Naperville Dist. 203 superintendent calling it quits

Naperville Unit District 203 Superintendent Alan Leis will retire at the end of this school year after roughly 40 years in education.

Leis, soon to be 60, notified the school board several months ago, but his decision was not made public until Wednesday.

"I honestly believe this is a perfect time to leave, both for my family and for me, and for the district as a whole," he said in a written statement. "At this time we are doing very well from an institutional, financial, facilities and staffing perspective, and Naperville 203 is blessed with seven hard-working and dedicated board of education members whom, I am certain, will work with each other and with parents, staff and community, to find a talented and capable leader who will continue to move this district forward."

Leis was hired in 2003 after spending the previous 30 years with Fairfax County (Va.) Public Schools where he served as deputy superintendent among other positions.

In Naperville, he is responsible for 21 schools and more than 18,000 students.

School board President Suzyn Price praised the superintendent's efforts over the past five years. In a written statement, she called him "truly the right person at the right time to lead us into the 21st century."

"He understood what the district needed and listened to what the board had to say and the community had to say and ... focused on curriculum, understood facilities needs and was able to get some big things accomplished here and managed to be a change agent without being disruptive," she said in a telephone conversation.

The district was going through tumultuous times just before Leis' arrival and the new leader was able to calm much of its internal strife.

He also dealt with controversy early in his tenure when a Daily Herald investigation found the district had collected millions of dollars more than it had told taxpayers to expect in the 2002 referendum that took place before he was hired.

But just this year the community showed its renewed trust in the district when it approved a $43 million tax increase to help pay for $114.9 million in facilities projects.

School board Vice President Susan Crotty said Leis has been an "incredible leader."

"He just did that with such grace and dignity," she said. "I feel like we're just one district and he's done a great job of uniting the community."

One of the ways he accomplished that was his idea for the Talk203 districtwide e-mail system to keep parents and community members informed - a system that was used Wednesday when he announced his impending retirement.

Melea Smith, director of communications, praised Leis' communication skills, transparency with the community and work ethic.

"There's nothing he wouldn't ask somebody else to do that he wouldn't do himself," she said. "He's a very hard worker."

The graduating class of 2008 is the district's highest achieving ever, according to Leis. It had 54 National Merit Semifinalists, high test scores and more high school students taking Advanced Placement exams.

Leis also has formed partnerships with neighboring Indian Prairie Unit District 204.

District 204 Superintendent Stephen Daeschner called Leis a gentleman and a good educator.

"He's concerned about kids, he's concerned about his district, he's been around the block, has good experience," Daeschner said. "We had a great relationship I thought."

In addition to his work with the school district, Leis is on the boards of the DuPage Symphony Orchestra, United Way, Heritage YMCA and Citizens Appreciate Public Safety as well as a member of the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club of Naperville.

Leis said he loves Naperville and has no immediate plans to leave, though he and his wife are discussing future plans. He looks forward to having more time for friends, family, traveling and volunteering. But he may not be entirely done with education. He said he would consider returning to teaching part-time at the university level or looking for other short-term work in education.

Leis was quick to say he will miss the people in District 203.

"I never fully appreciated how incredibly wonderful this school system would be - staff, principals, administrators," he said. "That's the saddest thing to tell them because I look forward to working with them each day. There are so many wonderful supportive parents. I've always said to staff they've got to take care of their family first and then take care of this place and I'm taking my own advice and taking care of myself and my family because I know this place will be well taken care of."

Leis' contract is set to expire in June 2009. He currently makes $218,382 a year including benefits. He is not eligible for a retirement bonus but is scheduled to receive a salary increase when the school board meets Aug. 18.

Board members will begin immediately to solicit responses for potential search firms to help in picking a replacement and also will be seeking input from staff, parents and the community. They hope to have a new leader selected by March.