The Examiner U-46 News Feed

Sanders leaving U-46 to take state educator post

By Seth Hancock
  School District U-46 will be seeking a new superintendent after the announcement that Tony Sanders will be stepping down to become the Illinois State Board of Education’s (ISBE) state superintendent of education.
  The announcement was made on Jan. 31 by the ISBE in a press release which stated Sanders “will assume his duties in late February.”
  Democrat Gov. J.B. Pritzker said for the ISBE release: “Dr. Sanders’ breadth of experience as superintendent of School District U-46 and his entire background have prepared him to take on this role. His focus on innovation, social emotional development, and academic excellence make him an extraordinary pick.”
  Sanders wrote in a Jan. 31 statement: “While I have such a strong connection to U-46, I have always set my sights on serving in the role of state superintendent. It is the only position that I would consider leaving U-46 to accept, and the fact that I was selected is an honor that I cannot decline.”
  Sue Kerr, the U-46 Board of Education president, told The Examiner that the board would hold a closed session meeting on Feb. 6 “to discuss next steps.” Sanders’ final day with U-46 hasn’t been officially set yet, she added.
  In a statement, Kerr wrote that the board was “sad to see… Sanders leave, but knows that the children of the state of Illinois will benefit from his leadership at the Illinois State Board of Education.” She added that Sanders “has never hesitated to reach out to state legislators and the media to advocate on U-46’s behalf.”
  Sanders was named the U-46 CEO in 2014 when Superintendent Jose Torres left the district. He did not have the legal qualifications at the time as the district chose to keep Sanders as CEO while paying for a part-time interim superintendent, Kenneth Arndt, who was paid up to $70,000 a year to sign documents.
  U-46 and Sanders lobbied the Illinois General Assembly for a special carve-out that solely benefitted Sanders allowing him to be CEO without an interim superintendent, which took effect in 2017. He later used funding to achieve his superintendent certification, which he achieved in 2020.
  Sanders’ time as CEO/superintendent has been paralleled by consistently declining scores across most ISBE academic measures as well as eight straight years of spending increases with enrollment declines. Spending has increased 62 percent and enrollment dropped by 14 percent since 2012.