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By Michael Chamness
IASA Director of Communications
Dr. Jamie Reilly has been an educator for 40
years and she has a rather interesting mantra when it
comes to learning and professional development:
“Forever green and growing…never ripe and rotten.”
That motto succinctly sums up why Reilly signed
up for two years of additional research, training,
homework and learning as part of the second class of
the IASA School for Advanced Leadership (ISAL).
Nineteen superintendents from all over the state
recently completed a rigorous two-year cohort. Many
of them have been educators for more than a quarter
century; all of them were looking to go farther and
higher in the pursuit of excellence.
“Truly, this experience was one of the most
beneficial in my 40 years as an educator,” said Reilly,
superintendent of Maercker 60 in DuPage County.
“This class has kept me very green, and my dendrites
have grown exponentially!”
Other ISAL II graduates described the experience
in terms that included “the power of collaboration,”
“purposeful research,” and even “life-changing.”
“Certainly many of us [ISAL II cohort members]
experienced personal life changing events during the
two years of the ISAL II program. For me, the ISAL II
program, itself, was my life changing event, both on a
personal and professional level,“ said Dr. Darcy
Benway, superintendent of O’Fallon Township 203.
“As superintendents we are often isolated in the
work we do for our districts. The stress and demands
for the job can be overwhelming and all-consuming. I
am leaving ISAL II with additional tools that have
made me a more effective educational leader.
“More importantly, I am leaving ISAL II as a part
of a network of individuals who are all committed to
improving public education in Illinois and who are
committed to supporting each other.”
ISAL was developed and is sponsored by IASA
with the goal being to create a new level of public
education leadership in Illinois.
“Given
all
of
the
challenges
facing
superintendents and public education in Illinois, we
thought it was important to provide a unique
opportunity through rigorous curriculum, training and
experiences for those men and women who were
willing to push themselves beyond what is expected
of a superintendent,” said IASA Executive Director
Dr. Brent Clark.
The 19 superintendents who graduated as part of the
ISAL II class included: Reilly, Benway, and Dr.
Joseph Baily of Lincolnwood 74, Dr. Lori Bein of
Arlington Heights 25, Kathy Countryman of Sycamore
District 427, Lea Damisch of Marengo/Union 165, Dr.
Debbie Ehlenburg of Alden Hebron 19, Anthony
Galindo of Gibson City-Melvin Sibley CU 5, Dr. Jill
Gildea of Fremont 79, Guy Gradert of Ridgeview 19,
Christina Grant of Thompsonville CU 174, Dr. Dawn
Green of Somonauk 432, Lori Harrison of Illini
Central 189, Dr. Michael Lubelfeld of Deerfield 109,
(Continued on page 7)
ISAL II graduates experience
‘life-changing’ transformation
State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Chris Koch discusses educational leadership with the ISAL II class.
