District 128 Leader Elected President of Multi-State Superintendent Group

Community High School District 128 Superintendent Prentiss Lea, Ph.D., was elected president of the Mid-America Association of School Superintendents (MAASS) at its recent annual conference in Milwaukee, WI. 

MAASS is one of the oldest regional superintendent organizations in the nation with members from eight Midwestern states, including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin. Nebraska superintendents will be eligible to join the organization next year. MAASS membership is capped at 100 members, and membership is determined through a nomination and election process and allocated by state population. Lea has been a MAASS member since 2007.

As a round-table think tank, MAASS is unique among superintendent organizations because it is topic- and discussion-driven and not presenter-oriented. Examples of this year's round-table topics include: stimulating and implementing innovation in a climate of reduced funding; facilitating strategic and school improvement planning to increase student achievement; developing effective relationships with legislators, educating legislators about public education, and providing legislators with usable data for decision-making; and sharing best curriculum, instruction, assessment and financial innovations.

Lea stated, "MAASS is an outstanding professional organization that allows Midwest Superintendents to effectively share and learn cutting-edge education best practices and innovations that ensure student growth, increase student achievement and effectively utilize stakeholder tax dollars. I am excited and honored that my talented MAASS colleagues have elected me to lead the organization in the coming year."

—Submitted by Community High School District 128.