Erie school superintendent plans to step down

ERIE – Citing a “difference in philosophies” with his board, Erie School District’s superintendent of 10 years is stepping down at the end of the school year.

K. Bradley “Brad” Cox’s last day will be June 30, he said Tuesday, adding that “it’s time for a new superintendent in Erie.”

Cox already has been job hunting: In April, he was one of three finalists for the Galesburg District 205 superintendent's spot, which was filled
July 1.

The split with Erie, which was agreed upon at the Aug. 28 school board meeting, “is not a result of fault or misconduct, but rather due to an amicable mutual determination to move forward,” Cox said in a news release Tuesday announcing the decision.

“We have made great strides in the last 9 years: attaining new heights in student achievement, creating additional opportunities for children in and out of the classroom, putting Erie schools in a financial position that is the envy of every other public school, and transforming the organization into one that sets the standard for the implementation of technology in the teaching and learning process,” Cox said in his blog on the district website, posted Aug. 30.

Despite well-publicized difficulties with state school funding, under Cox’s leadership, Erie has managed to increase its money in the bank every year since 2013. Its fund balance on July 1, 2013, was about $9.8 million; on July 1 this year, it was $13.2 million, “an unusually positive position,” Cox said in his Aug. 21 blog.

The district has about $4 million in its reserve fund, Cox has said.

In April, Erie voters shot down a $24.5 million plan to demolish the district’s 60-year-old elementary school and consolidate to two buildings with significant upgrades to the middle and high schools. The plan was to bond out $14 million, and spend $6.5 million in reserves and $4 million in revenue generated by the Whiteside County sales tax voters approved in 2014.

The request was rejected 788-397.

As they sit, the current buildings need about $10.1 million in repairs – $7 million in heating and air conditioning alone, officials have said.

Cox had been superintendent of the Tri Valley School District in Dallas, Illinois, for about 3 years when he was hired by Erie in February 2008. Before that, he was a superintendent for 2 years at Donovan Community Unit School District.