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northbrooktower.com news
the northbrook tower | April 4, 2019 | 3
Riggle confident in district’s future as retirement nears
Neil Milbert
Freelance Reporter
Dr. Mike Riggle believes
he stepped into an
ideal situation when he
came from his native Indiana
to become Glenbrook
North principal in 1998,
and later becoming Glenbrook
High Schools District
225 superintendent in
2008.
Furthermore, Riggle believes
his successor as District
225 superintendent,
Dr. Charles Johns, will
quickly come to the same
conclusion after taking
over on July 1, when Riggle
moves back to Indiana
to begin his retirement.
“Our new superintendent
will feel very relaxed,
very quickly,” Riggle predicted.
“The people here
are top professionals.
“One of the things I told
myself is that it was time to
retire because the district
is in such a good position.
I didn’t want to develop
a new three-to-five-year
strategic plan and not be
around to work that plan.
A new leader can come in
and help develop a strategic
plan for the future and
work that plan. It’s a great
opportunity for the district.
“If I waited longer, it
would be too long for my
family, too long for the
district and too long for
any potential opportunities
I would have in higher education.
Everything to me
indicated that a leadership
change was appropriate.”
During an hour-long interview
with The Tower,
Riggle reflected not only
on his decision, his career
and his future plans, but
also on his philosophy of
education and challenges
that may be in the offing
for Illinois educators.
In a prelude to his retirement,
his wife, Stephanie,
and their sons, Max
and Mason, moved from
Northbrook to Bloomington,
Ind., prior to the start
of the current school year.
“We decided it would
be best for our kids,” he
explained. “Max, who was
at GBN, is a sophomore at
Bloomington North High
School, and Mason, who
had finished fifth grade at
Greenbriar and would have
entered Northbrook Junior
High, is a sixth-grader at
University Elementary.
Although it’s hard to pass
up a Glenbrook education,
by leaving it gave Max
three years instead of two
at his new high school and
enabled Mason to make
only one transition rather
than two.
“Stephanie is from
Bloomington originally,
and I grew up in the area.
Her parents are there and I
have friends and relatives
who are there. I’m going to
reconnect with old friends
I haven’t seen for 20 years.
“At the university (Indiana)
there are a lot of opportunities
that might hold
potential for me.”
‘I felt a personal
commitment to keep those
promises’
In Riggle’s opinion, the
narrow passage of the $94
million building bond referendum
in November,
2006 was the most monumental
event during the
two decades he has spent
in the district.
“When the referendum
was proposed, I was a
principal and helped to
structure that,” he recalled.
“The promises we made
were ingrained in my
thinking when I became
superintendent. I felt a personal
commitment to keep
those promises and the
Board of Education felt the
same way.
“There was collaboration
between the board and
the administration to make
sure at every step we kept
the needs of students in
mind and also reflected on
what that meant financially
for the community. A lot of
money was saved in recent
years by refinancing original
bonds. The community
will be debt-free in January
2027. Taxpayers will
see a reduction.”
Riggle believes continuity
at the administrative
level also has been a major
factor in maintaining
the strength of the district.
He cited Tim Duffy, “who
was principal at North for
23 years,” Bill Schreiner,
“who was principal at
South for 24 years,” and
Gene McGovern, “the
long-time superintendent
through 1998.”
Dave Hales came from
Fort Wayne, Ind., to succeed
McGovern as superintendent
and his first major
move was hiring Riggle
as principal at GBN.
“A lot of people thought
he brought a friend from
Indiana, but we were from
opposite ends of the state
and didn’t know each other
at all,” Riggle said. “Dave
was the leader when the
referendum was passed.
“I feel that (in becoming
the superintendent) I
inherited something that
was very special because
right from the beginning
the right philosophical
base was laid, and it’s
one I am very much in
agreement with.
“Back in the 1940s,
they voted to form a high
school district and they
Retiring District 225 Superintendent Dr. Mike Riggle addresses the Class of 2018 at
the 65th annual Glenbrook North commencement address. Riggle first came to the
district in 1998 as GBN principal. 22nd Century Media File Photo
Sunday 21 st Special
Easter Brunch
8am-3pm
Sunday Brunch
10am - 2pm
opened the first high
school (GBN) in 1953.
Norm Watson was the first
superintendent. He made
it his mission to find the
very best teachers because
he wanted to compete
with New Trier and Evanston,
two of the best in the
country. Our teachers are
our No. 1 resource. We
try to find the best possible
people and provide
them with good resources
and structure. It’s not
about teachers who focus
solely on teaching content
— they have to demonstrate
they care about our
students.”
Riggle’s road to D225
The career road to District
225 began in 1980 at
Indiana’s Seymour High
School, where the future
District 225 superintendent
spent three years
teaching chemistry and
physics and working as
an assistant basketball and
track coach.
Although he was happy
in Seymour, he was
persuaded to move to
Bloomington South in
1983 to teach physics and
chemistry and serve as
the head golf coach and
assistant track coach. He
also began working on his
post-graduate degrees at
Indiana. After two years,
he became the science department
chair and held
that position for four more
years.
By then, he had picked
up his principal’s license,
and when a Bloomington
South assistant principal’s
job became available
Please see Riggle, 8
992 Willow Rd, Northbrook | 847-504-0277 | gcfb.com