Kane County Reporter

The Illinois State Board of Education named Dr. Tony Sanders as the new state superintendent of education. 

Announced on Tuesday, Sanders will be taking over in late February.  

“Dr. Sanders’ breadth of experience as superintendent of School District U-46 and his entire background have prepared him to take on this role,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in a statement, Newschannel 20 reported. “His focus on innovation, social emotional development, and academic excellence make him an extraordinary pick. I can think of no better person to lead the Illinois State Board of Education as we continue to invest in, support, and elevate our students and educators.” 

Sanders became the superintendent of Elgin-based School District U-46 in 2014. Elgin U46 is the state’s second largest school district with over 39,000 students in 40 elementary schools, eight middle schools, and five high schools. 

He received criticism after several incidents of bullying were publicized. 

“They are letting the anti-mask children –– they’re calling them –– be assaulted, literally assaulted, and they are congratulating those students,” Elgin parent Joshua Martin claimed, according to the Kane County Reporter. “She got her hand shook by the teachers and my child.” U-46 also continued a mask mandate policy after mandatory masking was ruled unconstitutional. That rule would have enacted mandatory masking based on COVID rates in the school district.

He was promoted to the state superintendent despite a nine-year tenure for which, according to Wirepoints, ended with poor outcomes for many students. “At U-46, just 1 in every 10 minority students can read at grade level. For all students, it’s just 2 in 10. Sanders has been in the district since 2007 and was named superintendent there in 2014,” Wirepoints’ Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner wrote.

Former state senator and gubernatorial candidate Paul Schimpf is warning Illinoisans of the powers the state superintendent of education holds. On Twitter, Schimpf stated that people would be shocked if they would "knew how much power this un-elected bureaucrat will wield as State Superintendent. This should be an elected, statewide office that is accountable to voters.” 

Sanders was named to the top spot to replace Dr. Carmen Ayala who stepped down last month. Ayala, who announced in November her plan to retire, held the job since her appointment on March 1, 2019. She was criticized for her leadership of the department as schools continued lockdowns and enforcing mandatory masking in schools.

School scores plummeted during Ayala’s tenure, and rancor and community disputes within many local school districts increased. Illinois stands apart from surrounding states in that its kids missed more classroom instruction than across-the-borders peers. According to the Associated Press, Illinois kept its schools closed long after studies shown they were not the "super spreaders" that had been feared. As a result, between March 2020 and June 2021, the typical Chicago student missed half a school year or 21 weeks in reading and 20 weeks in arithmetic. The pandemic seems to have had less of an impact on academic uptake in the states and school systems that prioritized in-person instruction.