As a former District 65 reading specialist from 1986 to 2009 and a mother of two former District 65 children, I’m concerned about how the schools are faring today. Back in the day, so many of us District 65 teachers, like teachers everywhere, lived and breathed our jobs. Here are my questions and concerns in the areas of job turnover and the district’s financial stability:
Job turnover: It’s difficult to hire and maintain staff nationwide, but we have to deal with our community’s challenges effectively. Are district administrators doing exit interviews when employees leave the district? If so, what do they do with the results of these exit interviews? If they’re done, does the school board review them? On average, how long do principals serve? An informal average from 25 years ago was 15 years, with many much longer. Do today’s principals come close to that?
Financial stability: Why didn’t the District 65 board know about the financial crisis? Why weren’t the problems publicized to the community? Why have the number of administrators risen dramatically who were never needed before and whose jobs don’t directly benefit children?
Superintendents must do two things well: They must hire and retain excellent principals and manage the district’s finances to ensure stability. The No. 1 job of principals is to hire and retain excellent teachers and staff. The No. 1 job of the school board is to hire and retain excellent superintendents. It’s a tough job for sure, but these two points should be the criteria for judging them and holding them accountable. The No. 1 job of Evanston voters is to elect school board members who agree with this criteria and hire the best superintendent.
As in any organization, I believe quality, effectiveness and responsibility start at the top and work down from there. I’d ask the school board to look into the depth of personnel turnover, and to hold superintendents accountable for solving both the staffing and financial instability problems. District 65 should become a national model for achieving diversity, equity and inclusion and a place where great principals and teachers thrive.
No one says it’s easy, but if not here, where? Go, Evanston, go!
Mickey Silverstein,
Retired District 65 reading specialist
Letter to the editor: District 65 has lots of questions to answer is from Evanston RoundTable, Evanston's most trusted source for unbiased, in-depth journalism.