Nick Polyak had to keep a big secret for several weeks this fall after receiving a phone call from the Illinois Association of School Administrators.
Polyak, superintendent for Leyden Community High School District 212, was named 2026 Illinois Superintendent of the Year and officially accepted the honor at the Joint Annual Conference, which drew thousands participants from the association as well as the Illinois Association of School Business Officials and Illinois Association of School Boards Nov. 21-23 in Chicago.
“They called me about a month in advance to make me aware. It was a situation that you can’t tell anyone until the official notification,” he said.
He called the honor “very, very humbling.”
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“I’m so proud of our school district and to be able to represent the district and bring something back like this for all of us,” He said.
Polyak, an educator for 27 years, has been superintendent for 17 years, the last 13 at Leyden, and he doesn’t take his role lightly.
“There’s a super unique fact about Leyden. I think the average superintendent is about three years in that position. Considering my time here, we’ve had five superintendents in the last 74 years,” he said. “I always tell people that that level of consistency builds trust with the teachers and community and school board, and I think that’s part of the magic of this place.”
His district includes two high schools – West Leyden and East Leyden – with a combined enrollment of 3,500 students from River Grove, Melrose Park, Northlake, Franklin Park, Rosemont, Schiller Park and unincorporated Leyden Township. It employs more than 600 professionals, according to a district news release.
The superintendent is quick to praise his colleagues. “Our team here is outstanding. I think it’s a hallmark of a good team that we can work together but we can also laugh together. We find ways to do things socially together,” Polyak explained. “I think we truly enjoy each others’ company and we rally around the shared responsibility of taking care of these students.”
Polyak was chosen for the honor by an independent 12-member panel of current and retired educators whose names are kept private, according to Jason Nevel, director of communications for the association, a “statewide professional association dedicated to supporting public school superintendents, not a state agency or public body.”
He said nominees are judged on “academic achievement, preparing students for the future, social-emotional support, teaching and instruction and leadership.”
Nevel said a quote from association executive director Brent Clark, who is not on the selection panel, explains why Polyak earned the honor.
“Dr. Polyak has distinguished himself as a leader who has strengthened both Leyden CHSD No. 12 and the broader Illinois education community,” Clark said. “His commitment to mentoring future superintendents and advancing innovative practices has transformed his district and elevated leadership across the state.”
Among Polyak’s accomplishments is his decade of work developing and teaching the Illinois Aspiring Superintendent Academy, mentoring thousands of people, more than 100 who now are superintendents in Illinois. He earned a doctorate in education – specifically educational leadership and supervision – from Loyola University Chicago and the Phi Delta Kappa Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award. He’s also published five books and for years has run the international #suptchat on X.
Praise for Polyak was echoed by Leyden School Board President Greg Ignoffo. “Dr. Polyak’s recognition as the 2026 Illinois Superintendent of the year is a testament to his dedication to student success, equity, innovation, and the development of future leaders in education,” he shared in the news release. “Being a superintendent isn’t a job, it’s a calling. … We know that he is wrestling with monumental decisions on where we are going with our district, our students, and our community, and he just makes it look so simple.”
Although he may make it look easy, the job is anything but simple. “The challenging thing is these jobs are inherently political,” Polyak said. “We’re constantly working with seven different communities at Leyden, which means seven elementary districts, seven mayors and police chiefs, chambers of commerce. The schools were so interconnected to the communities and there are a lot of different interests and opinions to be the best school districts among that.”
Another challenge is missing family time because of his job’s demands. “I explained when I accepted the award that it is more of an award for my wife putting up with me being a superintendent for 17 years. When you’re in these jobs, you end up missing a lot of things for your family because you’re spending a lot of time with other people’s kids,” he said.
He and his wife, Kate, have been married for 25 years and live in Lombard with their four children: daughter Chase, and sons John, Ben and Gabe.
Polyak considers the development of career pathways one of his biggest accomplishments in the district. “Kids cannot only explore career paths that they’re interested in but they can also earn job-ready credentials,” he explained. “If they don’t have to go to college, we’ve equipped them with credentials that make them immediately employable in those fields.”
He also is proud of the construction the district has done to update facilities “because they’re going to be used by generations of kids long after I’m gone.” The upgrades include a $55 million addition to East Leyden that involves a cafeteria, aquatics center and band and choir areas that was completed in 2020 and a $35 million project at West Leyden that included a new library and new cafeteria that was finished in 2019.
The two projects, as well as several others, were done without raising taxes. “There was good planning and collaboration with the board of education,” Polyak said. “We had money on hand for some and some of it we were able to sell bonds in a way that we could pay them back within our existing budget.”
During his tenure, the district also created Co.Lab, in which freshmen learn science, English, social studies, health, PE and digital literacy via an integrated curriculum rather than each subject being taught separately. “It’s a four-period block in the day so if the teachers want to get a bus and take the students to a local river to take water samples, they’re getting out and getting physical activity. You bring back the samples, observe them under a microscope, and the English part might be writing about what you’re learning,” he explained.
Girls’ flag football, boys’ bowling, diving and e-sports were other additions, and they are extremely important, he said. “Every extracurricular offering we have helps kids find their home at school. When we think back to our experience, particularly at high school, it’s the clubs we join, teams we are on. … It’s different ways for kids to connect to their school.”
Despite challenges, being superintendent brings some bright spots. “I really enjoy graduations. It’s that culminating experience as kids get launched off into the world. That’s a favorite time for me every year,” he said.
Although school board members hand out the diplomas, the superintendent gives a graduation address. “My job is the principal picks a couple of students and I interview them and tell their stories at graduation,” he explained. “Everyone has their own story, so we look at a couple that are inspirational. Aside from graduation, any time I can go see our students perform sports, plays, musicals, it fills me with pride.”
Because of his tenure, Polyak has learned a few things along the way.
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“I think when you start, you feel like you’re supposed to have all the answers. You have the big job title, the office,” he shared. “What I’ve learned over that time is the best leaders are the ones who are humble and are willing to build relationships and seek help from others. Those are the people who thrive in these roles. Check the ego at the door and way, ‘We’re all collectively smarter than I could ever be by myself.’”
Melinda Moore is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.