partnership— you’ll have a much better chance for success.

for kids completing high school on time. Eagle Time helps us slow the day down. It’s less frantic and gives kids more connection points with peers and teachers.

IASA: Can you give examples of how Leyden supports its teachers and helps them grow professionally? NP: We give a lot of opportunities to our faculty to attend conferences in their discipline. We have instructional coaches that work with them in a very structured program their first two years, and then they can optionally stay with their coach for as long as they want. We’ve had to be creative in terms of teacher recruitment and retention. We had a long conversation with our Board of Education around the desire to have our teachers be more reflective of our students. We said the only real way to have our teachers look more like our students is to hire more of our students back as our teachers. So we created the Golden Ticket Initiative. When our kids take our education pathway at Leyden, at the end of it, we bring in the Illinois Teacher of the Year to give a keynote address. We have an educator signing day where we celebrate their decision to be future educators. Then I give them a Willy Wonka-style golden ticket that says we guarantee you an interview back here at Leyden or any of the elementary districts that feed into us. But if you come back home to Leyden, there’s a $5,000 signing bonus waiting for you. We’re trying to not only support our current teachers, but recruit our future teachers through our programming and our own kids. IASA: In June 2026, you and Dr. Mike Lubelfeld, Dr. Courtney Orzel, and Dr. Dawn Bridges will be launching the 11th Aspiring Superintendent Academy with IASA. What has it meant to you to be part of this program?

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Illinois Consortium to Advance English Learner Program Effectiveness

The Illinois consortium to advance English learner program effectiveness is a grassroots effort of over 100 school districts across Illinois. The goal of the Consortium is to better understand the impact of EL programming on English proficiency, improve program quality, and to advocate for changes to state policy. IASA recently sat down with Dr. Jean Barbanente, Superintendent of DuPage High School District 88 and the lead representative for the Consortium, to answer a few questions.

What are the objectives of the Consortium?

The Consortium has three main objectives. One, to quantify the impact that various EL/Bilingual program models are having on English proficiency growth within local school districts. Two, to aggregate data across school districts to scientifically document what program models are most effective. We believe that local control of our EL programming is necessary to build high quality programs and the data from the EL Consortium could assist in those advocacy efforts. Three, to cultivate a professional learning community among EL professionals to share practices in the spirit of continuous quality improvement. Are there any specific state policies that you hope to influence through the work of the consortium? Absolutely. It is our hope that this study may provide valuable insights to guide future advocacy efforts around policies that would be aligned with positive student outcomes for English learners.

What motivated school leaders to come together around EL programming?

For years, school leaders have expressed concern about inconsistent and inequitable outcomes for EL students in Illinois. Districts have been required to provide costly services without clear evidence of their effectiveness. The Consortium was created to provide a structure to study the effectiveness of the Illinois endorsed EL/Bilingual program models to ensure English learners receive equitable and high quality services.

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How is the work of the consortium aligned with Vision 2030? One of the overarching themes of Vision 2030 is to reform the mandate process to allow more local decision making and flexibility. EL related mandates are impacting school districts financially and operationally, with limited statewide evidence that said mandates are universally good for students. Vision 2030 advocates for reviewing existing requirements to make sure the benefits align with the financial and operational realities schools face. This is exactly what we are trying to accomplish with the consortium by raising awareness of EL program model effectiveness. What is ECRA Group’s role in the consortium? As leaders started to come together around these issues, it became apparent that we needed a trusted and capable data and research partner to help us accomplish our goals. ECRA has been a strategic partner to Vision 2030 and works with hundreds of local school districts across Illinois. They were the obvious choice given their deep understanding of Illinois education policy and their unmatched expertise related to data science and research.

Why should districts join the consortium?

In order to accomplish our goals, we need to work together as a community to document the impact of EL policy on local school districts and students. The EL Consortium will help leaders accurately analyze students’ outcomes disaggregated by program model, years in the program, grade level, school, etc. Districts will have the capability to drill down on the data to determine appropriate next steps and necessary program adjustments. Participating in the Consortium also provides districts local evidence of what is working for students in their community. The more districts that participate, the more we can learn about ourselves, learn from each other and advocate for change. How can districts learn more and join the consortium? To learn more and to become a member of the Consortium, visit www.ecragroup.com/elconsortium. You can also contact me directly at jbarbanente@ dupage88.net.

FREE MONTHLY WEBINAR SERIES FOR MEMBERS

School Safety

When a Crisis Happens, Who Will Answer the Call?

Presented By:

Watch Recording

View Slides

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Completing the School Funding Puzzle

Help make the case that fully funding mandated services and continuing the state’s investment in EBF are not competing priorities — they are complementary commitments that sustain strong, equitable public schools. Webinar | December 10 at Noon

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Participants will : Gain a better understanding of the issue, including key talking points. Receive a customizable one-pager to illustrate your district’s local impact. Learn about the new campaign webpage with advocacy resources, background materials, and an EBF refresher toolkit. • • •

Support Illinois Vision 2030 and lend your voice to this important effort. Together, we can drive stability, support students, and protect the progress Illinois has made for public education.

In Action Predictable Funding

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QuickCharge AI 15 Professional Learning

FREE Virtual Meetings: 1st and 3rd Wednesday Each Month

Fast, Focused AI Techniques for School Leaders

Next Session: December 17, 10:30 am Addressing Plagiarism

Featuring: Matt Sherrill, Regional Education Technology Coordinator, Learning Technology Center

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Resources Shared in Previous Sessions November 5 AI - Setting the Stage View Slides • Watch Recording November 19 Talking to Parents About AI View Slides • Watch Recording December 3 Considering AI for Teacher Evaluations View Slides • Watch Recording

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CLICK HERE!

IASA has created three short instructional videos to help employers understand how to create a custom application, manage sections and fields, and create a job posting with a custom application. Questions about Custom Job Applications?

*Click the Play Button to Access Videos

“ “The Custom Job Bank Application has allowed our Unit Office staff to streamline processes in terms of applications and hiring. We are using much less paper than we were before. We were 100% paper before. We have found that applicants are used to submitting items digitally, and we were potentially missing out on hires by not offering this opportunity. Being able to clone an application and then tweak it to fit specific positions is extremely beneficial.”

“

— Tony Shinall, Superintendent of Princeville CUSD #326

Additional Questions? Email IASA or call 217-753-2213

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Education Elevat g

Julie Wollerman ROE #3

Dr. Nick Sutton Addison SD #4

Who: Julie Wollerman, Regional Superintendent What: Oversaw the expansion of alternative education program; Expanded the attendance prevention/ intervention program to help districts address student attendance; Expanded alternative education services; Added instructional coaches to improve professional development;

Who: Dr. Nick Sutton, Superintendent What: Successfully transitioned district to majority dual-language enrollment, now serving more students in dual language courses than traditional classrooms; Implemented aligned curriculum across all seven district schools; Established peer-to-peer learning culture among teachers; Developed six-point categorical

framework for student engagement; Co-created QuickCharge AI 15 virtual meeting series with IASA and Learning Technology Center. Where: Addison School District #4, DuPage Region When: Superintendent of Addison School District #4 for four years; Previously served as superintendent at Sandridge SD #172 and Stark County CUSD #100 Why: As an educator who has taught in both rural and suburban settings, navigated transformational changes in technology, and now leads a district experiencing significant demographic change, Dr. Nick Sutton has embraced the importance of being adaptable. “I’ve always been passionate about responding to the needs in front of us,” Dr. Sutton said. “There are educators who have been reluctant to embrace changes—the internet, devices, and now AI. But these changes are happening whether we’re ready or not, and we need to embrace them. Our students deserve it.” At Addison School District #4, a preK-8 district with nearly 3,400 students in DuPage County, Dr. Sutton has navigated a significant shift in student demographics. Addison has experienced an influx of ESL students to the point where the district now enrolls more students in dual language

Hired a multilingual specialist to help districts better support ESL students and families. Where: ROE #3, Kaskaskia Region When: Regional Superintendent of ROE #3 since 2011 Why: In Illinois, regional superintendent is an elected position. While that may be true, Julie Wollerman has never considered herself a politician. “I am an educator,” Wollerman said. “I base my decisions on what is best for kids.” Wollerman has spent her entire career at ROE #3, which serves Bond, Christian, Effingham, Fayette, and Montgomery counties. She began as an attendance advocate, became a teacher for the ROE’s first alternative high school before becoming the principal. As principal, she helped grow the alternative high school to the point where it needed an additional site. That experience led to her promotion to assistant regional superintendent, a position she held until 2011 when she was elected to the top role. As regional superintendent, Wollerman has adopted the approach that the ROE should be a partner to school districts and not a compliance officer. “We want our districts to achieve success, so we work together

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Education Elevat g

Wollerman ... cont’d.

Sutton ... cont’d. courses than in traditional classrooms. Positioning the district for success under those circumstances has been a challenge but, under Dr. Sutton’s leadership, Addison School District #4 has seen three schools go from Targeted designation on the Illinois Report Card to Commendable. The key ingredients to that success have been professional development, curriculum alignment and student engagement. Addison School District #4 has cultivated an environment of continuous improvement, where teachers embrace peer-to-peer learning. That collaborative approach extends to curriculum as well, with aligned instruction across the district’s seven schools creating a more equitable environment for students and teachers alike. Perhaps most uniquely, Addison School District #4 has relentlessly focused on student engagement. Dr. Sutton oversaw the development of a six-point categorical framework that objectively defines what engagement looks like. “Category one is completely disengaged, and category four is what you see in traditional classrooms—the teacher lectures and students listen. But categories five and six are where we want to be, where students demonstrate skills and create products. I can walk into any classroom, even if I don’t speak Spanish, and identify which category we’re in based on the actions of the instructor and students. It doesn’t matter what language is being spoken—we’re looking at what’s actually happening in the room.” Dr. Sutton has also been an early embracer of AI and encouraged members of his leadership team and teachers to innovate with new technology. In September, he led a breakout session at the IASA Annual Conference on AI. After hearing feedback from his peers about the need for strategies and tips, Dr. Sutton partnered with IASA and the Learning Technology Center to create QuickCharge AI 15, a 15-minute virtual meeting series held the first and third Wednesday of each month. “This technology evolves so rapidly—if you attend a session once a year, three weeks later it’s outdated. We’re covering topics like AI as it relates to plagiarism, policy, and teacher evaluation. That’s why we designed brief, regular sessions. As long as there’s value and the audience is engaged, we’ll keep providing it.”

closely on solutions that are best for kids, schools, and communities,” Wollerman said. Wollerman is proud to have greatly expanded the ROE’s attendance prevention/intervention program. She has also focused on alternative education. Over the course of her career at ROE #3, alternative education services have expanded from one classroom to three sites, each offering both junior high and high school programs. “We offer services so kids and schools have another option,” Wollerman said. “It’s like flipping a light switch— helping students see the skills they already have. We focus on teaching not only academics but also life skills that many of our kids are missing. Our goal is for our students to graduate and be good citizens, good neighbors, people you’d want living next door. We want to help them take that next step.” Professional development has been another focus area. ROE #3 has three instructional coaches who provide professional learning services to teachers and schools across the region. In addition, the regional office has recently hired a multilingual specialist to assist districts experiencing an influx of ESL students and families. “We work with both our teachers and student families,” Wollerman said. “We assist teachers and help districts with assessments, curriculum and more. But before we even get into the classroom, we need to help our non English speaking families get their students into school. We work to prepare staff and students so they can work better together. It takes a lot of work on all sides to see student success.”

Want to

Nominate Someone? Contact Jason Nevel at jnevel@iasaedu.org

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News In Brief

ISBE Extends Feedback Opportunities on Accountability Redesign

From the ISBE Weekly Message: All good things take time. Earlier this year, we presented our plan to redesign our state’s accountability system, as the logical next step following the implementation of new assessment performance levels. We scheduled many listening sessions, both in-person and virtual, with a public comment period originally scheduled to remain open through Dec. 7. The feedback we’ve received so far has been invaluable! You have affirmed the need to revamp the current, flawed system – tied to weighted indicators and arbitrary caps on category rankings. But some details of the system we will adopt in its place would benefit from a bit more reflection, and for that reason, we’re adjusting our timeline to receive more feedback. To recap what we’ve done so far, we shared our initial redesign proposal and opened public comment on Oct. 28. To expand opportunities for reflection, we will: • Publish a statewide modeling data set this week to let schools see how the proposed changes would look with their 2025 data. • Extend the current public comment period through Jan. 7, 2026, for a total of 72 days. • You will then see a first draft of our ESSA State Plan that is guided by all the feedback we’ve heard. • ESSA State Plan first draft: Jan. 12, 2026 • First draft public comment period: Jan. 12-Feb. 25, 2026 Next, we will take any additional feedback submitted during that 45-day public comment window and use that advice to build our final draft. • ESSA State Plan final draft: March 2, 2026 • Final draft public comment: March 2-April 2, 2026 You can register now for the upcoming Accountability Redesign Phase II Virtual Listening Tour. These sessions — all virtual — will happen 4-6 p.m. on Jan. 15, Jan. 21, Feb. 11, and March 16. This new, expanded schedule will mean that the Illinois State Board of Education will discuss this final revision at their March meeting and vote on the Accountability Redesign in April. We cannot stretch the timeframe further without jeopardizing our federal approval, but we are happy to extend our schedule to make sure we get such a significant change right. View Weekly Message

ISDLAF+ Monthly Update Click here to view the most current ISDLAF+ rates, economic indicators and general economic news brief. To obtain additional information regarding this IASA sponsored service, contact Audra Braski, Senior Vice President, LGIP Director at 630–657–6422, or email: audra.braski@ptma.com. Website: www.ptma.com.

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Legal Corner

Chad Watkins IASA Associate Director/General Counsel

To help school leaders navigate uncertain times, IASA has partnered with leading law firms throughout Illinois to provide districts with critical guidance during the 2025–26 school year. In Leadership Matters , the IASA Legal Corner will showcase an article written by attorneys who specialize in legal matters related to education. It is our hope you find the content insightful, timely and helpful in addressing the critical matters you face.

In this issue, we share an update from Walt Zukowski with Zukowski Law Offices. The article is titled Seventh Circuit Refines Scope of Free Speech Rights of Public Employees. As a reminder, IASA Legal Corner articles are provided for informational purposes only, and you are advised to contact your district counsel for legal advice. Click on the link below to access the article.

Seventh Circuit Refines Scope of Free Speech Rights of Public Employees By Walt Zukowski, Zukowski Law Offices

In Hedgepeth v. Britton (7th Cir., August 26, 2025) the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit upheld the termination of a high school teacher who posted inflammatory content on her personal social media accounts. The case demonstrates that while public employees do retain a wide degree of latitude regarding social media postings, there can be circumstances where they “cross the line” and place their employment in jeopardy. The employee in question had been suspended by the school for “disruptive behavior” that she had engaged in at school on two previous occasions, and was subject to a remediation plan at the time of the incident. She nonetheless responded to news regarding the George Floyd protests in 2020 with inflammatory remarks on social media, which were viewed by previous students and which quickly caused an uproar at the school. Continue reading …

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Professional Learning

Dr. Dawn Bridges IASA Associate Director of Professional Learning

’Tis the Season for Reflection: Why the Holidays Are the Perfect Time for Leaders to Reinvest in Themselves

Lane Freeman, Director of Online Learning for the North Carolina Community College System and AI expert, will be the presenter. In this interactive session, participants will explore how educational leaders can guide AI adoption with clarity and purpose—moving beyond curiosity to intentional, ethical use. IASA is offering this administrator academy on April 30. The redesigned virtual academy builds foundational AI knowledge and equips district leaders with strategies to integrate AI ethically, efficiently, and effectively into their leadership practice. Women in Leadership: Leading with Courage and Connection IASA has redesigned our WIL administrator academy. The new session, grounded in Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead and Strong Ground: A Courage-Building Workbook , supports educational leaders in exploring what it means to lead with vulnerability, trust, and purpose. These represent just a few of the professional learning opportunities IASA offers throughout the year. Visit the Professional Learning Catalog to explore the full calendar of programs designed to support your growth as a leader. A Season to Reset. A Year to Grow. As you enter this holiday season, may you find moments of rest, renewal, and reflection. Investing in your own growth is one of the strongest commitments you can make—to yourself, your team, and the students you serve. IASA looks forward to partnering with you in 2026 as you continue your leadership journey with clarity, courage, and purpose. Click here to learn more and register. Introduction of AI to District Leaders

As school and district leaders, we spend our days navigating complexity, supporting our teams, and making decisions that shape the lives of students. The holiday season offers a rare and welcome pause—a moment to step back from the daily pace and reflect not just on the work we do, but on who we are becoming as leaders. This season invites us to slow down and consider: • What did I learn about leadership this year? • Where have I grown—and where do I still want to grow? • How can I enter the new year with greater clarity, purpose, and energy? Reflection is not a luxury; it’s an essential leadership practice. And pairing reflection with purposeful learning allows us to reset, refocus, and lead with renewed strength. IASA: Your Partner in Professional Growth IASA stands ready to support your learning journey in the new year, offering pathways that meet leaders where they are and move them forward with intention. Here are a few opportunities to consider: Leading Forward: A Visioning Workshop for Early-Career Superintendents IASA will introduce this workshop in the coming weeks, with the goal of holding the first session in late April. Through guided facilitation, collaborative dialogue, and structured visioning exercises, first through third-year superintendents will explore where they want to take their district in the year ahead— clarifying priorities, aligning purpose, and shaping a leadership plan that connects vision to action. Details and registration coming soon. Leading a Future-Focused School System Through Artificial Intelligence In February, IASA continues our focus on AI in education with three workshops offered in each Super Region. Dr.

20 LM Nov–Dec 2025

2025 Professional Learning

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES IASA’s new digital Professional Learning Catalog is a resource that doesn’t just list programs but maps out an ecosystem of growth for the modern district learner. Take a look and consider jumping into a pathway!

Professional Learning Catalog 2025 - 26

CLICK HERE

JANUARY AND FEBRUARY 2026

• AA 3972: An Administrator’s Guide to Achieving School Code Compliance • AA 3927: Power of Positive Teams Academy • AA 1761: Communication Strategies for Superintendents • AA 4246: Women in Leadership: Leading with Courage and Connection • AA 4169: Mastering Tough Talks: Difficult Conversations Don’t Have to be Difficult • AA 1801: Gathering Evidence During Observations and Conferencing Using the Danielson Model • AA 3000: Illinois Performance Evaluation Retraining - Student Growth

Plus, don’t forget to register for The Next Wave of AI That Will Impact Schools . Three workshops scheduled. Each session offered will cover the same content. Participants only need to register for one date in which they wish to attend

February 24, 2026 ISU Alumni Center Normal, IL

March 3, 2026 Universal Technical Institute Lisle, IL.

February 26, 2026 ROE 50 Belleville, IL.

21 LM Nov–Dec 2025