Colmone seizing opportunity to lead PLT School District

PROPHETSTOWN – Interim superintendent of the Prophetstown-Lyndon-Tampico School District is one of Chad Colmone’s three full-time jobs. He wouldn’t be opposed to the right candidate taking one of them off his hands.

The 42-year-old is in his 12th year as the PLT Middle School principal, and took on the interim superintendent tag after David Rogers abruptly retired Feb. 12 after 11 years leading the district. Colmone will serve as interim superintendent through the 2016-17 school year, after which a permanent decision will be made. His contract details are still being ironed out.

“This is a big opportunity. I know the district, the parents and the community,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to sit down with the board, create some visions and long-term goals, and then take the district in that direction.”

His third title is dad. He and his wife, Cindy, a special education teacher at Putnam County Junior High School, live with their three children in Princeton, where Cindy will take a job at the junior high for the 2016-17 school year. At that time, Colmone said having a successor as principal at PLT Middle School would be good for his heart, in one sense.

“The school board may go in a different direction there,” he said Thursday afternoon. “That would probably help my stress levels.”

Colmone said boosting morale throughout the district is paramount, and managing his time is a key to getting that done.

“It’s keeping lists of things to do, and making sure I don’t lose track of which building I need to be in and what I need to get done,” he said. “The biggest thing I’ve been working on is getting the staff unity back up. It’s been in need of some uplifting. The key to that is getting around to buildings and talking to people face-to-face, seeking out their concerns and trying to address them. Not just hearing them and walking away.”

Meanwhile, his colleagues at the middle school are feeling a touch bittersweet at the moment.

“We’ve kind of had a family-oriented environment in the middle school,” English language arts teacher Denise Beck said. “If a new person comes in, we hope they’ll continue to make that a focus. It works here for us.”

“He’s always supported us here,” P.E. and health teacher Damian DeMay said of Colmone. “He’s always been vocal for our needs as a staff. He’s a great guy. We’re happy for him that he’s taking the next step, but we don’t like losing him.”

Special education teacher Emily Higgins said the middle school has the most experienced staff in the district.

“That’s because we’ve had good administration, and we’ve all been loyal and wanted to stay here,” she said.

Colmone graduated from Hall High School in Spring Valley in 1991, received his bachelor’s degree in history from Northern Illinois University, then completed both his master’s in principalship and his superintendency educational specialist at Western Illinois University.

Before coming to the district, he taught history in Galva. He said he thrives in small-town districts, where getting to know the students is crucial, rather than seeing them as a number on a spreadsheet.

With time at a premium, he puts the 45-minute commute to good use, going over his day in his mind and working things out before he sees his children, Connor, 14, Colin, 13, and Cora, 4.

“For me, the drive is helpful,” he said. “I have a chance to unwind. Then when I’m home with them, I’m home.”