Matt Cascio

Matt Cascio serves as superintendent of North Boone CUSD 200, where he works with educators, union representatives and district leaders to strengthen school operations and broaden students’ opportunities. From the principal’s office in middle and high schools to the district cabinet as assistant and later interim superintendent, one habit of Cascio has endured across every role: Listen closely and tackle challenges collectively.

For a superintendent, this mindset helps bring coherence to competing daily demands. At North Boone, Cascio balances individual student needs and educator development while ensuring safe, supportive learning environments. His days may begin with a newly arrived student with an IEP who is struggling to adjust to an unfamiliar environment, prompting attention to both immediate needs and broader district-wide responsibilities.

By building problem-solving teams and consulting fellow superintendents and board members, Cascio brings in diverse perspectives to address long-standing administration gaps through practical, collaborative solutions. His colleagues describe him as a good listener, reflecting a leadership style defined by partnership rather than hierarchy.

“I would rather the community have the feeling, understanding, and truthfully, their inner core feels like they worked with me and not for me,” states Cascio.

Building the Team before the Strategy

Cascio recognized that North Boone had operated as Professional Learning Communities without foundational PLC training for its administrators and teachers. He re-initiated the foundation through Solution Tree professional development, giving both groups a shared language for stronger collaboration and sustained improvement. In addition to educator support, Cascio prioritizes the early identification of student needs. An outside consultant was brought in to train classroom teachers, social workers, and administrators in socio-emotional learning.

“I would rather the communities have the feeling, understanding, and, truthfully, their inner core feels like they worked with me and not for me.”

Through weekly updates, he communicates his work with educators and community partners, as well as district issues, to the board, building administrators and district office staff. For him, students benefit when adults coordinate thoughtfully, recognize their needs early and possess the expertise to respond effectively.

The Weight of Starting Over

When Cascio assumed the superintendency, North Boone had not offered vocational shop programs for nearly two decades. For a community rooted in rural industries, that gap was more than a bureaucratic footnote. He saw the gap as an opportunity to expose students to fields they had not had access to in years.

He took his team to regional high schools to walk the floors of construction, agriculture, welding, small-engine and woodworking shops firsthand. Rather than issuing a directive from above, the visits gave the team a practical basis for assessing the facilities, tools and equipment North Boone would need before restoring these opportunities for students as soon as possible.

What Leadership Ultimately Stands For

Cascio draws lessons from the works of Brené Brown and Jack Welch, influencing his outlook on teamwork and decisive leadership. He stays current through IASA regional meetings and its statewide conference, considering how emerging issues affect his district.

His emphasis on understanding context drives his counsel to aspiring superintendents. Dive deep into the community’s industries and students, research the district’s academic history and understand what each board member values before leading its schools. When he was considering offers from districts to become their next superintendent, he evaluated each district’s educational philosophy against his own views on educating and raising children, as well as the work it needed to address over the next three to five years.

Cascio is not only managing the district’s day-to-day needs but confronting issues that predate his tenure. From strengthening professional learning and student support to exploring the return of vocational shop programs, he pursues practical improvements across several fronts. His recognition as one of Illinois’ Top 10 School Superintendents in 2026 acknowledges his leadership as the district works through those priorities. At North Boone, success is measured not by how the district runs today, but by the prospects it can offer students tomorrow.