Laurie Kimbrel, the next superintendent for Township High School District 113, said she sees far more promise than problems waiting in her new job, despite controversies there in the past year or so.
Kimbrel, an Elmhurst native who has been working at a California school district for the past seven years, will begin July 1 as schools chief for the district covering Highland Park and Deerfield high schools. In replacing retiring Superintendent George Fornero, she will be expected to lead a high-performing school district that also has experienced some recent turmoil among parents, teachers and district administration.
In a recent interview, Kimbrel, 49, said she wasn’t daunted by the challenge and looked forward to fostering a “culture of listening and shared problem-solving.”
“When you get a call about District 113, that’s one to pay attention to,” Kimbrel said. “It has an excellent history of engaged students and a supportive community.”
District 113 has had its share of recent drama, with Fornero and the school board coming under fire last spring from parents and students upset about the departure of a popular Highland Park High School principal.
There was also a rift between Fornero and teachers over proposed staffing reductions last year. An end-of-year survey by the teachers association indicated that most teachers did not feel a shared vision with the district office.
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Kimbrel said her philosophy hinges on supporting the staffing decisions of principals and the instructional methods of teachers, as long as those methods are supported by data. She said she hopes to begin by listening and celebrating what’s working.
“The trick is harnessing the energy and the expertise of the teachers to solve problems,” Kimbrel said.
In an interview, Marjie Sandlow, District 113 school board president, declined to compare the leadership styles of Fornero and Kimbrel. As she has in past interviews, Sandlow defended Fornero’s accomplishments.
But she did express confidence in Kimbrel’s ability to help mend relationships in the school community, citing Kimbrel’s record of collaboration with teachers and experience with strategic planning.
Sandlow called Kimbrel “a true visionary.”
“More than anyone I’ve ever met, she believes that all students want to learn and that all students can learn,” Sandlow said.
Marty Esgar, president of the District 113 Education Association, said he was encouraged by the hire.
Esgar served on an interview committee that included staff, parents, residents and students. Kimbrel stood out from an impressive field of candidates, he said.
“I didn’t get the feeling like she wanted to come in a fix us, because we’re not broken,” Esgar said. “There was a healthy respect that we’re a strong district.”
In her new post, Kimbrel will be paid a base annual salary of $255,000, according to her three-year contract.
For the 2015-2016 school year, Kimbrel’s total creditable earnings reported to the Teachers Retirement System will be $291,000, which includes compensation benefits like a car allowance and district-paid pension contributions, according to district officials.
The district will also pay Kimbrel up to $20,000 in moving expenses, according to the contract.
Currently, Kimbrel is superintendent of the Tamalpais Union High School District, which, like District 113, serves an affluent community with high expectations.
At Tam Union, as it’s called, Kimbrel said she helped guide the district to achieving a AAA-bond rating – even after the district had more than $5 million in state funding cut after the recession.
She also spearheaded the development of a district-wide curriculum with the input of more than 300 teachers, Kimbrel said, resulting in a Common Core-based approach.
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing for Kimbrel in the Tam Union district. Some teachers and parents have pushed back on issues of district staffing decisions, teacher professional development and inequitable pay increases for support staff.
In communities with high expectations, Kimbrel said, there will always be those who don’t agree with the superintendent. The key is to stay focused on what’s best for kids, she said.
“It’s not an easy job,” Kimbrel said. “You do have to have some thick skin and you have to be very clear on your own values.”
Kimbrel has her supporters, too. Laurie Dubin, a parent in the Tam Union district, said she’s worked with Kimbrel on alcohol and drug use prevention initiatives, as well tailoring the school calendar and class workloads to accommodate the Jewish High Holidays.
Dubin described Kimbrel as a leader “who truly cares about kids and has no hidden agendas.”
“She took an excellent school district and made it better,” Dubin said in an email.
Michael McDowell, a Tam Union associate superintendent, called Kimbrel a mentor and heaped praise on her “student-centered” leadership.
“There are going to be times when she leads in front,” McDowell said. “And there are times when she puts her arms together with our arms and we move forward together.”
Kimbrel said she didn’t set out to become a school superintendent. After getting her bachelor’s degree in music and business from Millikin University, she worked for a while selling bridal gowns in her early 20s, but became increasingly dissatisfied with the work.
She went back to school, earning her master’s degree in special education from Dominican University. Then she worked as a special education teacher at Lake Forest High School for several years before being tapped to be dean of students – her first foray into administration.
After earning her doctorate in curriculum and instruction at Loyola University in 2002, Kimbrel worked as an administrator in Grayslake for six years. Then California came calling.
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Now, District 113 beckons her back. A trail runner, Kimbrel will have to sacrifice the sweeping ocean vistas for views of Lake Michigan.
A mother of two – a daughter in college and a son who’s a high school junior – Kimbrel said she was excited for this next stage of her career.
“Frankly, there aren’t many districts that would have me coming back to Illinois, but this is one of them,” Kimbrel said.
Meet the New Superintendent
District 113 is hosting two receptions next month to meet the next superintendent, Laurie Kimbrel, who’s beginning work on July 1.
The first opportunity to meet Kimbrel is Wednesday, February 18 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Highland Park High School. The second is Thursday, February 19 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Deerfield High School.
For more information, visit the district website at http://www.dist113.org