D204 Superintendent Birkett Announces 2014 Retirement

The following is an open letter from Indian Prarie School District 204 Superintendent Kathy Birkett and appears on the D204 website:

Dear District 204 Community,

At last night's board of education meeting, I informed the board members of my intention to retire when my contract expires at the end of the 2013-14 school year. After next June, I will have spent 35 years working in education, and I couldn't be more pleased that my entire career has been with District 204.

I've seen tremendous growth over the years. Our community has expanded, we have built new schools, and our student population has increased significantly. Through all the changes, there have always been a couple of things that remained the same. Our students have always been eager to learn, our staff has been passionate and dedicated, and our parents have been supportive. Those constants have provided tremendous rewards to me personally over the past three decades. Together, we have been and will continue to be committed to doing what is best for our students in every way.

As superintendent, I am particularly proud to have led this district at a time when we are seeing the highest academic achievement in the history of our district. I have also led our district through some difficult financial challenges in order to maintain a balanced budget. We have cut more than $40 million from our budget since 2009, all while striving to have minimal impact on the classroom. We also prioritized equipping our students with 21st Century Skills so they can best succeed after graduation. The U.S. Department of Education asked District 204 to join the League of Innovative Schools along with 17 other districts. Through this participation, we were the first district in our area to launch a Bring Your Own Technology program in the classroom.

I am also appreciative for the strong support our district receives from the community. As a board member for various organizations, I am often the "bridge" that connects our district with businesses and other civic groups. As superintendent, it has given me great joy to share our district's success stories throughout our community, and there are so many stories to tell.

I look forward to building on our successes this coming year and continuing to share our stories with all who will listen.

Sincerely,

Kathy Birkett