Spotlight on District 109

At the Board meeting last night, we found out that we, as a community, are being given a unique opportunity.  The current Superintendent is retiring at the end of the next school year.  There are also four Board of Education seats up for re-election next April.  This means that there may be as many as four new board members come next April.  The current Board announced that they will conduct the search for the new Superintendent and would like to have that person in place by November.  This is completely unacceptable.

The three senior members of the current Board were involved in the hiring of the current Superintendent and, judging by their reaction last night, continue to believe that she has done a fabulous job.  Over the last seven years several things have happened in this district, some good and some bad.  The focus on gifted students has increased.  The condition of the schools has improved, mostly due to a referendum.  Special education, which was once a strength in the district, has deteriorated due to a strategic change in the delivery of services.  This fact has been acknowledged by the Board and administration, as recently as last night.  In other words, they took a program that was working well and drove it into the ground.

And finally, the relationship with the teachers has devolved to the point of an imminent strike.  Teachers were so disgruntled with administration that they held out for contractual protections unheard of in most districts.  They actually had to put in a clause that protects teachers from speaking up at IEP meetings for fear of retribution from the administration.

This district will always be high performing because of the teachers and the parental involvement, but we expect the leader of the school system to take us to a higher level.  We expect a school system that is inclusive to all children, not just the high performers.  We expect a leader who treats the teachers not as the enemy, but as valued partners.  We expect a leader who will listen to parents and take action.  That is something we haven’t had in this district for years.

This community deserves to have its voice heard not just in the next election but in the selection of the next Superintendent.  If this Board insists on following its current course it will leave us no choice but to pound the pavement and get the signatures necessary to stop them.  This is too important a decision to leave to the people who got us into this mess in the first place.  So let’s send this Board a message that we want our newly elected officials to decide the future of our school system.  We can’t afford to get this one wrong.