Former principal and CAO to join Rick Mills in Minneapolis... Stephen Flisk latest Chicago schools administrator to leave for elsewhere
Minneapolis snatched its second former Chief Area Officer in three months from Chicago, when the Minneapolis school district announced on September 21, 2011, that Stephen Flisk, who served as a principal and then AIO and CAO, and most recently as a principal in Chicago, would be arriving there to become an "associate superintendent" for "Area B". Flisk, a former Chicago Teachers Union delegate, will begin immediately.
Flisk follows former Chicago CAO Rick Mills to Minneapolis. Mills went there to become deputy superintendent in July 2011. Also leaving Chicago as the Brizard administration moves forward is former Chief of Staff Robert Runcie, who was appointed superintendent of the Broward County (Florida) schools in mid-September.
The Minneapolis announcement follows:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, September 21, 2011
MEDIA CONTACT: Rachel Hicks, Assistant Director of Media Relations/Public Affairs
612.668.0227. rachel.hicks@mpls.k12.mn.us
Superintendent fills key leadership position. Stephen Flisk to serve as associate superintendent for Area B
MINNEAPOLIS — Stephen Flisk, an experienced education leader from Chicago Public Schools (CPS), on October 6 will be named the new associate superintendent for Area B, a key leadership position in Superintendent Bernadeia Johnson’s administration. In this new role, Flisk will be responsible for creating and modeling a culture of high expectations and providing ongoing support to building leaders to facilitate school environments that address a variety of needs and allow for the inclusion of all students. He will work with school communities to create the necessary conditions for dramatic and increased student achievement and improved overall school performance.
“Mr. Flisk has a strong track record for increasing student performance,” said Johnson. “His 20 years of experience and education leadership will be instrumental in our work to accelerate our efforts to narrow the achievement gap in Minneapolis.”
Flisk comes to Minneapolis from CPS, where he most recently served as academy superintendent of Carver Military High School. His accomplishments include increasing the five-year graduation rate by 18 percent, increasing student attendance by two percent and improving the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completion rate to 91.6 percent. During his time at CPS, Flisk also served as area instruction officer and was responsible for instructional leadership and management of 28 schools where the achievement gap was reduced significantly among elementary-aged Latino and African American students.
Flisk is anticipated to receive his doctorate in urban education leadership from the University of Illinois, Chicago, in December 2012. He holds a Master of Science degree in mathematics from Chicago State University, a Master of Arts degree in education from Saint Xavier University and a certificate of advanced study in administration from National-Louis University. He received his undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
