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Robbins to lead state superintendents group
Updated: August 6, 2012 6:33AM
FRANKLIN PARK — Starting July 1, Kathryn Robbins will not only speak for Leyden District 212 but for the interests of school superintendents throughout Illinois.
Robbins was elected as president of the Illinois Association of School Administrators, a professional organization for school superintendents.
The roughly 2,000-member organization represents almost all the superintendents and school districts throughout the state. It assists with professional development, figuring out how legislation – such as No Child Left Behind – will impact superintendents and works with government bodies.
There is a long list of challenges superintendents in Illinois face, Robbins said. Those include implementing recent education reform laws that deal with teacher reevaluation and discipline, how district can make do with less money and mentoring superintendents.
“There’s a lot of turnover in superintendence,” Robbins said. “Of the 850 superintendents in the state, about 150 will be new as of July 1. The average turnover in districts is every three-and-a-half years.”
The IASA is also concerned with such topics as making sure the pension system remains stable and student testing.
Robbins has served as superintendent of Leyden District 212 for 13 years. She previously was an assistant principal and assistant superintendent in the district. Before that she worked as a business education teacher at Manteno High School and Proviso East High School and dean of students at Glenbard West High School.
She earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Education from Northern Illinois University, her Master of Science in Education from National Louis University and her Doctorate in Education Administration from Loyola University.
Robbins one-year presidency coincides with her last year as superintendent at Leyden District 212. Between her job and the presidency, she expects to be busy.
“I’m just bracing myself for a crazy year,” Robbins said.
