ISBA Names Educator of the Year for 2025September 15, 2025 –Dr. Jim Halik, superintendent of the Edinburgh Community School Corporation, has been named the 2025 Lorin A. Burt Educator of the Year by the Indiana School Boards Association (ISBA).Dr. Halik has dedicated the past 51 years to education—28 of them as a superintendent, 19 as a principal, and the rest as a teacher. In a career that spans over half a century, he has led Franklin Community Schools and New Palestine Community Schools, served eight times as an interim superintendent, taught college classes for more than 40 years, and coached cross country, swimming and diving, and track. While he once considered retirement in his mid-50s, he now finds fulfillment continuing to serve into his 70s.His approach to leadership is rooted in a few guiding principles that he’s carried with him and shared with others along the way. First and foremost is never lose sight of putting kids first. A close second is serving with humility. Leadership is about working with people, not standing above them, he says.He also emphasizes the importance of hiring for character – skills can be taught, but you “can’t teach nice.” Staying resilient is another lesson he returns to often. Longevity in leadership comes from bouncing back, adapting, and keeping perspective through the challenges, he says. That resilience has been strengthened, he notes, by the mentors who guided him and the younger educators he’s tried to support in turn.Even after decades in administration, Dr. Halik has never stopped teaching. Staying connected to the classroom—in his case as a college instructor and through interim principalships—keeps leaders grounded and centered on the student experience, he adds. Finally, he believes schools must be places of joy. Academic rigor is essential, but so is making learning meaningful, hands-on, and fun.The Lorin A. Burt Award is conferred annually by the ISBA to an exemplary educator for overall excellence in contributions to Indiana education. Chosen by school board members, the winner of the prestigious award is recognized during the ISBA-IAPSS Annual Fall Conference at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis.