LM Summer 2024

Education Elevat g

Jontry ... cont’d. Jontry served as Assistant Regional Superintendent for four years before being elected to the top role in 2008, a position he’s held ever since. A major focus has been offering professional development to the educators in the 30 public districts and 20 private schools ROE #17 serves. The office even took the additional step of going through an accreditation process to ensure the PD being offered was high quality. One of the crowning programs has been The Math Center. Jontry facilitated a process that included over 200 educators convening to develop a math curriculum aligned to Illinois Learning Standards. Hundreds of educators have enrolled in the training over the past five years. “We’ve helped our teachers better align their math instruction and, at the same time, really dived into teaching and learning practices with a focus on having a growth mindset,” Jontry said. “The program has been phenomenally successful. Coming out of the pandemic, we’ve had multiple districts indicate they saw growth in their statewide math scores.” The expansion of alternative programming has been a major focus for Jontry. ROE #17 runs two alternative programs in Bloomington and Livingston County. His office recently partnered with Livingston County Special Services to bring all programs under one roof. Meanwhile, the Bloomington alternative program is set to expand in two years and serve more students thanks to a grant Jontry’s office secured and a partnership he helped facilitate with social service agencies. “We’re going to make it easier for families to get services such as medical, dental and psychiatric support,” Jontry said. “It’s going to be huge for us. We had a waitlist last year and this will greatly increase our capacity.” Jontry also helped launch the Central Illinois Bridge Academy. The program serves students with internalizing mental health concerns at risk of hospitalization or returning from hospitalization. The program started two years ago with five students and has since increased to 38 students in grades 6-12. “We’ve demonstrated we’re filling a need,” Jontry said. Jontry served as President of the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools from 2017-2019. During that time, he helped elevate the IARSS Teacher Shortage Survey, which has generated significant awareness around the depths of the teacher shortage in Illinois. “I have always had the philosophy that our office should be service oriented,” Jontry said. “The Teacher Shortage Survey is another way we can be in service to schools.”

Bresnahan ... cont’d.

As superintendent of Community Cons SD #59, Dr. Bresnahan has tried to embed a culture of continuous school improvement through the adoption of a robust curriculum, ongoing professional development, impactful interventions, the hiring of additional personnel and implementation of increased social-emotional support. The district recently completed Year 3 of its new math program and is heading into Year 2 of its new literacy program. The early results are encouraging. Community Cons SD #59 has made significant growth, outpacing the state average in growth in math and is anticipated to meet or exceed the state average in both literacy and math. “It really is a long-term sustainable plan deeply rooted at the classroom level,” Dr. Bresnahan said. “We’re proud of the work. It’s been implemented with fidelity and included a lot of pieces that have come together to produce significant gains on both state benchmarks and local assessments.” Community Cons SD #59 has also been at the forefront of offering dual language programs and focusing on continuous improvement. The elementary district of 5,660 students offers dual language programs in both Spanish and Polish. Dr. Bresnahan has actively sought to ensure authentic curricular resources and materials that are equitable to what students receive in monolingual classrooms. Supporting newcomer students has also been a priority. Last year, Community Cons SD #59 added 325 newcomer students representing 39 different countries prompting the district to invest in language translation programs as well as additional ESL staff. “We have done some innovative things for newcomer students, including expanding our leadership team, offering unique professional learning opportunities to support teachers, and providing academic and SEL supports for students and families,” Dr. Bresnahan said. Safety has also been a focus. Community Cons SD #59 partnered with Wheeling CCSD #21 to share a Director of School Safety, providing another layer of security. Outside of her school district, Dr. Bresnahan served on the IASA COVID-19 Transition Team and is chair of the Accountability subcommittee for the Vision 2030 Workgroup. She also serves on the Executive Board for the Suburban Superintendents Association and is on the board for the Suburban Superintendents Roundtable.

19 LM Summer 2024