Butler District 53 recognized four retiring board members at its meeting April 10. They are: President Alan Hanzlik, Vice President Dr. Hitesh Patel, Secretary Dr. Alan Kumar and Member Todd Rusteberg. Their families joined in the brief recognition and helped celebrate their collective 32 years on the board. Each board member served two terms of four years each.
Superintendent Dr. Heidi Wennstrom thanked each member for his service. “School board members are super heroes. Only extraordinary people voluntarily tackle the enormous job of governing school districts. It is no small challenge to move an organization from great to even greater.”
She noted the Board’s accomplishments including:
* balanced budgets and fiscal accountability,
* improvement of instruction,
* advent of laptops or iPad access for every student,
* addition of STEM classes, a broadcast studio, electives and expansion of art,
* alignment of Common Core State Standards to the curriculum,
* development of Workshop-based teaching models,
* successful assessments showing student growth,
* positive climate survey results,
* extensive facilities improvements,
* increased and improved relationships with stakeholders.
Alisha Kumar and Sara Kumar offered comments on their Dad Dr. Alan Kumar. “You are one of my inspirations and I learn a lot from you. Your endless patience and guidance help me every day.”
Shaylee Rusteberg and Skylar Rusteberg also spoke about their Dad Todd Rusteberg and his service. “Thank you for caring about kids in the school and making it a better place.
Fellow board member Liz Chun said Board President Alan Hanzlik’s leadership was exceptional. “He created an atmosphere of trust and respect. All views were discussed, carefully considered and debated. The fact that so many decisions were unanimous is due to his ability to draw from everyone’s individual expertise and experience and allow for a consensus agreement.”
