Meridian CUSD first to receive ‘Gold Achievement of Excellence’ in education

    Meridian Community Unit School District 223 is the first school district to receive a Gold Achievement of Excellence award from the internationally recognized performance-driven organization The Partnership for Excellence, dating back to the organization’s inception 25 years ago.

    Established in 1998, The Partnership for Excellence is a non-profit four-state (Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, and West Virginia) cooperative that supports, promotes, and evaluates organizations based on the Baldridge Excellence Framework. The framework’s goal is to improve organizational outcomes based on performance excellence, providing assessment tools and criteria, educating leaders across various sectors, and recognizing industry role models through the only award of its kind.

    Dr. PJ Caposey, Superintendent of Meridian CUSD 223, stated, “The Baldridge Excellence Framework has been a key element in all improvement efforts at Meridian CUSD 223 for nearly a decade. Over the past few years under the direction of Dr. Joe Mullikin, we were able to improve our knowledge of the framework, our internal practices, and our application of it. To achieve what no other school district has been able to do over the past 25 years is nothing short of amazing and a credit to our team.”

    To qualify, an independent board of examiners evaluated Meridian CUSD 223 across seven key areas defined by the Baldrige Excellence Framework including: leadership; strategy; customers; measurement, analysis, and knowledge management; workforce; operations; and results. The evaluation process included more than 1,000 hours of review and a site visit by an evaluation team. An independent panel of judges reviewed each organization’s evaluation, approved the final feedback reports, and developed award recommendations, which were ratified by the organization’s Board of Trustees.

    John Smith, President of the Meridian Board of Education, said, “Our administrators emphasized Baldridge is about continuous improvement and doing things the right way. While the improvement journey has been great to watch, it is outstanding to see the district recognized for the success we are currently enjoying.”

    Dr. Mullikin, Assistant Superintendent and Highland Elementary School Principal, shared, “Meridian’s success in educational excellence is a testament to our culture of innovation and collaboration and reaffirms our commitment to empowering students with the tools and resources they need to thrive.”

    The district recently received additional honors including the 2024 Those Who Excel Award, presented by the Illinois State Board of Education to four Meridian CUSD 223 employees for their commitment to academic excellence.

About Meridian Community Unit School District #223

    Meridian CUSD 223 is a rural school district situated in northern Illinois, encompassing 120 square miles across Ogle and Winnebago counties. With a proud legacy of academic distinction and a nurturing culture of excellence, Meridian CUSD 223 serves nearly 1,500 students from pre-K to 12th grade across its four schools. Find them online at www.meridian223.org.

About The Partnership for Excellence

    The Partnership for Excellence is Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia, and Illinois’s Baldrige-based awards program. It assists organizations in their pursuit of performance excellence and continuous improvement using the internationally recognized Baldrige Excellence Framework.  Fine them online at thepartnershipforexcellence.org.