JACKSONVILLE — When Steve Ptacek was a nuclear machinist in the Navy, they had a saying that “expectation without inspection means nothing.”

JACKSONVILLE — When Steve Ptacek was a nuclear machinist in the Navy, they had a saying that “expectation without inspection means nothing.”

He’s tried to live by that philosophy as a school administrator as well.

“We’ve got to look at data,” Ptacek said. “We’ve got to be a data-driven district.”

The Jacksonville School Board this month selected Ptacek as the district’s new school superintendent beginning July 1. Ptacek, a 45-year-old Lebanon, Ill., native, is in his second year as school superintendent of the Joppa-Maple Grove School District in far southern Illinois.

The board gave Ptacek a three-year contract with a base salary of $140,000 and has the option of extending the contract for a fourth year.

Ptacek said, for all its flaws, one benefit of the federal No Child Left Behind Act is that it pushed schools to use data to evaluate their performance.

“Schools didn’t actually check to see if they were successful,” Ptacek said. “Everybody believed they were successful without knowing (for sure).”

While he’s already begun digging through district data to prepare for the new role, Ptacek’s priorities don’t revolve solely around numbers.

His top goal is to work with school officials, teachers, parents, students and community leaders to “come to an identified, agreed set of goals and objectives.”

“That’s been the key to the success of school districts historically, but that has got to be the emphasis in these tough economic times,” Ptacek said.

Financial challenges

The Jacksonville School District and the wider community are facing financial and economic challenges.

The portion of Jacksonville students who come from low-income households has increased from 36.5 percent in 2003 to 55 percent in 2012, according to state data.

The state’s recent decision to shutter the Jacksonville Developmental Center will cost the community about 400 jobs.

“These are challenges being faced throughout the state,” Ptacek said.

His current district has faced layoffs and other uncertainties at the Joppa power plant, owned by Ameren Corp. subsidiary Electric Energy Inc., a major employer in the area.

One of the keys to helping students from low-income families succeed is identifying those who are struggling early and providing them extra help, he said.

“I’ve been very fortunate to work in some districts that have shown some success,” Ptacek said.

At the same time, school districts face significant cuts in state funding that make providing those services more difficult.

The Jacksonville School Board approved a budget this year with a $2.3 million deficit in its operating funds. The district closed Franklin Elementary School before the current school year and made other major cuts, including laying off teachers and support staff.

With such uncertainty in funding at the state level, it’s “absolutely crucial” for individual superintendents to be involved in the conversation on funding at the Capitol, Ptacek said.

‘Good fit’

School Board President Mindy Olson said Ptacek seemed like a good fit for the district because of his communication and leadership skills.

Ptacek’s current district has 279 students and two schools compared to Jacksonville’s 3,462 students and nine schools, but Olson said the board is confident he’ll make the transition.

“He’s had experience at districts that are a larger size,” she said.

Before his current job, Ptacek was principal for three years at Richwoods High School in Peoria, which had about 1,500 students.

As he prepares for his new job, Ptacek said he’ll be in regular contact with Jacksonville administrators to get a better handle on the “current reality” for the district.

“Communication is what I need to be doing in the next six months,” he said.

Ptacek has already toured several schools with Lee Hovasse, who wrapped up his tenure as interim school superintendent last week, and Barbara Suelter, who will fill the role after winter break.

Hovasse and Suelter were tapped for the interim posts after their predecessor, Les Huddle, announced he would depart for a job in Indiana at the end of last year and the final candidate for the permanent post withdrew.

“It’s very important for everyone in the organization to understand that, when you have a transition with leadership, these people have established communication lines,” said Hovasse, who worked in the district for more than 30 years before serving in the top job from 2005 to 2007.

Ptacek said he thinks a successful school district is a linchpin of a town.

“Schools absolutely are one of the most crucial factors in the long-term economic stability of a community,” he said.

Ptacek said strong schools can lead to growth by attracting new families — like his own. He and his wife have two sons, George, a third-grader, and Vince, a second-grader.

“Tracy and I are very thrilled to be able to provide Jacksonville as a hometown for our boys,” Ptacek said.

Dan Petrella can be reached at 788-1532. Follow him at twitter.com/PetrellaReports.

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Steve Ptacek

Age: 45

Teaching background: High school chemistry and physics

Education: Bachelor’s in psychology, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale; master’s in educational leadership, SIU-Edwardsville; superintendent’s endorsement, Western Illinois University