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Overcast District 30 superintendent gets five more years
In the same week that new superintendents began work in District 13 and the Central High School District, the Board of Education in District 30 made a long-term commitment to its current schools chief.
Superintendent Dr. Elaine Kanas, who was hired to lead the nearly 1,500-student elementary district in 2008, was given a five-year contract extension on June 27. The deal will keep her in Valley Stream through June 30, 2016, and she will earn a salary of $207,563 next year.
“She’s been doing so much in the district,” said Board of Education President Elise Antonelli. “We want to keep on going with the good thing that we have.”
“She is someone who we’re very confident in,” added Board of Education trustee Ken Cummings. He cited the Magna Award the district won this year, a recognition by the American School Board Journal for an early intervention reading program. He said that this award was the direct result of her work and her push to help children overcome reading difficulties in the early grades.
Kanas said she has made it a priority to build a strong educational foundation for children in the lower grades. Her new contract, she says, will allow her to see the results of that hard work as children get older.
She said it will also give her the chance to see through to the end the five-year strategic plan. The plan sets goals for the district in many areas including student performance, technology, facilities upgrades, parent communication, student behavior and staffing.
Last week, Kanas presented a report to the Board of Education outlining the progress the district had made toward achieving its goals in the first year of the strategic plan.
Antonelli noted that Kanas is a believer in using data to monitor student performance and enhance curriculum. She also explained that the superintendent strives to provide teachers with ample professional development, a philosophy board members agree with.
Kanas sets the tone at the top, Antonelli explained, by encouraging a collaborative working style among the staff. The teachers and administrators in District 30 enjoy working together, Antonelli said.
She also said that Kanas understands the needs of the students. Before granting Kanas the extension, Antonelli said the board evaluated her performance, based on goals set together by Kanas and the Board of Education. Kanas met every goal, Antonelli said, and exceeded expectations in many areas.
Kanas said there is a lot of work to be done in the next five years. She wants to help guide the district through curriculum changes, the result of new Common Core Standards established by the federal government for education. That will mean revised standardized tests in two years. Additionally, she wants to help lead the district through these difficult economic times. “I’ve always liked a challenge,” she said.
Building a strong administrative team is also a goal for Kanas. Although there has been a lot of turnover in the past three years, including the principals of all three schools, Kanas said the administrators in place now are smart, hard-working and care about children. “I think these are people who are committed to being here,” she said.
Kanas said she takes advantage of the strengths of each administrator, and makes sure their talents are being utilized to move the district forward.
She also wants to have an open line of communication with the community. Kanas said sometimes there is confidential information she can’t share, but wants parents and community members informed about what is going on in District 30. She said she wants their input, and would like to establish more community partnerships.
Kanas, describing District 30 as a “little jewel that shines,” wants it to be a leader in education, not a district trying to “catch up” to others. At the end of her five-year contract, Kanas said the district should be continuing to grow.
“I really appreciate the board’s support,” Kanas said of her new contract. “That’s something I’m lucky to have.”
