Get this folks: the new superintendent of the Champaign Unit 4 Schools is a Chambana mom.
Let me repeat that: Dr. Judy Wiegand, who was announced Wednesday afternoon as the district’s next superintendent, is a Chambana mom.
She is the first female superintendent in the district’s lengthy history.
“I’m very proud of that, as a woman,” said Champaign Unit 4 school board president Sue Grey after Wednesday’s news conference. “I think it’s good for our community and our district. It’s important to have strong women role models.”
Wiegand wasn’t chosen to this position, most recently occupied by Arthur Culver, because of her gender. She was selected because, as Grey noted, “she continued to rise to the top.”
A staple in the district for 25 years, Wiegand’s is a classic American story, the kind you don’t hear about that often anymore in this day and age of job hopping. She has risen through the Unit 4 ranks, promoted time and time again — regardless of the superintendent and regardless of the school board. She is the mom of two women, both Centennial High School graduates — one of whom is now a teacher herself.
The selection of an internal candidate isn’t so surprising following the Culver reign. The fact that Culver was plucked from a district in Texas — and brought several administrators with him, all of whom have left Champaign since — did not sit well with many members of the community.
Restoring the community’s confidence in the district and rebuilding the community’s trust will be a primary focus of Wiegand’s vision, she said Wednesday. More specifically, she said that the issue of a new high school as well as tweaking the kindergarten lottery process are “dead center” on her agenda.
“I am aware of the issue and concerns” of parents new to the district. She said that she believes the district can alleviate “the anxiety that goes with that” and still maintain diversity within the district’s 11 elementary schools.
The funny thing about Wiegand’s candidancy is that it almost never happened. She was slated in late October to become the interim superintendent in January, when current interim Superintendent Bob Malito’s contract ran out. At the time, she told The News-Gazette that she would return to her position as assistant superintendent for achievement and pupil services when her tenure as interim was over.
That’s the thing about women – we always reserve the right to change our minds. It seems that many in the community, as well as those within the district, are glad that Wiegand reversed course and jumped into the candidate pool.
“I don’t think we realized what we had in our backyard until we met with other candidates,” Grey said.
Congrats and welcome to Dr. Wiegand. Just as you have risen to the top, we hope that under your leadership, Unit 4 will rise to the top as well.
Laura Weisskopf Bleill is the co-founder and editor of chambanamoms.com. You can reach her at laura@chambanamoms(dot)com.