District 96 Superintendent Focuses on Community

When School District 96 Superintendent Julie Schmidt was invited to throw out the first pitch at a Buffalo Grove Recreation Association game this summer, she said she didn't really know what she was doing.

"Sixty feet is a really long way," she said. "I was in my backyard practicing, and my husband was like, 'Oh boy.'"

When game day rolled around, armed with her developing skill and the advice she received from her husband, Rob, she aimed and threw.

"It was straight," she said.

As it turns out, Schmidt knows exactly what she is doing.

Participation in such events is one way Schmidt, who took the reins as superintendent on July 1, is working to engage with the Buffalo Grove community. She wants to be known as someone who is approachable and engaged with the community. That's why she's signed on with the Buffalo Grove Chamber of Commerce, offered to give regular district updates to the Buffalo Grove Rotary Club, and will share her singing voice — she earned a minor in vocal performance — in a choral concert with students and the Buffalo Grove Singers this fall.

She's working so hard on community involvement, she said, because her predessor, Tom Many, had such a strong rapport with the community. Many retired at the end of the 2009-10 school year.

"I'm working on visibility with the community so people are comfortable with who I am," Schmidt said. "Dr. Many was here for so long that over the course of 16 years everyone knew who he was."

Schmidt is not a newcomer to the district -- she joined the staff in 2005 as associate superintendent for special services, a position in which she oversaw the district's bilingual program, student discipline and professional learning program. Her experience in the district and the fact that she was named the district's new superintendent about a year and a half before assuming the role, allowing time for her to work closely with Many, made for a smooth transition, she said.

"This summer has been fairly seamless, since I've been preparing for so long," she said. "I think it really eased anxiety with the staff."

"I came to District 96 because I really believed in the work they were doing. I never came here aspiring to be a superintendent. But once I got here, it was just a fit," she said.

"We have a very stable (school) board," she said. "Everything the board talks about, they always talk about what's good for the students," she added.

As superintendent, Schmidt said her goals include maintaining strong student achievement, refining assessment practices by involving students in goal-setting and tracking, and strengthening collaboration among teachers so they can continue to share best practices.

"I feel really humbled to be appointed superintendent here," she added. "It is such a talented group of people. It's the best job in the world."

With her 4-year-old daughter, Lily, attending a private preschool housed at District 96's Willow Grove Kindergarten and Early Childhood Center, Schmidt said she can't help but assess the district through the eyes of a parent.

"I walk through the elementary schools, and kind of the litmus test is, is this something I would want for my kid? And it really is."