New Batavia School District Superintendent says he’s here to serve the students

Superintendent Tom Kim said he is driven to serve students and ready to be a champion for those in Batavia Public School District 101.

Kim was born in Chicago and raised in Skokie, where he graduated from Niles North High School before earning his bachelor’s degree in history with a teaching endorsement from North Park University in Chicago in 2000.

After college, Kim taught at Elgin High School while earning his master’s degree in educational leadership from Aurora University through night classes. He worked at multiple other Illinois high schools before earning his doctorate and superintendent endorsement from Loyola University in 2015.

Kim has been the principal of Huntley Middle School, assistant superintendent of human resources for Community High School District 155 in Crystal Lake and, most recently, assistant superintendent for human resources in Niles Township High School District 219.

Kim now lives in Sycamore with his wife, Megan, who is a lifelong educator, and their three children; Charissa, Kara and Christina.

Kim was voted in by the Batavia School Board in December, and his first school year as superintendent will begin this month.

Kim said his previous roles gave him a chance to work closely with boards of education and see what goes into running a school district. He said his years spent as a district office administrator gave him an understanding how an educational organization runs and what it needs.

Kim said relationship building is one of his strengths, which is essential for the position of superintendent. He said in Batavia, the superintendent has a good deal of support from groups both inside and outside the district. Utilizing and reciprocating that support will be key to his new position, he said.

“As a district leader, the ability to work with all different types of people, with different backgrounds and perspectives, both internal and external stakeholders, is a critical skillset you have to have,” Kim said. “It’s really about getting to know these people and understanding their value and the support that they provide us.”

Kim said he knew Batavia had a great school district before taking the position, but said since he started, he has learned much more about how involved the local agencies and partner groups are and how much love and support the parents have.

“I think anyone who is an educator knows BPS101 is a great school district,” Kim said. “It’s a great place. There’s a lot happening for our kids.”

Kim said the teachers and administrators in BPS101 have a great deal of pride for their work. He said it is very rare that administrators leave and he has met many teachers who have worked in Batavia for 20 years or more.

“It is incredible how many people I’ve met who are generational families here.” Kim said. “I’ve worked in some great districts that served some great communities, but I don’t think I’ve seen it before at this high level of prevalence.”

Kim said he thinks the community support plays a big role in the pride shown by the districts educators, and vice versa. He said there is a spirit to serve kids that is pouring in from the district and the community.

“This is an organization that truly desires to do everything right by kids, and wants to grow anywhere we need to in order to best serve our students, and I feel like the community is like that too,” Kim said. “I think teachers and administrators know that the community cares about these schools. I think they feel it from the support they get.”

While the district retains many devoted staff members, Kim said staffing has been one of the biggest challenges facing BPS101, similar to other districts in Illinois and nationally. He said they are seeing a shortage of bus drivers, para-professionals, substitutes and other specialized areas that require certified staff.

“What I hope is that if you work in BPS101 you feel great because you are part of a mission that’s serving kids,” Kim said. “Education is probably one of the most critical things to society and civilization, and I hope that in our bubble that we can control, that’s how people will feel here.”

Kim said he believes that education is a core pillar to democracy and to a strong community. He said education levels the playing field in terms of equity and opportunity.

“I believe education saves people,” Kim said. “I think education opens doors for people to a greater life.”

Kim said the welcome he received from the district and the community has been very warm and gracious. He attended his first board meeting on July 25, and said he is grateful to the board members for their support and for the great start their relationship.

“I would say the same thing for my administrative team and support staff,” Kim said. “They’ve been incredibly helpful and supportive. Everyone has just been awesome.”

Kim said he plans to have open and honest conversations about what is happening in the district that may affect kids. He said sometimes the hard conversations lead to new discoveries, and those become great opportunities to find ways to become a better school district.

“I’m a big believer that anyone and anything can always improve,” Kim said. “The moment we think we don’t have any areas to grow, that is the beginning of our failure. If we’re not constantly looking for ways to improve, that would make me worried.”

Kim said the superintendent’s job is to ensure that the school board and administrators have an understanding as to how things are operating and the vision for the future, and then to work with everyone in the district to make it happen.

Kim said a big part of his job is to ensure that the students are getting the support they need to be successful, and that the teachers, support staff and administrators have what they need to be that support system.

Kim said while he may not be able to get to know every kid in the district, his goal is to make sure he is championing their students. He said kids are the heart and soul of any school district, and in Batavia they are certainly the core of their mission.

“Kids don’t know who the superintendent is in a lot of districts,” Kim said. “I hope that’s not the case when I’m here.”

In a December news release, School Board President Cathy Dremel said, “The Board is very excited to welcome Mr. Kim to BPS101. The Board chose Mr. Kim based on his commitment to educational equity and student learning. He comes to us with a proven track record of relationship building and community engagement.”

Batavia schools’ first day is Aug. 16. Kim said he is excited to begin his first year as superintendent and meet the students he will be serving.

“I’m very grateful and humbled that this is a role I get to serve,” Kim said. “My hope is that I am able to give back and fulfill the role the way people are hoping.”