CAT Tracks for April 24, 2005 DAN ANDERSON RETIRES

Article on Regional Superintendent Dan Anderson's retirement in today's Southern Illinoisan...

Regional school chief announces retirement

BY CALEB HALE
THE SOUTHERN

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS - The regional school superintendent for the five southernmost counties will leave his post soon.

Dan Anderson, who serves as the regional super-intendent for Union, Johnson, Alexander, Pulaski and Massac counties, said he is retiring at the end of June. He has been the area's top education official since he was elected in 2002.

Anderson also had served as the assistant regional superintendent to Andrea Brown for 10 years.

Anderson's notice is fairly short, he admitted, and it isn't something he has necessarily planned for a long time.

"I just started looking into it," he said. "It wasn't something I expected to do up until three or four weeks ago."

Anderson cited health issues as one reason he decided it was time to slow down. He assured it is nothing detrimental, but it is something he would like to spend more time fixing.

The job, he said, hasn't given him much free time.

"I've had a 12-month job since 1978 with two weeks vacation each year, and I rarely took that," Anderson said.

Anderson started his career in education as a special education teacher in Metropolis. The Vienna native then trained to move up to administration.

He now lives on the Vienna farm where he grew up, and Anderson said he wants to spend some time farming and visiting his 3-year-old grandchild.

"I don't think I'll have any trouble keeping busy," he said.

Anderson doesn't plan to completely step out of education. He still plans to offer help in some of the special programs in the regional office of education.

Anderson said schools need to be the hub of any community, and he wants to help districts continue to improve on that mission.

"I think we need to continue the school improvement planning that is in place," he said.

That doesn't simply mean improving test scores. Anderson said there are other qualities of a school that make it great, and its place in the community is one of those factors.

Anderson will meet with the board chairmen of the five counties he represents, plus the Jackson County Board chairman, Thursday at Shawnee Community College to interview two candidates, one of whom will potentially replace Anderson.

Anderson said he has made his suggestion, but it will be up to the board chairmen to make an appointment that will fill out the remainder of his term.

The choice has to be a Republican, since that is Anderson's party.

Union County Board Chairman Bill Jackson said he will take part in the interview process.

"It's a little different than doing county elections," Jackson said. "Every county chairman has the number of votes the candidate had in that particular county in the general election."

Jackson said Union County holds roughly 3,113 votes, the second largest number to Johnson County, which held the most.

Anderson expects a new superintendent to be appointed within the next few weeks.