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April 18, 2001 -- State Superintendent of Education Glenn W. McGee has appointed Dr. Christopher A. Koch (cook) to be Acting Deputy Superintendent for Special Education for the State Board of Education.

            Koch, who has worked for ISBE since 1994,  previously served the agency as Division Administrator of the LRE (Least Restrictive Environment) Division of the Special Education Center, where he was responsible for special education compliance and monitoring of Chicago School District 299 and implementation for the Corey H. Settlement Agreement. 

            “Dr. Koch has demonstrated a wealth of knowledge of the needs of students in special education programs and he has skillfully handled two previous leadership positions in the agency,” McGee said.  “I am delighted that he has accepted this position of increased responsibility for serving the special education community.

            Koch’s seven years experience as a special educator includes teaching in four states in various settings - an Outward Bound program, a college preparatory school, a youth detention center, a psychiatric hospital and a church-sponsored day school.  He also served with the U. S. Education Department’s Office of Vocational and Technical Education where he administered programs in correctional education and School-to-Work (STW) transition.

            As a former policy advisor for ISBE, he helped secure STW funding for Illinois and the City of Chicago and provided leadership in developing partnerships within and outside the agency. 

            Koch is a graduate of Brown County High School in Mt. Sterling and Southern Illinois University-Carbondale.  He holds master’s and doctorate degrees in special Education from George Washington University in Washington, DC.

            Koch replaces Gordon Riffel, who recently resigned as Deputy Superintendent for Special Education.