December 18, 2006
University to honor Mt. Vernon superintendent
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- A two-degree graduate of Southern Illinois University Carbondale named Illinois Association of School Administrators superintendent of the year will be honored during the men's home basketball game Wednesday (Dec. 20).
Kevin L. Settle of Mt. Vernon (4225 Fox Creek Rd.), superintendent of Mt. Vernon City School District 80, will receive commemorative mementos from SIU President Glenn Poshard, SIUC Interim Chancellor John M. Dunn, Educational Administration and Higher Education Chair W. Bradley "Brad" Colwell and IASA Executive Director Brent Clark, who is also a graduate of SIUC.
The brief ceremony will take place during a television time-out in the first half. The SIU Arena audience will include his wife Cheryl, his son Jared, his daughter Hillary and 110 students from Mt. Vernon schools.
During Settle's five years as superintendent, the district's class sizes have gone down, test scores have gone up and money available for technology has increased. As Illinois' top superintendent, Settle will compete early next year in a national competition sponsored by the American Association of School Administers and ARAMARK, an international company that, among other things, supplies public school districts with food and building services. A student from the winner's hometown high school will receive a $10,000 college scholarship.
Settle, who grew up in Charleston, graduated from Charleston High School in 1972. After finishing a bachelor's at Eastern Illinois University in 1976, he went on to earn both master's and doctoral degrees at SIUC in 1981 and 1993 respectively.