State Supt. of Education Glenn “Max” McGee announced Wednesday he will step down at the end of the year, apparently reaching an agreement with a board that found the pace of education reform too sluggish.
In a letter to board members, McGee acknowledged improvements have come slowly and said it’s time to look for a new superintendent.
“Change needs to happen more rapidly, and in that vein, I believe that the state board would be better served by a new leader who can bring different experiences and skills to the table,” McGee said in the letter.
McGee, whose departure has been rumored for months, has a $216,000-a-year, 3-year contract that expires Dec. 31. He could not be reached for comment.
McGee’s announcement comes at a precarious time for state education officials, who are in the midst of an aggressive reform campaign that touches virtually every aspect of public education, including student testing, punishing and assisting troubled schools, revamping teacher licensing, and creating a better school financing structure.
To put that sweeping agenda into place, the new superintendent of education will have to marshal the support of lawmakers, the powerful teachers’ unions, local school superintendents, the business community and the governor.
Moreover, the new schools chief will have to overhaul an agency that has a reputation as bloated, ineffective and unresponsive to the public.
“We need someone who can bring us all together,” said Ron Gidwitz, chairman of the State Board of Education. “I believe that a leader is one who will get all of us–the public sector, the legislators, the governor, the business community, teachers, parents–on one sheet of paper to focus on education. We have made progress, but we have so much work and such a far distance to go.”
Gidwitz said McGee was not pushed out but that the board decided “new leadership is required” for the next stage of reform. He said the board will launch a national search for a replacement and will look at candidates with educational or business backgrounds.
The board will spend the next few months meeting with community members across the state to develop a list of qualities necessary for the new superintendent.
But Gidwitz acknowledged he already has spoken with several possible candidates. He would not identify them.
The Illinois State Board of Education is an $8 billion agency that oversees broad educational policies for the state’s 895 public school districts.
The board does not have supreme powers to institute policies, but it sets the agenda for debate and crafts specific rules to put policies into motion.
The board also funnels close to $8 billion of federal money to local school districts.
McGee took the helm in 1999 after the rocky tenure of Joseph Spagnolo. He came just as the board launched its reform movement, similar to those started in other states.
His departure came in large part because the agency was unable to accomplish key reform initiatives.
Under McGee’s watch, student test scores improved only marginally, the achievement gap between poor and wealthy students did not shrink, a plan to help failing schools has not been implemented, key legislative initiatives did not make it through the General Assembly, and a new school funding formula has not materialized.
More Top Picks What Is The 20 20 20 Rule And Does It Actually Work
State Sen. Dan Cronin (R-Elmhurst), who lobbied the board to retain McGee, said he was unhappy about Wednesday’s announcement.
“We were just starting to experience positive results. I can see things beginning to change in a positive direction, thanks in large part to Max’s hard work and dedication,” said Cronin, chairman of the Senate Education Committee. “Right now, I don’t think this is the opportune time to switch horses. There is a history in this state of blaming the superintendent for problems that are beyond his reach. Here’s another example of it.”
Cronin and others give McGee credit for changing the dynamics of education discussions in the state.
“I think the most important thing that he has done is crank up the discussion about school improvement and what we can do to better teach our children,” Walt Warfield, head of the Illinois Association of School Administrators, said in a recent interview. “When he talked about testing, he talked in terms of ensuring student progress and making schools better.”
In his letter to the board, McGee touted his accomplishments, citing new programs in reading, early childhood education and alternative education.
He also spoke about the new online high school and the state’s decision to require, and pay for, every high school student to take the ACT college entrance exam.
“It has been frustrating trying to maintain the focus needed to excel while balancing far too numerous demands on my time,” McGee wrote. “I appreciate the opportunity you have afforded me to be a leader. I trust I have served you, our staff, our teachers and our children well.”