As in most work settings, Steven Tsutomu Isoye, incoming superintendent of Oak Park and River Forest High School, has personal items in his office at Maine East High School in Park Ridge where he serves as principal. His degrees and certificates adorn the brown wood paneled walls.
Sitting on a small stand to the right of his desk is something somewhat unrecognizable at first glance. A closer look reveals it to be a replica of a samurai warrior’s helmet, a smaller version of what Isoye’s Japanese ancestors once wore. It was given to him by his grandparents. Unsure which side of the family his samurai heritage is on, Isoye, 46, says he does have documents locked away in a safe about the helmet.
“We were part of that somewhere in my lineage, so there is a family history that comes from it,” he said, while sitting in his office Friday morning. He added that he also just likes how it looks. “I think it’s pretty cool.”
Isoye officially became OPRF’s superintendent last Thursday, his hiring approved by the District 200 Board of Education. His first day on the job will be July 1. As for his current staff at Maine East, some are happy for him but sad to see him go.
“You can’t have him,” joked his secretary Karen Magnifico. “I’m just heartbroken. I hate to say it. He came into this school district and he had such a rapport with the people. It was hard because our principal before that was here for so many years. It’s hard to lose someone who’s such an icon in your building, but he walked in here and it just worked.”
A native of San Francisco but raised in Arlington Heights, Isoye is in his third year at Maine East, replacing David Barker, who had been principal since 1999. Isoye’s parents still live in Arlington Heights and he currently resides in Chicago. He has one sister.
He’s been education for 25 years, having taught science before moving into administration. Isoye recalls entering education as an undergraduate at Northern Illinois University, his interest in the profession sparked by his professors.
“I had excellent teachers when I was a student,” he said. “They inspired me and it was something I wanted to do. It was because of the impact that my teachers had with me. And so a lot of my work and a lot of ideas are because of the people that educated me.”
As he talks, Isoye often breaks into a smile, a sign of his clearly upbeat personality. Having a good sense of humor is one of the things he likes to bring to his job. He also likes to travel and enjoys biking and playing tennis, though the latter two have taken a backseat recently as he hopes to finish his doctorate by the end of this year. Isoye’s been working on it for a few years and jokes about not having any free time.
“I don’t know if I know exactly what that is anymore, so I look forward to redefining what that means,” he said, breaking into a laugh.
Isoye had thought of one day becoming a superintendent but didn’t seek out OPRF’s job. He was actually recruited by the high school’s search firm. That fact impressed Dist. 200 board member Dietra Millard.
“From the start of this process with our search firm, I personally emphasized to the executive director, ‘Please, go looking. Don’t just bring me the candidates that come forward-find someone,'” Millard said. “Sometimes the best leaders that you learn about are people who are not necessarily looking for jobs. That is how this worked. Of all of the applicants that we saw, only one indicated that they heard about this from the search firm.”
Isoye was in Oak Park for last Thursday’s vote and afterward met with about 50 staff in a reception in the faculty dinning room. Back at his Maine East office on Friday, Isoye said he became familiar with the school’s goals and the achievement gap it’s struggled with for well over a decade. But the first thing he wants to do starting off is listening to the community.
“I want to learn. I find that it’s important to find out what has been happening, what’s been working and what are people proud of. What are the things that they believe need to be tweaked, and what are the things that are definitely not working that either should go or be completely overhauled.
“This is a school that certainly has been around for a long time and is rich in history,” he said. “They have been doing things and they have been working on it. For me, it’s about making sure we’re not redundant, and certainly not redundant on the things that haven’t worked.”
Isoye’s colleagues at Maine East said OPRF is lucky to have him.
“I think Oak Park and River Forest is so incredibly fortunate,” said Mike Pressler, Maine East’s assistant principal for instruction. “He gets everyone on the same page. He has a vision but it’s not like there’s only one way-his way-to get there. He’s going to look at everyone’s strengths and he’s good at getting people to work together.”
With the high school’s new superintendent sitting at the board table just a few seats away from members, the Dist. 200 school board last week unanimously approved the hiring of Steven Isoye as its leader.
The board held two separate votes-one to approve hiring Isoye, current principal at Maine East High School in Park Ridge, and another to approve his three-year contract at an annual salary of $205,000.
Board member Sharon Patchak-Layman approved of Isoye’s hiring but voted against the contract. She expressed concerns that it did not have clearly prescribed goals and she objected to some of the benefits in the deal. She said the board could have worked on it a little longer to hammer out her concerns. Patchak-Layman voiced her displeasure not only with the contract but with Isoye himself for accepting it as is. Some of her fellow board members broke out in sarcastic smiles as she spoke; member Jacques Conway looking at his watch-his indication of Patchak-Layman not wasting any time to offer her critique of the new superintendent.
She did, though, say she was pleased Isoye was joining the school. After the short afternoon meeting, Isoye met with about 50 staff at a reception. He thanked them for coming and said he looked forward to working with them.
Board member John Allen was absent from the meeting.