On November 16, 2022, Eric Hagarty (Acting Secretary of Education) and Eli Downie (Director of Intergovernmental Affairs) visited the Colonial IU 20 Central Office to meet with our region's educators and listen to their concerns. The open discussion was part of the System Design Benchmarking (SDB) workshop that was attended by member district leaders and facilitated by The National Center on Education and the Economy. SDB strengthens district leadership teams by helping them assess their current system while building their capacity to drive district improvements to achieve equity, excellence, and efficiency.
On December 9, 2022, Dr. Jeffrey Fuller (Deputy Secretary of Education) joined Mr. Hagarty and Mr. Downie on a visit to the Colonial Academy, CIU 20's school that provides educational/treatment-oriented alternative placement for identified at-risk children. Colonial Academy Principal, Dr. Carolyn Krotowski, gave a tour of the school and shared innovative initiatives that have been implemented to prepare students for careers in the culinary arts and building trades. Dr. Fuller, Mr. Hagarty and Mr. Downie also participated in the Superintendent's Advisory Counsel (SAC) meeting that was happening in the building that day. CIU 20 thanks the team from PDE for having open communication with the educators in our region.
