New Dist. 203 super blends boardroom, classroom

After 10 years in the private sector, Mark Mitrovich says he is ready to return to running a school district and will combine his business and education backgrounds when he takes the helm in Naperville Unit District 203.

He will replace retiring Superintendent Alan Leis on July 1, leaving his job as chief academic officer for EDmin.com.

Mitrovich's background includes 30 years in education including a previous stint as superintendent of Peninsula School District in Gig Harbor, Wash.

He recently sat down with reporters to discuss his decision to take the job in Naperville and some of his plans for the district. Here is an edited version of part of that conversation.

Q. At age 63 after 10 years out of schools, what made you want to come back to a district?

A. To me the number is just that, it's a number. It's a chronological indication that doesn't have anything to do with what you're capable of, what you want to do.

What I knew was that the experience of the private sector was a growth experience. I experienced the best and the worst of the dot-com world. But I also know (that) what I have learned there I thought could be very valuable in the K-12 setting so I wanted that opportunity to be able to blend those two together. I walked through those schools today and all I'm thinking of is phone calls I want to make, people I want to connect with. It's saying, all right could I take that 10 years based upon all the other experience I had in school districts and blend those together and be part of a district and see where you could go with that.

Q. Are you completely cutting your ties with EDmin.com and EdGate, the company you co-founded? Is that difficult for you?

A. Yes. What I'll miss is the development side of it, being able to conceive of something - and I'm still trying to think of how I can do that. Maybe we'll sit down with a group of high school programmers and kick some ideas around. That part of it I'll miss. Other aspects of it, the travel, no I won't miss that at all. That got real old real fast.

I think I'll miss some of the exchanges I've been able to have with educators around this country and around the world. I want to try to maintain that because I think it could be hugely valuable. There comes points in your life when you're ready to make a change, re-engage, and I knew I wanted to go back to where my heart was and my heart was and is with K-12 and that's where it was for 30 years.

Leaving those people in Gig Harbor is going to be (hard). Some of those people were with me in the school district and left with me to form the company so we're talking about people I've been with for over 15 years.

Q. Do you plan on doing this for many more years?

A. What my wife knows about me is she took me for better, for worse but not for lunch. The idea that I can just turn it off is just not in my makeup. I can't not be doing something. I'm not somebody who goes home and just sits. I've got to be doing something.

Q. So we won't see you announcing your retirement from the district when your three-year contract is up?

A. No I don't think so.

Q. Will you be moving to Naperville?

A. Absolutely. If you have any brains at all the last thing you want to be is a superintendent who lives in another school district. That's a recipe for disaster.

Q. What's your first step when you officially take the reins?

A. My learning curve is pretty steep. I need to become familiar with people, programs -- culture is a huge issue. The last thing you do coming into a position like this is say, well here's my plan for you. That's a sure recipe for disaster. The other part is if it ain't broke don't fix it. That's the message that's coming out of both the high schools right now. I want to learn a lot more about what's going on and I want people to learn a lot more about me.

Q. Given the economy and what's going on in the state, what will you be doing in your role as superintendent to ease that burden?

A. This I think scares people at times and it's my private sector experience coming out. There's nothing that prevents a school district from making money. Not as its own entity, but at Peninsula we had a foundation. The foundation did not give scholarships to students. There were a multitude of foundations that did that. This foundation was an entrepreneurial endeavor for us to raise money to offset the challenges our district, like every district, has financially.

There are a number of things that should be explored in terms of what a district could do to leverage the current assets it has. It's a discussion that has yet to happen but (that) I want to have with the foundation board. It may cause them to stretch in their thinking over what they have done previously.

I think you have to look at every option and you cannot stay in the traditional roles you've always stayed in. The other thing - is the federal government has failed to meet its own mandate under (the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) in terms of 40 percent funding. Schools have never done that. It's an unfunded mandate.

Legislators tend to like to put their name on something, but when you ask them to open up their wallet to back up what you want the districts to do, things at that point become a little gray. I don't think there's anything wrong with pointing that out.

I think educating the community as to the full ramifications of running what ostensibly is the largest entity within the community or one of the (largest). People need to realize that what that entails is a major, major undertaking.

The bottom line is when a referendum is run - the community has to be engaged in that. You can't ever do it alone. Whatever you do, Rule 1 is building awareness and you never stop. It's continuous. You keep doing it and doing it and doing it. Even then you haven't done it enough. I think taking a look at other options available to you, putting the pressure where it needs to be placed at the state level, have discussions with people at the national level.

They talk a great game but when push comes to shove, like me being held responsible, I think turnabout's fair play. We're just saying if these are your expectations what are you doing to give us the tools to carry them out? We have one of the highest-performing school districts in the state, which is not in the highest category in terms of per pupil expenditures or any other category. So are people getting a good bang for their buck? Absolutely.