BOE approves Rachel Kinder as next superintendent

The Valley View School District 365U Board of Education voted tonight to approve Mrs. Rachel Kinder, Ed.S as Superintendent of Schools effective July 1, 2020.

Mrs. Kinder is currently VVSD's Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services and will succeed current Superintendent Dr. James A. Mitchem, Jr. who will retire at the end of the current school year. She will be the district's seventh superintendent and the first female superintendent in the school district's history.

"We are pleased to have found Dr. Mitchem's successor within our organization," said VVSD Board of Education President Mr. Steve Quigley. "We will benefit from an easier transition of leadership."

Mrs. Kinder earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Spanish Translation and Business from Northern Illinois University in 2001. She continued her education by earning her Master of Education Degree from the University of Illinois Chicago in 2004 and added a Master of Arts in Educational Administration from Governors State University in 2008. Mrs. Kinder is currently enrolled in the Doctor of Education program at Concordia University Wisconsin.

Mrs. Kinder began her teaching career in 2002 as a Spanish and English as a Second Language teacher in Joliet Township District 204 and then joined VVSD as a Spanish Teacher and Department Chair at Bolingbrook High School in 2007. In July 2009, she was named as Bolingbrook High School Assistant Principal of Curriculum and Instruction and later Interim Principal. She was instrumental in planning and implementing school and instructional improvements annually for more than 3,700 students and nearly 400 staff members.

Mrs. Kinder joined VVSD District Administration in 2011 as Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services for Grades 6-12 and was promoted to her current position in 2013. She directed VVSD's first-ever strategic planning effort and led the focus on college and career readiness, social-emotional learning, family engagement, and community partnerships emphasizing student-centered and equity driven allocation of resources.

"I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity and excited to continue to serve, lead, and support our staff, students and learning community to even greater levels of success," Mrs. Kinder said. "I am appreciative of the Board's continued support and partnership to meet the needs of every learner and meet our obligation to the community of effective use of resources and positive outcomes for our children."