SPRINGFIELD, IL — Retiring School District 186 Superintendent Jennifer Gill admitted she got “very lucky” when she was named to the top spot in 2014.
Not only had Gill grown up in Springfield attending public schools, but the start of her superintendency overlapped by two-and-a-half months with former 186 superintendent Bob Hill.
Hill had succeeded another former 186 administrator, Bob Leming, as “interim superintendent” after the departure of Walter Milton.
It was Hill who shepherded Gill into school administration, first as a principal assistant and then principal at Lindsay Elementary School.
“That helped me have a sounding board,” Gill reflected on Hill’s presence, “somebody I could just say, ‘Hey, what about this? How do you see this? What insight can you give me?’ That was great to have—and he was somebody I was familiar with, so I had a comfort in knowing I could call him and say, ‘All right, this is what I’m thinking.'”
In a recent sit-down interview with The State Journal-Register, Gill said she hoped incoming Superintendent Terrance Jordan, who rose from substitute teacher to assistant superintendent of family, community and school leadership, had “the same feeling, that there’s an ease and a comfort that he can call me and ask me and let me help him if he needs it.
“I have full confidence in him to move forward because we have been working on everything side-by-side, especially since he was named superintendent (in January), but very much so before, as a member of my cabinet.”
Gill offered a full-throated support of Jordan again at the June 15 board of education meeting, saying she was “very confident” in the handoff.
“I think he’s got a really good knack for working with our community and continuing to build the trust and build the support that we need for our students through that community trust is important,” Gill said.
In the interview, Gill talked about what she saw as her legacy in over three decades, 12-plus years as superintendent, in 186; what might be on Jordan’s plate and what is next for her as she exits at the end of June.
‘We had a clear plan of action’
The 1% sale tax increase in 2018 benefitting Sangamon County schools was the first school referendum to pass locally since 1984.
That can be seen in colossal makeovers or complete rebuilds of Lanphier High School, Springfield High School and Owen Marsh Elementary and additions on Butler, Dubois and Fairview elementary schools.
On June 15, the public got its first look at a 55,000-square-foot fieldhouse that will be built at Southeast High School but shared by all three high schools. It includes a six-lane track and all-purpose courts.
“What we did with the…sales tax is a bigger legacy than just (getting it passed),” Gill noted.
As for getting it passed?
“My job was to build trust and be out in the schools, understand what the physical needs of our schools were and communicate those needs to the community,” Gill said. “We could’ve kept putting roofs on, but that’s not going to improve the academic outcome, and students won’t be able to see the change.
“We had a clear plan of action of how we were going to spend (the tax money). We have not deviated from that plan. We’ve followed through, we’ve used our money appropriately and been good fiscal stewards of that money we’re receiving.”
Gill hoped as she walks away that the community feels “trust in the school district.”
“I know we’re always going to have people who are upset at certain things that have happened, but overall, if the feeling is our public schools are great, our public schools are serving our community well and our school facilities are beautiful and clean and operational (and) our academics inside them are stellar, that’s what I want,” she said.
What is on Jordan’s plate
Gill said one of Jordan’s passions is seeing some 186 students served in alternative settings.
That will get a major boost with Douglas Prep getting rebranded as the J. Michael Zimmers Academy at Lawrence School, 101 E. Laurel St.
Lawrence Education Center and the Springfield Learning Academy, both located in the former school, moved to White Oaks Mall last summer, becoming the first Simon Youth School program in Illinois.
Lawrence has been “updated, but not gutted,” Gill said. The district has maintained the historical value of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed library, she added.
The center is name for Mike Zimmers, who served as a teacher, coach, principal and administrator in 186 for three-plus decades and later became school board president. He died in 2022.
Gill said the district under Jordan could see expanded mental health services because Sangamon County voters in March approved a sales tax hike to fund a 708 Mental Health Board, which would coordinate and fund a network of mental health providers.
Particularly, that could lead to the expansion of the Mosaic Program, where clinicians are embedded in schools, and strengthening “peace rooms” located in each of the high schools, she said.
The board’s first budget vote with Jordan at the helm could come with an $18 million deficit.
The budget needs to be zeroed out in the next few budget cycles, per the Illinois State Board of Education.
“If revenues come in stronger, that (deficit) will be less. If they don’t or they stay stagnant, we’ll still need to look what we can do to tighten our belts, so that will be on his horizon,” Gill said.
The board and the Springfield Education Association will head into beginning contract talks in 2027.
With pay, teacher and staff safety has become a front burner item in recent negotiations.
“I want the teachers to feel like they’re supported,” said Gill, who began her career in 186 as a teacher. “I want them to feel like they have a safe environment, to go to school every day.”
What’s next
Before wrapping up the school year, Gill took a tour of all the district’s schools, marking an opportunity to say goodbye.
She was moved after being presented a custom watercolor canvas painting with the district logo decorated with themes from past school years.
“This has been an amazing career, and it’s been a great run,” Gill said after the June 15 meeting.
As for what’s next, Gill recently signed on with Hazard Young Attea & Associates, a national education consulting and executive search firm specializing in recruiting superintendents and other educational leaders for school districts.
Gill will certainly be doting on her first grandchild. She wants to travel a bit and “take care of me.”
“I’ve not not had a job since I was 15 at the YMCA,” she admitted. “It’s going to be weird for me to kind of slow down a little bit, but I think it might be time to teach myself how to do that.”
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788; sspearie@sj-r.com; X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: ‘It’s been a great run.’ Gill officially retires after three decades
Reporting by Steven Spearie, Springfield State Journal-Register / State Journal-Register
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By Steven Spearie, Springfield State Journal-Register | USA TODAY Network
