Supt. candidate: Niles can be world class school district
Published 9:23 am Friday, January 9, 2015
Just two years into semi-retirement, Joseph Majchrowicz said he is ready to get back into the grind as a full-time superintendent.
The Schererville, Indiana, man told the Niles Community Schools Board of Education in a public interview Wednesday that Niles would be a great place to make his return.
Joseph Majchrowicz
“You have the potential to become a world class school district and one which I would be honored to lead with you,” said Majchrowicz, one of six finalists for job of Niles superintendent.
Majchrowicz has worked in public education for 39 years, including 20 as a superintendent at three school districts in Illinois. His longest stint was 12 years as superintendent of Sunnybrook SD 171 in Lansing, Illinois.
He retired in 2012 and took a part-time job as a superintendent of a school in Burnham, Illinois.
In his experience, Majrchrowicz said there are four attributes a school district needs in order to become a “world class” school district:
• They value people and strong character development
• They have high expectations with a particular level of accountability
• They have a strategic plan with a mission and vision that is student centered
• They are open and honest with their successes and failures and communicate with their constituencies
“I think we have the opportunity here to turn Niles into a world class school district, but it is going to take work,” he said.
In describing himself as a servant leader, Majrchrowicz said he never had a grievance from any union he had dealt with in 20 years.
“I was very proud of that,” he said.
As for educating children, Majrchrowicz said the most important factor is simply being involved in their lives. That begins, he said, with the school board and extends to the superintendent, teachers and everyone else in a district.
“Without that involvement and engagement on our part, I think the endeavor of public education is going to fail,” he said. “We have to serve the needs of our kids and those needs are wide and varied. Without all of our involvement and commitment it just isn’t going to work.”
