Aurora’s superintendent praises district successes while looking to the future

In his first year as head of the Aurora City School District, Superintendent Paul Milcetich spoke about “The Green Standard,” the district’s commitment to ensuring that its youth thrive not only academically, but also athletically, artistically and socially, as leaders and as human beings.

“Success today demands more than content knowledge alone,” he said to the audience at the 2026 State of the City event on Feb. 25. “It requires the root competencies of collaboration, empathy, innovation, resilience, balance and critical thinking. These are not skills taught from a textbook. They are cultivated through experiences, relationships and environments intentionally designed to help students grow in line with our strategic vision and our mantra of ensuring Aurora learners are future ready.”