In Focus: A Superintendent Knocking Down Silo Walls
District 117 Superintendent Jim McKay explains how shared services and plain speaking help him improve his Illinois high school district.
Jim McKay of Community High School District 117 in Illinois shares the cost of road salt, paper and printing with other districts to save money.
Jim McKay, the superintendent of Community High School District 117 in Northern Lake County, Illinois, has been in his district for 17 years. I asked him about his path to the superintendency, and he said he had never planned on being a superintendent, but it finally came down to answering the thought, “If not me, who?”
Sharing Services
Jim is certainly a straight shooter who isn’t afraid to speak his mind and explore bold ideas that go against tradition in a search to improve the operations of his school and increase offerings for his students. He is a fan of shared services and has teamed up with other organizations to divide the cost of road salt, paper sheets, and even the cost of printing a quarterly magazine for the residents of the community.
In a state where many small districts are making up an area that in many states would be demarcated as one large district, Jim is working to team with smaller districts to share services that save money and make everyone’s jobs easier. You can tell by his tone that he is passionate about his work and I predict he will be knocking down the walls of the traditional silos sooner rather than later.
This article was originally published in the Huffington Post.
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