Dist. 54 leader named Superintendent of the Year
The Illinois Association of School Administrators has named Schaumburg Township Elementary District 54 Superintendent Ed Rafferty the state's Superintendent of the Year for 2010.
The award recognized Rafferty largely for curriculum changes he's undertaken during his five years as superintendent which have resulted in measurable changes in achievement among the district's student body.
The rise in achievement level was not aimed at or confined to any particular corner of the 27-school district.
"I can show you significant gains at every school," Rafferty said.
Nevertheless, Rafferty believed that seeking improvement was a basic part of his job, and was satisfied just knowing his school board felt good enough about the progress to nominate him.
The furthest thing from his mind was that the selection committee would put him at the top of 868 Illinois superintendents.
"I was shocked and still am shocked," Rafferty said of the honor.
He moves on to the national level of the award, in which his number of competitors is down to a relatively few 49.
The winner of the national competition will be named at a conference in the spring.
Rafferty said the state level of the competition required a number of documents be submitted to support each nomination. Apart from the school board's nominating letter, he submitted actual data showing the recent changes in the district's achievement levels rather than the usual letters of recommendation from others.
But the nominating letter itself included input from all seven members of the board, which Rafferty said he heard had made an impression on the selection committee.
In the nomination letter, board President Karen Strykowski wrote, "At this five-year mark in Ed's tenure as superintendent, we feel it is important to acknowledge the contributions of a humble, quiet, effective leader and what his vision and commitment have meant to the students of the district.
"This is a defining moment in District 54," she continued. "...(D)espite the higher expectations of (No Child Left Behind) and the economic challenges, we have never seen student achievement at a higher level and within the confines of a balanced budget."