Latest news with #KaneCountyRegionalOfficeofEducation
Chicago Tribune
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Kane County Regional Office of Education Superintendent Patricia Dal Santo retiring
After 13 years as Kane County's Regional Office of Education superintendent, Patricia Dal Santo is retiring at the end of the month, officials said. And, in her place, the Kane County Board appointed John Jonak at Tuesday's board meeting to serve the rest of her term as superintendent. Jonak was originally set to serve as an assistant regional superintendent in the office, succeeding Deanna Oliver, who is also retiring per the Kane County Regional Office of Education. But Dal Santo, upon deciding to retire, recommended Jonak to the county board for the superintendent position, a spokesperson for the office told The Beacon-News. The Kane County Regional Office of Education serves over 100,000 students, according to officials with the office, across nine school districts in the county: U-46, Batavia 101, West Aurora 129, East Aurora 131, District 300, Central 301, Kaneland 302, St. Charles 303 and Geneva 304. Dal Santo took over as regional superintendent in 2012, a news release from the Kane County Regional Office of Education said. She has worked for the regional office since 1993 and previously served as its director of Alternative Programs, having worked at East Aurora School District 131 before that. A Republican, Dal Santo won reelection in 2014, 2018 and 2022, according to Kane County election results. Per the state, Regional Office of Education superintendents serve four-year terms, meaning the position is up for grabs in the 2026 election, the county clerk's office confirmed on Wednesday. According to the release, Dal Santo was involved in developing and piloting programs related to educator licensure, compliance and professional development registration during her time at the office, and helped inform a truancy intervention approach used by other offices that includes family counseling and prosocial activities. She is also a former president of the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools, according to the release, and is a representative for the Illinois Coalition for Educating At-Risk Youth. Jonak previously worked as the superintendent of Rosemont Elementary School District 78, per the release. He will assume the role of regional superintendent on July 1, serving out the remainder of Dal Santo's term.
Chicago Tribune
11-05-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
East Aurora's David Ballard recognized for work as school administrator at annual Kane County education awards
David Ballard, East Aurora School District 131's associate superintendent of staff and student services, was recently recognized for his work as a school administrator by the Kane County Regional Office of Education. Along with other teachers and staff from districts in the county, Ballard, supported by family and district employees, received an award by the county Regional Office of Education on May 2 at the Q Center in St. Charles, according to a press release from the Kane County Regional Office of Education. The Kane County Educator of the Year Awards are a reminder of 'what is worth advocating for in education,' Regional Superintendent for Kane County Patricia Dal Santo said in the office's news release. Nominations for the award, the press release said, are reviewed by a group of student teachers, retired teachers, university representatives, business representatives, national board certified teachers and Kane County Regional Office of Education staff members. Gemma Gurney of Central High School, part of Central Unit School District 301, took the top award, while a number of other teachers and staff — from districts in Aurora, Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles and more — also went home with awards. Ballard has worked in education for 30 years, he said, and spent 13 of those years at East Aurora. He previously worked as a principal at Johnson Elementary and Fred Rodgers Magnet Academy, as well as served as the district's executive director of secondary education. Now, as the associate superintendent of staff and student services, Ballard oversees the district's human resources department and student services, which includes special education and related services. A lot of his work involves recruitment, hiring and retention of teachers and other staff, he said. But his team also, for example, helped plan a district-level awards event held on May 8 that recognized staff members and retirees. The team Ballard oversees put together a book with recommendation letters from teachers, staff, parents and students that was submitted to the Kane County Regional Office of Education as part of his nomination. He said it was emotional to read the letters written in support of him. 'I think I got about halfway through and I was getting a little choked up, and another administrator came and knocked on my office (door),' he recalled. 'I said, 'Oh, thank you, gosh, I'm glad you're here … I was about to just break down.' And he said letters from students from his time as a principal stood out. 'I always tried to be visible as a principal,' Ballard told The Beacon-News on Friday. 'I never wanted them to view having to come to the principal or talk to the principal as being a bad thing.' Nominees for the Regional Office of Education awards at East Aurora are collected via an internal, anonymous vote, according to district officials. A committee within the district determines one person to be nominated for each award category, which is then submitted by the HR department to the Kane County Regional Office of Education. But, though his team is responsible for submitting the nominations, Ballard didn't know that he would be chosen by the Regional Office of Education this year, and said he was surprised when his name was called. Ballard was not the only nominee from East Aurora — three teachers and two other staff members were also nominated for different categories, according to the Kane County ROE's website. Now, his work in the district will continue on as usual — if not busier, Ballard said, noting that the end of the school year and summer are the busiest times for recruiting and hiring staff for the coming school year. And, as he works with his team on hiring for next year, among other responsibilities, Ballard noted that his win this year was a recognition of a group effort. 'I didn't feel it was just my award,' he said on Friday. 'I felt it was something that recognized all of us collectively.'
