Sherman Elementary School principal named new superintendent for Maroa-Forsyth schools
The principal at Sherman Elementary School has been named superintendent of Maroa-Forsyth schools in Macon County, marking the end of an 18-year stint with the Williamsville/Sherman district.
Adam Ibbotson replaces Kris Kahler, who left at the end of the last school year to become the director of business services with the Rochester School District. The Maroa-Forsyth school board unanimously approved Ibbotson's appointment Monday night. He will assume the superintendent role on July 1 remaining SES principal through the end of the 2023-24 school year.
Ibbotson has been with Williamsville-Sherman School District since 2006 when he started as an eighth grade U.S. History teacher at Williamsville Junior High School. Over the next nine years, he moved to the high school level, teaching chemistry and physics courses before becoming an administrator in the 2015-16 school year.
Williamsville superintendent Tip Reedy admitted the district is losing a "foundational" piece of its administrative staff.
"Adam is one of the top five greatest people that I know in my life," Reedy said. "He clearly understands the work ethic and the time that it takes to be committed to being a successful superintendent. He does a good job with people (and) he's a great leader. He'll be dearly missed."
The Maroa-Forsyth board credited Ibbotson's work aligning curriculum across the Williamsville/Sherman district and implementing responses to intervention policies at three district schools among the reasons why he was chosen. They also noted his leadership in setting up meetings for district staff and residents to learn about a $40 million bond measure in 2020 and his experience working on grants and other state and federal grants.
More: Shopping on Black Friday or Small Business Saturday? Here's what you need to know
Board president Lindsey Wise said Ibbotson will give the district a wealth of expertise when he starts the 2024-25 school year.
"I am extremely pleased, on behalf of the board of education, to welcome Adam Ibbotson and his family to our community and serve as our new superintendent," Wise said. "The amount of school administrative leadership and educational experience our district will have certainly puts us in a great place going into the next academic year."
As a Williamsville-Sherman district administrator, Ibbotson was an educational specialist for grades 5-12, an assistant principal at the junior high and SES, and the district's director of educational services before becoming the SES principal in 2019.
He has served as an assistant coach for the Williamsville High School football team, helping the Bullets make it to the Class 3A state championship game in 2014, as well as a track and field coach and the faculty sponsor for the Scholastic Bowl team.
More: In Sherman, family is 'lucky, very thankful, blessed that God kept his hand on us'
Ibbotson began his teaching career in 2000 at East Richland High School in Olney as a chemistry teacher before leaving for a one-year stint at Glenwood High School in Chatham in 2005, where he taught chemistry and physical science.
Ibbotson has a bachelor's degree from Eastern Illinois University in middle-level education and two master's degrees in natural sciences and educational leadership from EIU. He also has a postgraduate certificate for school superintendents from Illinois State University.
Reedy said that a listing for a new SES principal will be posted next month, with plans to interview candidates in January. By February or March of next year, he said that he hoped to have a candidate to recommend to the District 15 school board.
"(We're looking for) the typical great leadership qualities – someone that understands the time (and) expectations to be a great administrator, commitment to kids and the community," Reedy said. "(We want) someone who's a good fit."
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Sherman Elementary principal named superintendent at Maroa-Forsyth
