HR0210 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0210 LRB102 18069 LAW 25086 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Michael "Mike" Raczak on the occasion of his retirement as president of the Indian Prairie School District 204 Board of Education; and

WHEREAS, Mike Raczak earned his bachelor's degree in Education and Special Education and his master's degree in Special Education from Northern Illinois University; and

WHEREAS, Mike Raczak is a retired educator with 38 years of experience as a teacher and administrator; he began his career as a teacher and later became the principal of the Ray Graham Habilitation Center; he also worked for the LaGrange Area Department of Special Education, the School Association for Special Education in DuPage County, and Butler School District 53, where he started one of the first inclusion programs in Illinois; he joined Indian Prairie School District 204 in 1991; he served as a middle school assistant principal, a middle school principal, and an elementary school principal; and

WHEREAS, During his career, Mike Raczak led schools that received numerous honors, including the Association of Illinois Middle Schools and the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Level's School to Watch, the National Association of Secondary School Principals' 100 Highly Successful Schools, and the Illinois State Board of Education's Exemplary Business Partnerships Award and the Academic Excellence Award for high student achievement for five consecutive years; he has been honored in the community as the recipient of the Indian Prairie District 204 Parent Diversity Advisory Council's Equity Champion Award, the Naperville Jaycees' Outstanding Educator Award, and the Illinois State Board of Education's Those Who Excel Award; and

WHEREAS, While on the Indian Prairie School District 204 Board of Education, Mike Raczak served as vice president from 2015 to 2017; he became president in 2017 and has served in that role until his retirement; through continued professional development and training with the Illinois Association of School Boards, he achieved and maintained master board member status; he was also designated a fellow in the association's LeaderShop Academy; and

WHEREAS, Mike Raczak has also served as the president of the Association of Illinois Middle Schools, the president of the Illinois Association of Persons with Severe Handicaps, and a member on the Illinois State Board of Education Steering Committee on Autism; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Michael "Mike" Raczak on his retirement as president of the Indian Prairie School District 204 Board of Education, and we wish him many happy and healthy retirement years; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Mike Raczak as an expression of our esteem and respect.