News Releases
Dr. Laura Crane Honored by District 15
Dr. Laura Crane, a longtime member of the Community Consolidated School District 15 Board of Education, has been named recipient of the district’s “Champion for Children Award,” presented in recognition of her leadership and support of students, schools and the community.
Dr. Crane was first elected to the Board of Education in 1985 and served until April 2005. During her tenure, she served as board president and vice president and as an active member of a number of board committees, including the curriculum advisory committee, math committee and technology committee. She took a leadership role in use of technology in the schools, working directly with staff to identify and integrate appropriate technological advances into the educational curriculum. She was author of a detailed paper on technology for the District 15 staff and Board of Education.
Early in her board service, Dr. Crane was active and involved in the successful 1988 effort to pass a $64 million bond issue to accommodate the district’s growing enrollment. It was the largest referendum passed in Illinois at that time. Once the bond issued was passed, Dr. Crane served on the architect selection committee, helping to chose a firm that would effectively meet the district’s facility needs.
Dr. Crane was a member of DACEE, the District Advisory Committee for Educational Excellence, for many years; served on the board team for teacher negotiations; was board representative to the former Teachers, Administrators, and Board Members (TAB) Committee, a group created to improve working relationships following a teachers’ strike; and served as a trustee of the District Fifteen Educational Foundation. Dr. Crane also was a member of the Illinois Association of School Boards Large District Council.
She was recipient of an Award of Merit in the Illinois State Board of Education’s 1990-91 “Those Who Excel” program, and in 2001, she was honored with a Distinguished Service Award presented by the Illinois Chapter of the National School Public Relations Association (INSPRA).
“Laura Crane is a true ‘Champion for Children’,” said Dr. Robert A. McKanna, superintendent. “Her extraordinary dedication and commitment to our students and our schools over the years truly exemplifies the kind of contribution this award was created to recognize.”
Scott Boucher, current president, has served on the Board of Education with Dr. Crane for a number of years. “The board is deeply appreciative of the many outstanding contributions Laura has made over the past 20 years,” he commented. “We’ve benefitted from her depth of knowledge, her strong analytical skills, and her quiet, diplomatic manner. She has consistently helped the board reach decisions that benefit the children of this community.”
Dr. Crane, a resident of Hoffman Estates, is the mother of six children. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Michigan State University, and a doctorate in educational psychology, research design, from Northwestern University. She is employed as academic research director at William Rainey Harper College.
The District 15 “Champion for Children Award” was created in 1998 to honor members of the community who have demonstrated leadership, commitment to excellence, and the willingness to respond to community needs. Dr. Crane is only the seventh recipient. Previous honorees were Robert J. Coles, vice president of Northrop Grumman; Rudy Nelson, former director of the Rolling Meadows Park District; Fred Hall, former executive director of the Palatine Park District; Joseph M. Kiszka, former District 15 administrator; Ralph Schultz, formerly an active participant in the district’s Senior Exchange program and former chair of DACEE (District Advisory Committee for Educational Excellence); and John G. Conyers, Ed.D., former District 15 Superintendent of Schools.
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