Former SACS leader named as Superintendent of Year recipient

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (Fort Wayne’s NBC) - Philip Downs, formerly leading Southwest Allen County Schools (SACS), has been honored as a Superintendent of the Year winner for 2020.

Downs was named Indiana’s Superintendent of the Year in 2020 by the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents (IAPSS). The 2020 event was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns, so the 2021 event, held Nov. 3 in Washington D.C., honored recipients from both 2020 and 2021.

When Downs was named, he was serving as the superintendent for SACS. The district has announced in January of 2021 that he would be retiring at the end of the calendar year, but he stepped down a bit earlier than expected when he accepted a role as Trine’s director of education graduate programs in the summer.

A press release sent by Trine says Downs credited the “exceptional” SACS team for the award, and said he looks forward to impacting future educators through his extensive experience in education and his network of professionals.

“I am excited to be able to help train future educators and to connect the superintendents of Indiana with the great team at the Franks School of Education to work together to develop innovative solutions to some of education’s pressing problems,” he said.

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