By DAVE HINTON
Rantoul Press editor

Some people are born to be administrators. Michelle Ramage is one of them.

Sometimes it’s more obvious to others than it is to the person herself.

“My mother would tell you that even as a teacher I was an administrator,” Ramage said with a laugh. “(It was because of) how I ran my classroom. That was interesting to me. I did not think I would have the bug until I took the courses (to be an administrator).”

To be a good administrator, one must be organized, Ramage said, and able to keep many balls in the air at the same time. Ramage can do that. She not only serves as superintendent for Thomasboro Grade School, she is interim superintendent for Rantoul City Schools.

Both are part-time positions, but many would probably tell you that Ramage spends more hours on both jobs than her contracts require. And she does those jobs while also being a wife and mother.

Both of those latter roles are time-consuming jobs in and of themselves. That’s because Ramage is married to Tom Ramage, president of Parkland College, and the Ramages are out together many evenings at area functions representing the college. As a mom, she does not shy away from supporting their son Colin in his many high school activities.

Born and raised in Danville, where she attended public schools, Michelle Ramage had education in her blood. Her mother taught in the public school system, and her father taught at Danville Area Community College and served as president of the Danville school board. Ramage graduated from Illinois State University, where she earned an undergraduate degree in special education.

She said she imagined she would be “teaching little kids how to read and write” early in her career, but her first job was teaching high school special education students at Danville.

“I never imagined I would teach in high school,” she said, a position she held for five years.

During that time Ramage took classes at Eastern Illinois University toward earning a master’s degree in administration.

Ramage didn’t foresee becoming an administrator so soon, but just five years after graduating from ISU, she was named assistant principal at South View Middle School, a post she held for five years.

She then served for two years as assistant principal at Danville High School, where one of her duties was evaluating some of the same teachers who taught her.
She then served as assistant principal at North Ridge Middle School in Danville before serving as assistant special education director for the district.

“I had imagined I would be teaching a good 10-15 years more before becoming an administrator,” Ramage said, adding that she had applied for the first assistant principal post just to get practice interviewing.

At 26 years of age, she had a 4-month-old baby at home, and she didn’t know if she was ready for the assistant principal’s job.

“I was terrified but terribly excited,” Ramage said. “It was everything I thought and more. It was where I needed to be. It was exactly what I needed to do.”

Her mother was right. Ramage would make a good administrator.

Ramage said she is an organized person and evidently has the skills needed for the role.

“I guess I know what direction I want to go, and I head down that path and stick to it and keep everybody accountable,” she said. “I’m a good listener.”

She later would be hired at Thomasboro Grade School, where she served as the school’s superintendent and principal for three years.  

Ramage stepped back at Thomasboro four years ago because she wanted to spend more time attending her son’s events at Mahomet-Seymour High School, where he is a senior. Ramage continued to serve as Thomasboro superintendent, and Bonnie McArthur was named principal.

Last year she agreed to accept the interim superintendent post at RCS after Superintendent Bill Trankina suffered a stroke. Trankina announced recently that he would step down from the post.

Ramage said of assuming the RCS position: “I was just surprised how easy it was to fit in. It’s not easy to work one day a week at a job. It’s very enjoyable to work with everybody here.  I thought the situation would be very challenging, but the people make it easy to do that. I didn’t know much about Rantoul schools. I was really impressed by what’s happening here, the desire to do what’s best for kids is here.”

Added Ramage, “I don’t know that we sing our praises loud enough and often enough. The word is getting out slowly.”

Ironically, probably the biggest challenge in taking the RCS post is technology-related. At Thomasboro Grade School, the school is PC-based. At RCS, however, the district is Mac-based.

Ramage said Lead Administrator Jennifer Ernst runs the day-to-day operation at RCS.

“That could have been a difficult situation, but it’s a great relationship,” Ramage said.

As Thomasboro superintendent, Ramage’s contract is for 20 hours a week — the equivalent of 2 ½ days. But she is available far more than that, always checking her emails and replying promptly to school-related inquiries. Ramage isn’t one to turn off her phone and her mind to Thomasboro business just because it’s not her day to work at the school.

Being superintendent and principal at a school like Thomasboro meant having to attend all home games, Parent Teacher Organization events and other activities. She

was concerned that she wouldn’t have enough time to devote to her husband and son, so she cut back.

“I have a very understanding board (at Thomasboro),” Ramage said. “They recognize that although I try to say my work days are Tuesdays and Wednesdays, at times I might have meetings on Monday. Last week it was four days. Both boards are very understanding with that.”

She was open to serving in the interim superintendent’s role at RCS when it came available because her son is a senior and will soon enter college.

She generally spends Thursdays at RCS.

Ramage, who is 44, isn’t home many evenings, and she’s just fine with that. She likes to stay busy. Prior to being named to the RCS post, she got involved in her son’s activities, becoming active in booster organizations at Mahomet-Seymour.

Ramage knows that holding the two positions simultaneously wouldn’t have worked so well a few years ago.

“If I’d tried to do this 10 years ago, there’s no way,” Ramage said.

That’s because technology allows her to stay connected, to stay involved with things at both school districts.

“No matter where I am or what I’m doing, they can be in contact with me, and I can be in contact with them,” said Ramage. “If I’m at home and doing Thomasboro work on the computer I might be getting emails and calls from Thomasboro and Rantoul.”

Like many administrators, Ramage says working with the budget is probably the least favorite part of her job — especially in recent years.

“It is frustrating that our local taxpayers do their part to pay taxes and support education, but the state consistently fails us,” Ramage said. “Not only do we not receive our state payments on time, we are expected to pay our bills and payroll on time.”

Ramage said each March, school districts must decide whether to reduce their workforce, without knowing how much funding they will receive from the state during the coming school year.

Looking ahead, Ramage said she can’t envision retiring early.

“I just can’t see in 10 years I’ll be done,” she said. “Education has changed dramatically in the last seven years … and for the better. Not the state funding but all the good intentions and the initiatives that are out there.”

dhinton@rantoulpress.com