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Each morning when Dr. Kevin Blankenship pulls into the
parking lot for work, he knows it won’t be long before he’s
back in the driver’s seat.
The superintendent of Scott-Morgan CUSD #2 for the past
eight years is now also the leader of Winchester CUSD #1 as
part of a shared-superintendent agreement the two school
boards entered into locally.
Being a dual superintendent requires Blankenship—the 2020
Illinois Superintendent of the Year—to be visible in each
district. That means he typically spends the morning in one
district and the afternoon in the other.
According to the Illinois State Board of Education,
Blankenship is one of two superintendents in the state
to serve as a dual superintendent of two unit districts.
Combined, the two districts he leads serve about 900
preK–12 students in west central Illinois. Roughly 50 percent
of the students in the two districts are considered low income.
By Jason Nevel
IASA Director of Social Media and Publications
LM Month 2019
Dr. KevinBlanke
2020 Illinois Su
of theYear
It’s a unique situation and one other educators, especially his
fellow superintendents, ask Blankenship about.
While he admits he’s been busy, Blankenship is not one to
complain about any of the unique challenges he faces, like
overseeing two budgets or keeping lines of communication
open with two school boards.
That selfless attitude is one of the reasons he’s earned the
respect from staff in both districts he serves and why he was
named 2020 Illinois Superintendent of the Year.
“He prides himself in keeping quiet on those things and just
doing everything he can to help both districts succeed,” says
Joe Kuhlmann, preK–12 principal at Scott-Morgan CUSD
#2. “He cares so much about the students and community
and you will always see him willing to lend a helping hand,
wherever it is needed.”
Shared Superintendent
Blankenship has been an educator for 25 years, including
eight as superintendent. He currently serves on the IASA
Board of Directors (Two Rivers Region) and is one of a
handful of superintendents in Illinois who is also a certified
police officer.
Nominees for Illinois Superintendent of the Year are
judged on the following criteria: leadership for learning,