November 6, 2023

On the 3rd of April, 2023, the Board of Education appointed me as the next superintendent of USD 232. Recognizing that a new leader's first task is to gather valuable insights and perspectives from various stakeholders, I initiated my listening tour a mere twenty-one days later. After a comprehensive six-month journey, I concluded the tour and began the process of reviewing and summarizing the wealth of information I had gathered. These insights came from students, staff members, parents/guardians, business owners, community leaders, board of education members, and board candidates.

What became abundantly clear is that the people within the communities we serve take immense pride in our district and are committed to our future success. A summary of these findings was publicly shared during the Board of Education meeting on November 6, which included the infographic you can find here. One of the questions I posed to every individual and group I met with was, "What three words would you use to describe USD 232?" I received over 1,000 responses and the graphic showcases the most frequently recurring words.

Words such as "family," "innovative," "excellence," and "community" are attributes that every school district would aspire to have as part of its identity. While our district's reputation is already remarkable, we are unwavering in our commitment to make further improvements, and aiming to further enhance the educational opportunities we provide to our students. The next steps regarding our future goals will be unveiled in the coming months.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who played a part in the listening tour and, most importantly, for warmly welcoming both me and my family into the USD 232 community.

Sincerely,

Dr. Cory L. Gibson
Proud Superintendent of USD 232