La Grange School District 102 kicked off the academic year with a new superintendent. Chris Covino has taken over for Kyle Schumacher, who retired after serving the district for eight years.

This will be Covino’s first time as a superintendent, but District 102 school board members are confident he brings a wealth of knowledge to the district.

Board member Michael Melendez said one reason Covino was chosen to lead the district is his wide variety of experience, which includes time spent as a teacher and administrator.

“It just seemed like the logical next step for us and his career,” Melendez said. “We were looking for a leader who could build off what our current superintendent has accomplished and we believe [Covino] is the right person for this.”

Much of Covino’s previous experience comes from the high school level, where he built a professional history based on understanding how the academic experience works for students and developing plans to help that experience be more efficient. Some of this experience includes increasing the multi-system support for students in Hinsdale Township High School District 86.

Covino helped his previous district identify historically underperforming demographics and provide those students with one-on-one support where needed, he said. The district saw more than 100 students move from failing one or more classes to passing all classes, he said.

“My first task is to learn about how District 102 has been successful in academics and culture and then to find where the district can grow,” Covino said. “I’m just tremendously excited to get to know and become part of the district, building relationships and getting involved with all aspects of the community.”

Covino’s educational experience also includes serving as principal of Argo Community High School for four years, assistant principal for curriculum and instruction at York Community High School for five years, division chair for English at West Chicago High School for five years and working as an English teacher at Neuqua Valley High School for eight years.

The district hosted meet-and-greets this spring to give families and community members an opportunity to meet Covino, Melendez said.

Covino looks forward to continuing to build on the success of Schumacher, saying he has great respect for Schumacher and what he accomplished during his time at the district.

This is exactly the mindset the board was looking for, Melendez said, and board members hope Covino’s experience will guide the district in tracking its data and understanding how to adapt to student needs.

Covino said he feels equipped to handle this goal. Having so much experience in the high school arena, he hopes to help improve high school readiness for students coming out of the district. He said he is excited to communicate with stakeholders and continue creating opportunities for students to find success.

“He is obviously very passionate and very grounded and family-oriented,” Melendez said. “He is dedicated to the community and we could see that in his interviews. He’s easy to talk to and is relatable to many people and we feel his sincerity is one of his greatest assets. We are incredibly grateful for what [Schumacher] has done and we do feel [Covino] is the perfect person to lead us from where we are.”

Covino earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He holds a master’s degree in educational leadership from Benedictine University and a doctorate in educational leadership and administration from Aurora University.