PONTIAC - Pontiac Township High School's new superintendent said Friday he has big ambitions for the district.

"I want my school to be the Harvard of Illinois," Leo Johnson said. "How we raise these standards and expectations is part of my job. (PTHS) really is a quality school with quality staff."

Johnson spoke to an audience of about 20 people at the Pontiac Area Chamber of Commerce's regular Issues and Eggs breakfast.

He said he has learned in his 29 years as an educator that administrators, teachers and parents should focus their efforts on what is best for the students. Other concerns are secondary.

He quoted a phrase he said he lives by: "For a school, the most important things are not things. They are students."

Johnson, who is in his first year as PTHS superintendent, said he has heard it takes someone at least three years to become comfortable in the job. PTHS Principal Jon Kilgore also is relatively new to his position.

Johnson said having new administrators can have both pros and cons. They might not know the history of the area, but they can bring fresh ideas and opinions.

He has been a teacher, dean, principal and superintendent in areas like Colona, East Moline and Spring Valley.

He outlined some of his goals for the high-school-only district.

One may be implementing an enhanced eight-block daily class schedule, which would better fit math and science classes and labs, he said.

Another is helping the relatively young staff members, who have an average of nine years of teaching experience, develop into their roles as educators.

Improving special education may involve expanding the co-teaching model. In it, special education students are in mainstream classes led by a special-education teacher and a mainstream colleague.

"I have heard where co-teaching can degenerate into a glorified aide because teachers aren't used to being partners," he said. "So far, the program has been successful."

As for long-term needs, Johnson said he would like to see the building brought up to date in electrical needs, air conditioning and programming. He also is looking at $120,000 worth of improvements to the school's stadium.

Questions were raised concerning the security in the aftermath of the August 2007 incident in which a student brought guns to school to sell to another student. Johnson said the school is working on upgrading current security devices and possibly adding new ones.