Back in May 2015, Patrick Patt and Griff Powell found themselves in the middle of a bizarre political takeover at Lyons-Brookfield School District 103, where they’d just been hired as co-interim superintendents to guide a district adrift at sea to some safe shore.
After being ousted and replaced with a politically connected insider, Patt and Powell found themselves being recruited by another school district in flux, across the Des Plaines River in Riverside.
It turned out to have been a match made in heaven. Both Patt and Powell, through their straightforward, professional approach, good humor and understanding of what was needed, sailed Riverside District 96 into a safe harbor. They leave the district in a settled, positive position, with top administrators who have the confidence of the board and staff.
While they understood their roles as interim administrators, the firm ground on which District 96 now stands, is due in large part to their leadership and the example they set for a school board still finding its voice as a cohesive group.
While we look forward to the district’s new leadership moving ahead, we’ll also miss Patt and Powell and wish them the best in the future.
