Last week, Timothy Kilrea, Lyons Township High School District 204 superintendent, announced he plans to retire at the end of this school year.
He has been with the district since 2007, first serving as the director of human resources and then taking over as superintendent in 2009.
Kilrea said he made the decision to retire at the end of this school year some time ago, but he wanted to focus on leading the district through the pandemic.
“Honestly, retirement is such a personal thing, so you don’t just wake up one day and just say this,” he said. “I have known for a while this would be it, but I know you can’t dictate when. You will know when it’s time for you and I got to that point more than a few months ago but I knew the focus had to be to open the school year and address the pandemic. So my announcement was pushed to the back burner.”
Now, as he nears the final stretch of his career, Kilrea said he has loved working with the community and the students.
“There have been many high points to point to, but one, being offered the position was among the top,” he said. “Being able to serve the community and work with students and staff it was very rewarding. It was a big job and I threw everything into it.”
Kilrea began his career as a teacher 35 years ago at Lincoln-Way District 210 where he taught history and coached soccer. Even from a young age he wanted to be in education.
“You know, all my life my parents were very staunch supporters of education,” he said. “It was just something that I took to and I wanted to work with in younger people and help them. It never really felt like a job because when you’re working with students every day is different.”
As superintendent, of course, one must work not only with students but also staff. Teacher’s union president Joseph Maffey said that Kilrea earned the respect of the district’s teachers.
“I’ve been the president for the last four years and vice president for the two years prior to that,” Maffey said. “I think we’ve had a professional relationship built on mutual trust and respect. Being the steward of a district with 4,000 students, It’s hard to balance the interest of all the stakeholders.”
A superintendent must also work with the board of education. George Dougherty is the vice president of the board and the longest-serving member _ starting in 2009. He saw Kilrea grow into his position and praised his leadership.
“I think he was awesome,” Dougherty said “He brought an energy to things. He’s extremely hard working. He’s smart and capable and all these things are true too, I’m not just saying this because he’s leaving. He’s a wonderful person in many ways and he’s just a really important person.”
Dougherty said Kilrea challenged students and raised the level of expectation for all students at LTHS.
“When I got on the board, there was a mindset that certain students would perform at this level and that’s about it and that’s all you could really expect and I don’t think that was anybody’s fault, but that attitude changed dramatically over the years and we changed the school to be more student focused.”
While the board hasn’t yet begun looking at candidates to replace Kilrea, Dougherty said he’s set the bar high.
“I hope that we could get someone as smart and as intelligent and as sensitive as he was, and that’s going to be a tough thing to find,” he said.
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Dougherty couldn’t say whether they expected to pick anyone from within the district or not.
“The board hasn’t talked about those things yet,” he said. “If we do it like we did previously, then well explore all options and we won’t take anything off the table.
This year has been particularly tough for the districts _ like most districts in Illinois _ because of COVID-19. But generally, Kilrea said he’s enjoyed working out problems.
“I’ve had many challenges over the years that’s what makes our job so interesting,” he said. “No day is ever the same. This is nationwide. This is a pandemic, but we also have budgetary challenges sometimes and many challenges that are not foreseen like if new graduation challenges come down from the state or the tragedies that may develop in your communities.”
In the coming months the board of education will begin looking at candidates to replace Kilrea. The superintendent has some advice for whomever that might be.
“Listen, embrace the support that our parents and our communities provide to our school. Have fun,” he said. “There are wonderful traditions here but there are also some really cool things that develop. I would encourage them to learn our tradition and learn our communities. Keep the number one focus on our kids. That’s what I learned from my predecessor, Dr. Dennis Kelly. The primary driver is doing what’s best for our students and I’m confident that will continue.”