Dr. Donna Leak Named 2021 Illinois Superintendent Of The Year

SAUK VILLAGE, IL — The Illinois 2021 Superintendent of the year has been awarded to Dr. Donna Leak, superintendent of Community Consolidated Schools District 168. The award comes from the Illinois Association of School Administrators, according to the administration.

Leak received the award on Tuesday during a virtual ceremony held via Zoom and simulcast on Facebook Live. The administration said educators from across the state joined the ceremony to see who will win this year.

The administration said Illinois Superintendent of the Year nominees are judged on the following criteria:

• Leadership for learning
• Communication
• Professionalism
• Community involvement

Leak has been an educator for 32 years and this is her 11th year as a superintendent, according to the administration. D168, a pre-K-8th grade district serves roughly 1,400 students, predominantly from low-income households, in the southern suburbs of Chicago, according to the administration.

“I am filled with gratitude and appreciation to receive this award. Every day, it is my privilege and honor to serve our Board of Education, administrators, staff, students and families. They are truly the forces that make the work so rewarding,” Leak said. “Our collective commitment to ensuring that our students excel by inspiring, challenging and supporting them every day to reach their greatest academic, social and personal potential is at the heart of all we do. This award is about that work by our entire community and is shared with them.”

Leak also serves as Vice Chair of the Illinois State Board of Education. She is the first active superintendent to ever serve on the ISBE Board, according to the administration.

As superintendent, Leak has overseen numerous improvements, both inside and outside the classroom. Here is what the administration said is some of the work Leak was able to accomplish as superintendent thus far:

• Implemented new teaching and learning strategies based on research to help narrow the achievement gap. Changes include hiring of instructional coaches, purchasing new curriculum and increasing staff’s focus on data to determine additional interventions for students.

- As a result, D168 has seen one of its buildings move from Targeted Support to Commendable status on the Illinois Report Card.

• Chronic absenteeism from the 2019-2020 school year dropped from 36% to 11%. • Enhanced social-emotional supports for students, including hiring an additional counselor and social workers.
• Revamped the district’s preschool program, which has led to an increase in the number of students prepared for kindergarten.
• Strengthened community relations through increased communication, including monthly Parent Coffees, community chats, updates on social media, phone blasts and email blasts.
• Established research-based teacher and principal evaluator systems and invested in professional learning for staff.
• Installed a state-of-the-art water filtration system, removed asbestos from buildings and renovated the junior high school.
• Expanded community outreach efforts with Back to School Bashes that connect families with services, such as on-site dental and physical exams, GED support and health services.

The administration said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, Leak has demonstrated strong leadership that has allowed the district to quickly adapt and continue to support and engage with students during remote learning. The administration said Leak's efforts include:

• Between March 2020 and August 2020, D168 provided every child with a device and every home with internet where needed. The district also invested in new digital resources and platforms.
• D168 set up virtual after school programs, provided evening support for parents, transitioned in-person events to virtual formats and took an all-hands-on-deck approach to ensure someone routinely met with students based on their intervention needs.
• Delivered meals to students and partnered with local churches to establish meal pick-up sites for adults in the community.

School Board President Tammy Jones said Leak’s work over the past decade has "truly transformed" D168. "Her tenacity, independence and ability to lead has united our district. We are more of a family than a school district," Jones said.

Margaret Sharkey, a teacher and president of the local teacher’s union, said Leak is a passionate educator who is supportive of teachers.

“There is never anything you can’t go to her about,” Sharkey said. “She will always try and work with you to get through whatever issue. It’s truly a great pleasure to work for her and with her.”

According to the administration, the Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA) is the state’s premier advocacy organization for school administrators with nearly 2,000 members. Dr. Brent Clark, executive director of IASA, described Leak as a passionate leader who works tirelessly to improve the educational environment for students both in her district and statewide in her role as an ISBE Board member.

“Nobody has a bigger heart and more enthusiasm for helping students succeed than Donna Leak,” Clark said. “Her work has helped transform her district, and she truly is a role model for administrators and incredibly deserving of this honor.”

Leak is a member of the National Association of State Boards of Education, Superintendents’ Commission for the Study of Demographics and Diversity and serves on the Board of Directors for the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics, where she has served as an editor and reviewer on multiple series of publications including equity in mathematics education, according to the administration.

The administration said Leak is also involved in numerous community groups and has led professional development training to help districts address Professional Learning Communities at Work, Mathematical Practices and racial inequities.

“In this unprecedented year of pandemic, civil unrest and economic struggles, we are all working diligently to provide for our communities on all levels,” Leak said. “This award is a tribute to all of us. Congratulations to all of my colleagues across the State for the work we are doing – I share this with each of you and my district, Community Consolidated Schools District 168.”