Nearly 26 years after teaching his first class in Knoxville High School’s “garden level,” Dr. Andrew Brooks is coming home, this time as superintendent.
Appointed earlier this week to lead Knoxville Community Unit School District 202, Brooks will officially take the helm on July 1, 2026. But the former science teacher (who began his career in the district from 1998 to 2001) says his transition starts now.
“I love that community and the close-knit feel of it,” Brooks said on WGIL’s Galesburg Morning News. “
Full 15-minute interview with Dr. Andrew Brooks
Brooks was hired for his first teaching job by then-principal Ron McGraw on June 19, 1998, the day before his wedding. That moment, he says, sparked not just a career in education, but a calling to leadership.
After leaving Knoxville, Brooks taught in Galesburg, then served as junior/senior high principal in Delavan for four years. He has since accumulated 19 years of experience as a superintendent in South Pekin, Delavan, and most recently, Wethersfield.
His leadership style? Servant leadership. “I don’t sit behind a title,” Brooks said. “I want to be active, visible, and engaged. I want to know people more than just their name.”
He will be attending board meetings and design sessions for the district’s major new elementary school project. Brooks brings direct experience — he oversaw construction of a new high school in Delavan and worked with the same architect, BLDD.
“My dad was an iron worker, my grandfathers were carpenters,” he said. “I’ve always enjoyed being involved in the design and even some of the hands-on work.”
Among his top priorities: reversing recent deficit spending and tackling staffing shortages, especially bus drivers, which he called a “huge problem” across Illinois districts.
His long-term vision centers on a “portrait of a graduate,” a framework defining the ideal attributes and skills of a Knoxville graduate and then working backward to design the educational experience. This approach prepares students for a variety of futures, including:
- College
- Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs
- Military service
- Direct entry into the workforce
A father of four (three of whom are teachers), Brooks joked, “We’re just one English teacher away from having our own school.”
Brooks says he’ll be “boots on the ground” long before July 1, starting with staff surveys, community events, and “building trust one conversation at a time.”
