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Illinois State Board of Education appoints interim superintendent
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[SEPT.
21, 2004]
SPRINGFIELD
-- Gov. Rod Blagojevich commended the Illinois State Board of
Education Monday for appointing Dr. Randy Dunn as interim
superintendent of education. The state board took the action at
their first board meeting after the governor appointed seven new
members last week. Dunn will serve in an interim capacity, and Gov.
Blagojevich expects to propose a candidate to serve as the permanent
superintendent following a nationwide search.
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Dunn, of Chester, was the governor's
proposed candidate for the interim position and is currently on
leave from his position as chairman of the Education Administration
and Higher Education Department at Southern Illinois
University-Carbondale.
"This is a delicate and exciting time
of transition at the Illinois State Board of Education," the
governor said. "I believe Randy Dunn has the right background and
experience in both classroom instruction and education
administration to manage the agency during this critical time.
Working with the state board, Randy can help us achieve our goals of
improving the way we educate Illinois children and working with
local schools and teachers, instead of against them. I look forward
to working with him and the nine members of the State Board of
Education."
Dunn rose through the education ranks
during his 20-year career -- starting out as a fourth-grade teacher
in Gibson City after graduating from Illinois State University. He
spent three years in the classroom before he transitioned to school
administration, serving as principal in two central Illinois schools
and later as superintendent in the Argenta-Oreana and Chester school
districts. In 1994, Dunn began at the University of Memphis as an
assistant professor, and one year later he joined the faculty as SIU-Carbondale.
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The governor thanked Dunn for accepting
the Illinois State Board of Education's appointment, which will be a
challenging and exciting opportunity to help move Illinois education
forward.
Last week,
the governor named seven new members to join two previous members on
the Illinois State Board of Education. He asked the state board, and
now the new interim superintendent, to focus on three main areas: to
immediately work to reduce the backlog in teacher certification, to
reduce the number of rules and regulations burdening local school
districts, and to develop innovative, realistic and affordable
strategies to improve Illinois education.
[News release
from the governor's office]
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