‘A leader, mentor and education advocate’: Former U-46 chief José Torres dies at 65
José Torres, a nearly 40-year veteran educator and former Elgin Area School District U-46 superintendent, died Friday, May 2, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, after a brief illness, according to sources.
He was 65.
Condolences poured in on social media from friends and supporters.
“A lifelong student and teacher, he left a legacy not only in classrooms and school districts across the nation, but in the hearts of those he met,” according to an obituary posted on Facebook.
Torres headed the state’s second-largest school district — at the time serving about 40,000 students — for six years starting in 2008. He previously served as regional superintendent at Chicago Public Schools, and worked in school districts in California, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
He was recognized for addressing persistent gaps in achievement by establishing an office of Equity and Social Justice, the first of its kind at U-46. He also created the Ten Boys mentorship initiative and the Superintendent Scholarship Program, donating his own money to provide financial assistance for students who are the first in their families to attend college.
Elgin Mayor David Kaptain said Monday he is taking Torres’ death “personally” as he was more than someone he worked with.
“He was a wonderful man,” said Kaptain, who first was elected to the city council in 2005 and later mayor in 2011. “We talked about helping each other. We talked about doing things in the community. When he came to Elgin, he brought with him a really great personality to the school district. His impact on the community extended well beyond his work with U-46.”
Among those conversations over coffee, the duo talked about how to engage the youth in the community, particularly Elgin’s large Spanish-speaking population, which is 48% Latino, Kaptain said.
“It was about helping establish the line of communication between the city and U-46,” Kaptain said. “He was well known in the community, as well.”
Torres was widely respected while leading U-46. But he wasn’t without his critics. He had implemented or floated some controversial ideas, such as a new grading scale and a proposal to not require reading classes for all middle school students. The latter idea drew criticism from dozens of parents, students and teachers and ultimately, district officials decided to leave the program as is.
U-46 released a statement expressing sadness at Torres’ unexpected passing.
“As a leader, mentor and education advocate, Dr. Torres embodied the values of equity, service, and humanity,” said U-46 Superintendent Suzanne Johnson, who was hired by Torres as the principal of Bartlett High School and later as the assistant superintendent of teaching and learning. “His belief in people — and his insistence that we lead with purpose — shaped the trajectory of my career and life and the lives of countless others, including thousands of students. Our students in U-46 who will never know this amazing man, benefit every day from these principles.”
Torres championed programs that reflected his commitment to inclusivity and educational excellence. The district’s award-winning dual language program was launched under his leadership and now serves more than 12,000 students in preschool through 12th grade. He also supported the creation of leadership institutes for Hispanic and African American parents, and invested in early childhood education and programs for students with special needs, the district release said.
“Above all, he reminded us and required that we must truly know our students — not just their academic data, but their stories, their struggles and their dreams,” Johnson said. “He led with heart and intellect. His legacy lives on in every classroom where a child feels seen, in every family that finds a voice, and in every leader who dares to imagine a more just and compassionate world.”
In 2014, Torres left U-46 to become president of Aurora-based Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, handing over the reins to his then-chief of staff Tony Sanders, who served as superintendent until his own departure in 2023 to head the Illinois State Board of Education as state superintendent.
Much of Torres’ education career had been spent at the executive level.
He steered IMSA through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic — at the time, the school had 650 residential students studying from their homes in 62 counties.
Torres left the helm of the state-funded selective boarding school focused on science, technology, engineering and mathematics education in 2021.
He was two days into retirement when then-Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot appointed him as interim CEO of Chicago Public Schools, filling in during the transition from CEO Janice Jackson to her successor, Pedro Martinez.
Torres is survived by his wife, Isabel, and three children. A private service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Southern Poverty Law Center, splcenter.org.