[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 132 (Thursday, September 17, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2315-E2316]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 TRIBUTE TO KANSAS CITY, KANSAS, SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT JILL SHACKELFORD

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                           HON. DENNIS MOORE

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 17, 2009

  Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Madam Speaker, during my years of serving in 
Congress, the Kansas City, Kansas, public schools have had two 
excellent superintendents. When Dr. Ray Daniels retired in 2005, he was 
succeeded by Dr. Jill Shackelford, assistant superintendent of schools, 
who became USD 500's first female superintendent. Although the Kansas 
City, Kansas, school district faces the same formidable challenges as 
other urban districts, one great advantage is the stable leadership it 
has enjoyed. Other districts in our area have had frequent changes of 
leadership and vision. The KCK School District has continued to pursue 
an effective and visionary course, made possible by the ``First Things 
First'' program funded by the Kauffman Foundation. This comprehensive 
school reform program has brought about heartening improvements in 
student performance and test scores.
  We will miss Dr. Shackelford's warm and caring personality, but I am 
sure that the KCK Schools will choose another fine leader to succeed 
her. I am including with this statement a recent Kansas City Star 
article detailing Dr. Shackelford's announcement.

               [From the Kansas City Star, Aug. 11, 2009]

     KCK Superintendent, an Advocate for Urban Students, Announces 
                               Retirement

                           (By Dawn Bormann)

       Kansas City, Kan., School District Superintendent Jill 
     Shackelford--who has been a leading voice for urban, at-risk 
     Kansas students--announced Tuesday that she would retire in 
     June.
       And it is fair to say that the district's first woman 
     superintendent has left her mark. Students know her as the 
     ``lady in pink'' who proudly wears pink shoes, pink skirts 
     and a rhinestone lapel pin that spells ``believe'' in capital 
     letters. Shackelford, a former reading teacher, praises their 
     accomplishments and passes out hugs with the nurturing style 
     of an elementary school teacher.
       Education officials know her as the leader of a low-income 
     district that led the charge for free all-day kindergarten 
     and posted double-digit gains in assessments. The changes 
     have stood out at least in part because 83 percent of the 
     students qualify for free or reduced-cost lunch.
       When Shackelford, 65, started five years ago, some casually 
     mentioned that she might want to tone down her wardrobe and 
     her feminine approach.
       ``You know you're the first female, so don't act too 
     female-ish,'' she said, recalling that advice. ``I was told 
     to get into your closet and dig out all your black suits.''
       It lasted a few weeks. Shackelford had already survived 
     Stage 3 breast cancer. She didn't need to wear black to prove 
     herself, she said.
       ``Out came the pink. Out came my personality, and I was 
     able to relax,'' Shackelford said.

[[Page E2316]]

       So the superintendent didn't hide her tears Tuesday when 
     she officially declared her retirement to her staff at the 
     district's annual employee convocation. It surprised many but 
     not everyone gathered at Memorial Hall. Shackelford has 
     always maintained that she would step down after five years. 
     It was something she made clear from day one.
       ``There are times in your life where you know it's somebody 
     else's turn,'' she said.
       In 2005, Shackelford replaced Ray Daniels, who was highly 
     regarded for his leadership.
       ``In one sense, you'd say all she had to do was follow up 
     on the path that Ray Daniels had set. There's some truth to 
     that,'' said Bill Reardon, the district's lobbyist and a 
     former state lawmaker. But he pointed out that ``the more you 
     achieve, the remaining improvements become really 
     difficult.''
       However, she had a proven track record with curriculum 
     reform for at-risk children.
       Shackelford came to the district 13 years ago to work 
     directly with curriculum. She was among the early leaders who 
     helped implement First Things First. Thirteen years ago, the 
     district was 11 percent proficient in reading and 3 percent 
     proficient in math. Students are now 61 proficient in reading 
     and 63 percent proficient in math, district officials said.
       ``There's no other district in the state that's gone from 
     single digits to 60 (percent),'' she said, praising the 
     district's more than 19,500 students.
       Shackelford credits the success to students, teachers, 
     custodians, bus drivers and others.

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