U-46 leader swaps CEO title for superintendent

Tony Sanders, who has led Elgin Area School District U-46 since 2014 as CEO, announced Friday night on Twitter that he is officially the district's superintendent. "The results are in ... I am now the superintendent of School District U-46," Sanders posted on the social networking platform.

One of the stipulations in Sanders' current contract, approved by the school board in 2019, was that he attain his superintendent certification by spring 2022.

Sanders has been able to lead U-46, the second-largest school district in the state, without a superintendent certification thanks to a law passed in Springfield in 2017. The law said the CEO could lead if they had strong administrative abilities and proven management experience as well as a master's degree. The CEO must have also served as a district employee for a minimum of five years.

Under his current contract, the school board can reimburse Sanders up to $39,000 for the cost of tuition and coursework to attain his superintendent certification.

His announcement Friday was accompanied by a screenshot of a score report from the Illinois Licensure Testing System.

By Saturday, Sanders had updated his Twitter account profile to say he was U-46's superintendent.