The Springfield Public Schools District 186 Board of Education has recommended Dr. Terrance Jordan to serve as the next superintendent, succeeding Jennifer Gill. He joined District administration in 2021 and currently serves as the assistant superintendent of family, community and school leadership.
Gill announced at the Aug. 18 school board meeting that she would retire June 30. She has spent the past 12 years as superintendent. The Board is expected to vote on Jordan’s appointment at an upcoming meeting.
Jordan, one of three finalists for the position, said becoming a superintendent was not part of his original career plan when he first became a kindergarten teaching assistant at Feitshans Elementary School in 2003.
“Maybe back then it was, ‘I don’t want to be superintendent,’ I saw how hard it was,” Jordan told reporters. “Over the years, I saw the impact that the superintendent can make on students in every position I’ve taken… In this role, I’ll be able to impact almost 13,000 students, so I’m excited about that.”
The selection process included about six separate interviews, according to Jordan. The District 186 Board of Education used the Illinois Association of School Boards, a nonprofit group that has members across the state, to search nationally for candidates. Ken Gilmore, board member and former principal, said the search committee also fielded responses from community groups that cover varied parts of Springfield.
“He really rose to the top in all the categories,” Gilmore said of Jordan. He “had the highest scores for the for the ratings that were given from the community groups.”
Gilmore also said Carmen Ayala, who now works for the Illinois Association of School Boards as a consultant and previously served as the state’s superintendent, helped with the search.
Gill said she was Jordan’s mentor when he became a school principal and she then asked him to join her cabinet in 2021. Gil also acknowledged that the school district’s budget will be constrained for the upcoming year.
“We’ll be, of course, designing and planning out budget, which is a little tight this year, and making a lot of decisions along that,” Gill said.
Jordan emphasized a cautious approach to the transition and potential upcoming budget issues.
“It’s not catching me off guard. I knew even when I applied that (the budget) was going to be one of the challenges facing the district, so we are ready for that,” he said.
Jordan began his career with District 186 in 2003 as a kindergarten teaching assistant, later serving as a library technology specialist and parent educator. He then taught first and third grade at Dubois, Feitshans and Enos elementary schools while earning his administrative license and received the Horace Mann Rising Star Teaching Award.
After earning a master’s degree in educational leadership, Jordan served as a guidance dean at Washington Middle School. In 2014 he was named principal of Black Hawk Elementary, where he served for seven years and was recognized with the District 186 Administrator of the Year Award and the Illinois State Board of Education Award of Excellence. Jordan was also named one of Springfield Business Journal’s Forty Under 40.
Board representative Buffy Lael-Wolf said in a written statement that Jordan stood out from a broad slate that included both internal and external candidates.
“We are confident that the best candidate rose to the top after a competitive search that included surveys, interviews and focus groups involving staff, families, students and community members,” she said.
She noted that Jordan consistently demonstrated the priorities identified by the Board,
including community connection, strategic leadership and a focus on student
achievement.
“Dr. Jordan brings both vision and heart to this role,” Lael-Wolf added. “He understands our district because he has lived our work. He knows our students, our families and our schools, and he has earned trust through years of service. We are confident he will lead District 186 with integrity, purpose and unwavering commitment to student success.”
Jordan has served as a youth coach and board members for numerous civic and nonprofit organizations. He currently serves on the Heartland Continuum of Care Youth Homelessness Task Group, the Community Health Roundtable and the Faith Coalition for the Common Good Education Task Force. He is a graduate of the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Springfield program and a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.
Pending Board approval, Jordan will begin his role as superintendent on July 1.
This story will be updated with additional information.
