Front Page
By Theresa Kelly Gegen
Welcome to the June/July 2025 issue of the Illinois School Board Journal, the annual Summer Reading Issue, in which we present articles and commentary that didn’t quite fit into any of the themes we presented over the past year.
This Journal presents the annual Administrator Salaries study. It’s a long-running series in which we take the data that districts report to the Illinois State Board of Education and break it down by positions and regions. This time, we also disaggregate the district superintendent salaries by type (unit, high school, elementary) and by enrollments. The 2025 installment, using 2024 data, “A Bird’s-Eye View,” begins on page 9.
The Administrator Salaries series is a service to our members, and often results in comments or questions. I welcome those. I also thank the readers who commented on the series, who helped me make changes for this year.
This Journal also features two commentaries on the educator shortage, both the factors that perpetuate it, and ways to alleviate it. Amy B. Wagner and David L. Conrad contribute “Stress and Burnout: Voices of Illinois Educators” on page 20. And “Educator Shortage: Are Community Colleges A Solution?” by our familiar contributors Hans A. Andrews and Greg Rockhold starts on page 24. There’s also the continuation of the “Back with Autism” series by Asha Amore Brown and Diallo Telli Brown. The third part of that informative series begins on page 27.
Thanks to all contributors for sharing their time and expertise with Journal readers.
If you are a new school board member who missed the May/June issue of the Journal, I encourage you to seek it out. Ask at your district office, or read it online. Especially if you learn by reading, you may appreciate the words of advice from experienced board members, and other goodies for newbies. Building on that, take a moment to bookmark those favorite, most helpful resources, readings, and trainings, and set a reminder to revisit them next spring. Everything you are picking up in theory now will make a lot more sense after a year’s practice.
It’s a cliché because it’s true: School board service is a marathon, not a sprint. On the other hand, there’s definitely sprinting to be done as you attend your first few meetings and take your mandated trainings and read every page of those packets and see your district in a whole new light.
Some have stepped onto a high-performing board and enjoyed smooth sailing. Some face board conflict or district strife from the start and have a bumpier path. Some move in and out of meetings quietly and efficiently, with little attention given to the work. Others serve on boards that the community is watching carefully and the media is reporting completely.
No matter which scenarios you are encountering, remember why you chose to be on the board in the first place. Remember the important guiding principles: the district’s vision, mission, and goals and IASB’s Foundational Principles of Effective Governance. Remember that your voice is important, that you represent the community, and that you all work together to do what is best for the children your public schools educate.
Theresa Kelly Gegen is the Editor of the Illinois School Board Journal and IASB Director of Communications/Editorial Services. She can be reached at tgegen@iasb.com.