State school superintendent in Du Quoin

Du Quoin Dist. 300 school superintendent Dr. Gary Kelly Thursday afternoon hosted recently appointed Illinois school superintendent Tony Smith - a charismatic leader with a no-nonsense approach to education in making cuts, dealing with teacher unions and cutting through red tape at his former job as head of the California school system.

In other words, he does his job well and for Du Quoin Dist. 300 superintendent Dr. Gary Kelly to befriend him is important to this community.

Both attended a meeting at Rend Lake College earlier in the day, had lunch, then came to Du Quoin to see the new high school and talk about education.

The Illinois State Board of Education in April approved a contract with Smith, 48, to take over one of the largest state school systems in the country, with more than 2 million schoolchildren. Smith's most recent public education post was superintendent in California's 36,000-student Oakland district.

Smith replaced Superintendent Christopher Koch, who served more than eight years - one of the longest tenures in the nation for a state school superintendent.

Smith, who has ties to new Gov. Bruce Rauner, is now the public face of education in Illinois. Traveling with him was Dr. Brent Clark, the Executive Director of the Illinois Association of School Boards.

His challenges are well-stated in an article last spring in the Chicago Tribune. "The change in leadership at the Illinois State Board of Education comes during tumultuous times in education, with many parents fed up with too much testing, some students opting out of state exams, schools adjusting to changing standards and curriculum, and teachers facing tough evaluations.

"And with hundreds of school districts operating in the red and pressure to reform education funding, Smith will have to become a quick study in Illinois education finances as well as navigate the tough political atmosphere in the state Capitol."

He said the morning meetings at Rend Lake, attended by 185 school administrators, focused on state funding, dealing with policy changes and how best to allow teachers do what they do best--teach.

Smith, who grew up in California, is a hulking, former college football player and team captain.

Smith received all three academic degrees at Berkeley, earning his bachelor's degree in English in 1992; his master of arts degree in education in 1993, and his Ph.D. in the school of education in 2002.

But his background as a school leader isn't traditional: He hasn't been a classroom teacher and never obtained any kind of credential to teach or serve as an administrator, according to California records. An administrative credential is required for district superintendents in California, but school boards can waive it, and Oakland did.

In California, Smith was known for his passion to uplift struggling children and offer support they need to succeed - efforts that supporters say stem from his own troubled childhood, one that included moving from home to home and school to school.

And he irked teachers and parents alike in Oakland with school closings that at one school provoked a lengthy sit-in by protesters. Smith took over in 2009 in the troubled Oakland district that had for years been under state control because of dire finances. In fall 2014, Smith was appointed to the Chicago Public Education Fund's board of directors - a nonprofit on which Rauner has served as a director. The governor is now a director emeritus at the fund. Smith also served on Rauner's transition team after the November election.