Correction (September 30, 2026): An earlier version said CCSD59's latest enrollment change was an increase of 26 students, or 0.4%. That figure compared two differently defined state counts. Measured on the same state count for both years, enrollment fell by 24 students, or 0.4%, from 5,869 in 2024-25 to 5,845 in 2025-26. This version also restates the district's longer decline through 2024-25 on a single count.

Correction (July 21, 2026): An earlier version said CCSD59's latest enrollment increase was 23 students. It was corrected to 26 students on July 21; the September 30 correction above supersedes that figure.

Brett Gallini did not wait for summer to become visible in CCSD59^↗ET.

When he learned his predecessor would leave before his planned arrival, Gallini said he offered to advance his start date rather than have employees and families experience another interim transition.

"For me, it was an easy decision, and looking back, it was absolutely the right one," Gallini said in a written response to EdTribune.

By the time he wrote back, Gallini said he had completed 50 school visits in ten weeks, covering more than 150 classrooms.

"I’ve fully committed myself to this role, and as superintendent, it is important that the people who make this district great see me 'in the work' alongside them," he said.

A Smaller District Than a Decade Ago

CCSD59 enrolled 5,845 students in 2025-26, the most recent school year in the state's published data, on the state's fall count, which records each student under the home district responsible for them. That was down 24 students, or 0.4%, from 5,869 the year before on the same count, and still above the 2022-23 low of 5,707. The longer decline shows on the state's report card count, a separately defined series: 7,010 students in 2014-15 and 5,819 in 2024-25, a drop of 1,191 students, or 17.0%. The chart draws the two counts as separate lines because they do not match even for the same year.

The student population Gallini is leading is also highly multilingual. In 2025-26, 47.2% of CCSD59 students were English learners, 57.7% were economically disadvantaged, and Hispanic students made up 42.0% of enrollment.

Gallini's early visits are instructional by design, he said. They typically end with a debrief and feedback conversation with the principal, and he described principals and assistant principals as embracing their role as instructional leaders.

"I’ve spent more than 25 years in public education and have served in nearly every role within a school system," Gallini said. "The best place to be is on a campus, so whenever my schedule permits, that is where you will find me."

Doubling Down on Academics

Gallini said the district is preparing to launch a new strategic plan in August, with a clear academic emphasis.

"For us, that means doubling down on academics," he said. "Our commitment ... is simple: delivering high-quality instruction for every student, regardless of their level."

He tied that to a "high-performance culture" in which adults work in lockstep and hold one another accountable.

Gallini also described the move to the district as personal. He has worked in Texas, New York City, and Los Angeles, but said the CCSD59 superintendent search profile matched the kind of leader he believed he could be: visible, supportive, instructional, and student-centered. His two elementary-aged children now attend CCSD59 schools.

"I know we're exactly where we need to be," Gallini said. "My boys love their school, their teachers, and they are learning."

The early start changed the opening chapter. Instead of arriving after the school year ended, Gallini began by walking classrooms, meeting staff, and making the superintendent's office less distant from the work he says matters most.

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