Incoming District 34 Superintendent Bradford Hubbard stands with his wife and children at the board meeting to celebrate what will be his new journey.
District 117’s largest feeder district is about to get a familiar face to lead them into the future. At the school board meeting tonight, District 34 announced that current D117 Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Bradford Hubbard will be the new superintendent for their district.
The vacancy for the superintendency emerged in November when former D34 Superintendent Jay Marino broke ties with the district. Since then, D117 Superintendent Jim McKay and husband-wife duo Ellen Correll and John Correll have served in the role. The search concluded Saturday, January 15 with a meet and greet of the candidates. The school board made their official decision shortly after.
District 34 board members look forward to bringing Hubbard into the position and believe he will bridge the gap between District 117 and 34. With prior knowledge, he was considered the best candidate to prepare the younger grade levels for the high school level.
“I think that with his background in curriculum instruction that’s a spot that we really wanted to focus on for the board and for District 34,” District 34 board president MaryBeth Hulting said. “We feel like him being in the high school, he knows the end in mind so we can take these little guys and move them forward.”
Those on the board hope Hubbard will bring community ties closer and help the two school districts connect on a better and more efficient level. While it is still early on and there are no programs put in place, it is a goal from both sides to improve the test scores and prepare the younger children as best as possible.
“I began to realize there are some really formidable opportunities to be had at the elementary and middle school level to prepare students for high school,” Hubbard said. “I have started to broaden my search in terms of trying to become a superintendent and serve a district in that role.”
One of the greatest passions of Hubbard’s is to form new relations with the students and their families. He is eager to get to know everyone involved on a more personal level to greater benefit to the community as a whole.
“I want to hear their stories; I want to figure out what people’s expectations and goals are,” Hubbard said. “I argue that the only way we can teach kids, the only way we can serve a staff [and] the only way that we will meet the needs of this community is if we truly get to know them authentically.”
Hubbard spent seven years in District 117—four as the principal of Antioch and three as the chief administrator for curriculum and instruction. Hubbard will finish out this school year with District 117 before moving to the feeder district on July 1. There is currently no announcement for what will be done with the vacancy Hubbard will leave at district office.
