Former Niles Township High School District 219 Superintendent Steven Isoye has been named chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education by Governor J.B. Pritzker, according to a statement from the governor’s office.
from July 2016 through June 30, said he was honored with the appointment. District 219 serves Skokie, Morton Grove, Lincolnwood and Niles.“I look forward to working with my colleagues on the board and State Superintendent Dr. Carmen Ayala to foster an academic environment in which every student in the state can be successful,” Isoye said in the statement.
The nine-member ISBE board establishes educational policies to implement state law for public and private schools, according to ISBE spokeswoman Jackie Matthews.Before being hired by District 219, Isoye was superintendent at Oak Park and River Forest High School from 2010 to 2016. Prior to that, he worked as both a teacher and administrator at a series of Chicago-area schools and was named Illinois Teacher of the Year in 1988.
“Dr. Isoye is a distinguished lifelong educator – a former Illinois Teacher of the Year, former school principal, and retired district superintendent. He brings invaluable perspective and experience to the role. Serving as a board chair takes patience, integrity, a collaborative spirit, and an ability to listen to different viewpoints, while upholding the mission, vision, and values of the board. Dr. Isoye has all of these qualities and more. I look forward to partnering with Dr.
Ayala oversees the daily ISBE responsibilities, with the board providing oversight at meetings throughout the year.“District 219 congratulates Dr. Steven Isoye on his appointment, by Governor J.B. Pritzker, to serve as chairperson of the Illinois State Board of Education. We look forward to continuing our work with Dr. Isoye as he serves in this important role,” District 219 spokeswoman April Stallworth wrote in an e-mail to Pioneer Press.