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Bertrand develops culture of ‘kids first’
By Michael Chamness
IASA Director of Communications
Dr. Tom Bertrand’s 13-year tenure as
superintendent of the Rochester School District
includes many impressive, tangible accomplishments
-- things like a nationally acclaimed anti-bullying
program, a digital conversion, a new differentiated
professional development program for teachers and
administrators, dual-
credit classes, creation
of its own special
education program and
even a new campus as
the result of five
successful
referendums.
Rochester also is
known statewide for its
music, art and athletics programs, including the
Rockets’ five straight Class 4A state football
championships, an unprecedented streak for public
schools in Illinois.
But ask the 2015 Illinois Superintendent of the
Year the mark he’d most like to leave on the
Rochester School District and Bertrand will tell you
it’s about building a “kids first” culture.
“It’s not about adults first, it’s about kids first,”
Bertrand said. “It’s a culture about high expectations
and continuous improvement. It’s a lot to live up to,
but we want to set high expectations.”
Bertrand expressed mixed feelings about being
named Illinois Superintendent of the Year.
“It’s a great feeling to be recognized by your
peers. It’s a very humbling experience and in some
ways I’m a little uncomfortable because I know how
hard many of my colleagues work and the great work
they do in their school districts,” said Bertrand, who
has been an educator for
28 years. He served as a
teacher, coach, principal
and assistant
superintendent before
becoming superintendent
in Rochester in 2002. “I
look at this as recognition
for our schools and our
community. Our board, staff and our teachers are all
marching to the same beat. Those who know me well
know that I expect a lot from our principals and
teachers, and I consider this award the fruits of
their
labor, not mine.”
Incredibly, Bertrand is only the fifth school
superintendent in Rochester since 1936, a fact he
said “speaks volumes about the community support
for our schools.” It also is a reflection of what
Bertrand calls his sandbox analogy.
“The board’s role is to build the sandbox and the
superintendent’s responsibility is to play inside of it.
Rochester superintendent named Illinois Superintendent of the Year
“It’s not about adults first, it’s about kids
first. It’s a culture about high expectations
and continuous improvement.”
--Rochester Superintendent
Dr. Tom Bertrand, 2015 Illinois
Superintendent of the Year