School Board Members

1964-65

1965-1966

Bill Buster James Kolditz, Jane Challacombe

___________,Kenneth Graze, Melford Streitmatter,____

1968

Peoria Progress Magazine February 2006

What makes Dunlap students so successful?

The Dunlap School District is successful because we have a combination of factors working well together. Our students come to us ready to learn, and their parents have high expectations of the school system. The Board of Education has had great vision bringing the district through rapid growth, maintaining financial stability, and providing state-of-the-art facilities. The teachers are highly trained, extremely competent, energetic, and willing to try new techniques. The support staff takes great pride in their contributions to the system, providing clean schools, safe and reliable transportation, and friendly customer services. The administrative team is progressive, dynamic, and continually learning. There’s a harmonious working relationship between the board, the administration, and the staff.

To read the complete article

FORMER PEORIA NAMED TO DUNLAP SCHOOL JOB

Peoria Journal Star

DUNLAP-Native Peorian William Collier was hired last night by the School Board to replace the retiring Robert Sturm as superintendent of the Dunlap Community Unit School District 323.

In a 15-minute meeting, the board voted unanimously to hire Collier at a yearly salary of $40,000.

Sturm previously announced his retirement after 15 years of service in the Dunlap school system. Collier appointment will take effect July 1, Board President George McClellan said.

Collier, 35, is currently superintendent of Western Community Unit School District 306 in Buda, Sheffield and Mineral.

A 1965 graduate of Peoria High School, Collier earned both his bachelor’s and his master’s degrees in education administration from Bradley University, the first in 1970 and the latter in 1971.

Collier earned his superintendent’s endorsement through course work taken at Illinois State University and Purdue University. In 1980, he was awarded his doctorate in education from Western Colorado University.

“Dr. Collier brings varied and successful experiences to the Dunlap district with professional work completed on both the elementary and secondary levels.” McClellan said.

Collier has been an elementary teacher in the Olympia school system, a teacher and assistant coach at Spalding Institute-Academy of Our Lady in Peoria, a teacher and head football coach in Auburn, assistant high school principal, principal and acting superintendent in St. Anne, and assistant to the superintendent a Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School In Bradley.

Collier is member of the Illinois Association of School Administrators, the Bureau County Administrators Association, and the executive Board of the Bureau, Marshall and Putnam counties Special Education Co-Operative.

Collier and his safe, Mary, an Illinois State University graduate from Rochelle, plan to move to the Peoria area with their three Daughter, Elizabeth, 11, Erin, 8, and Lindy, 6.

Copied from Peoria Journal Star 7-1-1973

Sturm Named District 323 Schools Chief

Dunlap - Robert Sturm, acting superintendent of Dunlap Community Unit School District 323 since Dec. 11, Monday night was named by the School board to be superintendent for the 1973-74 term.

The action was taken by the board convening after a closed meeting that followed a brief special session.

Sturm said yesterday that no salary arrangements were discussed, that this is to be determined by the board at a later date.

Two other staff changes were made by the following the closed-door session. Frank Hutt, who has been serving as Dunlap High School principal, was named principal of Wilder-Waite School, with the additional duty of developing a proposed junior high school curriculum, and Charles Crider, a teacher at the high school, was named high school principal for the remainder of the school year.

Sturm will be the fifth superintendent of the Dunlap district since it was formed about four years ago, although one who was hired later changed his mind and decided not to take the job.

Sturm, who had been principal of Wilder-Waite School eight years, was named acting superintendent Dec. 11 to replace Supt. William Spalding, who was fired by the board after a dispute over his contract. Litigation still is pending in that dispute.

Since December, Sturm also has continued his duties as principal of Wilder-Waite but now will relinquish hat post to Hutt.

Sturm said the board also directed Hutt to develop a proposed junior high school curriculum for the district. If a bond issue for a new high school is put before voters and approved, the board has been considering converting the old high school building to a junior high.

Crider, of Dunlap, who will succeed Hutt as high school principal, has been chairman of the business department at the high school.

District 323 Superintendents

Ron Hinton: March 1969 resigned July 1970

Mr. John Wroblewshki: resigned after 12 days

Dr. Martin Power: March 1970 resigned March 1971

William B. Spalding: May 1971 suspended in fall of 1972

( William Spalding then filed a lawsuit against the district charging in his lawsuit his contract called for a salary of $22,500 for the period July 1, 1972 to June 30, 1973. However, he said his salary was being actually paid at the rate of $21,000.)

Robert Sturm principal at Wilder-Waite was named Superintendent at the December 12, 1972 board meeting. “Sturm, who will remain as Wilder-Waite principal, will get no salary increase to compensate for the increased responsibilities,” said Warren Frye, board president.

Robert Sturm served as Superintendent until his retirement in 1981.

Dr. Bill Collier 1982-2004

Dr. Jeanne Williamson 2003 -2009

Dr. Jay Marino 2009-

By DeWayne Bartels

Peoria Times-Observer

Wed Nov 26, 2008, 09:08 AM CST

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Dunlap, Ill. -

Dr. Jay Marino, the man hired to take the helm of the Dunlap School District next summer, is a mystery man to the majority of people whose children he will be leading.

So, the Peoria Times-Observer put some questions to Marino hoping a picture of his educational priorities and philosophies would emerge. Marino obliged with direct answers.

Marino said while he is happy to see the money the Dunlap School District receives, he does not see it as the reason the school district is among the best in the state.

Dunlap High School made Adequate Yearly Progress while Richwoods and Peoria Heights high schools did not. Asked if money explained the difference, Marino responded with a direct “No.”

“It is never as simple as money. All the money in the world can’t buy effective, research-based instructional practices and a collective will to do whatever it takes to ensure every child reaches their educational potential,” Marino said.

Systems approach

Marino, 39, has 12 years experience as a school administrator. He spent four years in Stanton, Mich., two of those as elementary assistant principal/special education coordinator and two years as director of instruction and technology. For four years, he served as associate superintendent for instruction and school improvement in Rock Island, and four years as associate superintendent for learning and continuous improvement in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Marino will replace the retiring Jeanne Williamson. Marino’s appointment is effective July 1.

Marino said his past experience has prepared him for the top job in the Dunlap School District, especially his current position, he is responsible for, “curriculum, instruction, assessment, school improvement, strategic planning and professional development and driving continuous improvement efforts from the board room to the central office, to the bus driver and cafeteria worker, to the school, to the classroom, to the individual student.”

Marino said he uses a systems approach and involves all the stakeholders in the process of continuous improvement.

“Four basic questions drive student achievement. One, what do we want students to know and be able to do? Two, how do we know if they’re doing it? Three, how does our school system respond when they aren’t doing it? And, four, what do we do for students? How do we provide opportunities for enrichment?” Marino said.

“Effective organizations are able to consistently answer these questions.”

In Marino’s assessment, raising student achievement is both an art and a science.

“It is an art due to the differentiation of instruction that is needed, and it is science, as educators need to implement research-based best practices in instruction,” he said.

Marino is walking into a school system that is already full of high-performing schools on virtually every testing system used.

According to the state school report cards, Dunlap High School is tied for the rank of No. 13 in the state among schools that performed best on the Prairie State Achievement Exam. Wilder-Waite ranks No. 14 in the state for schools that performed best on the Illinois State Achievement Test. Wilder-Waite ranks No. 10 in the state for schools that performed best on all tests. Ridgeview is ranked at 70.

In addition, Dunlap High School had 80.8 percent of the student body meeting or exceeding standards on all tests, 80.8 percent on PSAE and scored well above the state average in all subjects of the ACT.