U46 hires legal officer, chief of equity and social justice

• Reprints

Tony Sanders

Article Extras

Updated: October 29, 2011 12:44AM

ELGIN — School District U46 has filled three key administrative positions at its central office, Illinois’ second-largest district announced Tuesday.

That includes a replacement for Chief Legal Officer Pat Broncato, who accepted an assistant superintendent position in Woodridge School District 68 last month. It also includes filling the superintendent’s chief of staff position, which has been open since last July, and creating a new position for a chief of equity and social justice.

Miguel A. Rodriguez will join U46 as chief legal officer, the Elgin school district announced. Rodriguez currently is the deputy general counsel for Chicago Public Schools, overseeing its school law division.

“During his 23 years of experience as an attorney in the Chicago Public Schools, Miguel has overseen student disciplinary hearings, drafted board policies and legislation, and worked collaboratively with principals, the teachers’ union, the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association, and members of local school councils,” U46 Superintendent José Torres said in a written statement.

“To say Miguel is seasoned would be an understatement.”

Rodriguez joined Chicago Public Schools as a bilingual teacher, then as an assistant attorney after earning his law degree in 1988, according to U46. He became deputy general counsel in 2002, providing legal advice to local school council members, taking responsibility for litigation in both federal and state court, and handling complaints.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in education with a concentration in bilingual education from the University of Illinois at Chicago and his juris doctorate from the University of Michigan Law School, the district said.

“I’m thrilled and honored to join such a dynamic administration and school district,” Rodriguez said in a written statement.

As chief legal officer, he will earn a base salary of $160,000, according to U46.

Ushma Shah will take on the district’s newly created position of chief of equity and social justice. Shah also comes to U46 from Chicago Public Schools: previously, she was a consultant, coaching instructional leadership teams of schools that are on academic probation.

The chief of equity and social justice will examine the impact of district decisions on different racial and ethnic groups, according to the job description for the position provided by U46. She also will develop interventions to help bridge achievement gaps, especially for students who are black and Hispanic, among other responsibilities, that description said.

The position grew out of the district goal to “eliminate achievement gaps” by 2015, part of its Destination 2015 accountability plan.

“The U46 Board of Education and I, through Destination 2015 and through their ongoing discussions and professional development, have made racial equity and closing the achievement gap a priority for this district,” Torres said in a written statement.

“Our next step was to find someone to lead systemic improvements. Dr. Shah brings to U46 her expertise and her proven ability to work with school leaders in closing the achievement gap between student groups.”

Shah also was a data inquiry consultant to Sacramento Public Schools in California, providing technical support to schools transitioning to common core standards.

Her past experience includes serving as a consultant to the Illinois State Board of Education and working as a curriculum director for North Cook Intermediate Service Center and as the founding principal of North Cook Young Adult Academy, an alternative middle school for students at risk of expulsion. She also has taught collaborative arts and fifth grade at Sabin Magnet School in Chicago Public Schools.

Shah earned her bachelor’s degree in educational studies and anthropology from Knox College in Galesburg, her master’s degree in education, curriculum and instruction from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and her doctorate from Harvard University. She had earned a graduate fellowship to the Urban Superintendents Program at Harvard University in 2000.

She will earn a base salary of $120,000, according to U46.

U46 Chief of Communications and Accountability Tony Sanders will expand his role within the district to fill the superintendent’s chief of staff position, effective immediately.

Sanders first joined the district in 2007. His base salary is $140,522.57.

“In the past year, I have relied on Tony to fulfill some of the chief of staff duties,” Torres said in a written statement. “I look forward to having him continuing to serve this district, and our students, in this new capacity.”