By Stephanie Irvine
District 114 should have a new superintendent selected not long after the New Year, according to consultant Cathy Pezanowksi, who was hired to lead the superintendent search after current Supt. Ron Pacheco announced his final retirement — again.
Previously, Pacheco had committed to retiring before former Supt. Rusty Ragon abruptly retired with no notice, leaving the district without a leader mid-school year. Pacheco “un-retired,” stepping up as interim superintendent, and then stayed on to continue to serve as superintendent through the addition of the new junior high school.
Pezanowski stated she anticipates the district will have candidates narrowed down by mid-January, with a final candidate selected and contract negotiations planned to occur by the end of January 2025.
According to Pacheco’s report, the district has an enrollment of 2,038 students. Next month, the district will set the tax levy, but Pacheco said there are no plans to stray from the current tax rate of .42552.
“I know we’re just trying to get in front of that, social media being what it is, and when that hits it’s probably going to create the fire — it always does every year — so we’re just trying to stay in front of it in terms of what our intent is,” School Board President John Burke said of the impact of the levy.
Pacheco also reported Lauterbach and Amen is continuing to work on the district’s audit, and he hopes they will be able to present it in December.
In other news, Director of Curriculum and Instruction Cheryl Donovan gave a presentation on the school’s Illinois Report Card, noting the report does not show data from the new junior high as that structure was not in place when data was collected.
At the beginning of her presentation, she shared some trends within the district that also were observed statewide.
“Overall, statewide, we are seeing the highest historical records in ELA proficiency and growth,” Donovan explained. “The State of Illinois published a literacy plan last spring, and they’re attributing it to that, and there’s been a lot of attention to literacy the past few years. The math growth and proficiency rates are not as the state would’ve expected.”
Due to the low math scores, Donovan anticipates the State of Illinois will release a math numeracy plan, which she believes may come out more quickly than the literacy plan previously came out. Despite the low math scores congruent with statewide trends, the school district is in good shape overall.
“It’s a celebration to say we have three schools in the commendable and exemplary range because that’s what that means, and is based on their data. Kids who walk through our schools, regardless of their situation, have an equitable experience. So, I’m excited to share that we do have really good ratings across the board,” Donovan continued.
Donovan also reported an improvement in absenteeism within the district.
During public comments at the beginning of the meeting, parent Erica Aultz noted the District 210 report card had better ratings, specifically in math. She urged the district to better prepare the next class of students for academic success.
Aultz wasn’t incorrect in her report card assessment; Donovan presented the district’s math performance was not as strong overall, especially compared to the District’s ELA performance.
“Do we have any hypothesis on why sixth and seventh grade seems to be struggling the most?” Burke asked Donovan about why that data was lower. Donovan responded by stating they are working on understanding this specific data point in committee and improving plans.
Donovan also reported several “Areas of Refinement” the district identified and is working on improving. These areas included phonics at Wilson Creek and Anna McDonald, stamina for writing, ongoing assessment, and instructional design and alignment and, as previously mentioned, mathematics.
At the end of Donovan’s report, Burke asked Donovan to compare the district’s performance to other high school feeder districts, including New Lenox, Frankfort, etc., which Donovan obliged.
Outside of that, the district is moving forward with Phase 2 construction of the junior high, which includes the demolition of a wall and excavation for the foundation of the district’s new offices. Bleachers are expected to be completed within the next week. They’ll also be adding a three-car garage and a concession stand in the future.
Board member Donald Knoll asked if there has been any outreach to other organizations to share the facilities and generate revenue, such as the Patriots organization. Later, Knoll asked how the board should address public comments when there is an issue that isn’t necessarily resolved in later discussions, such as Dana Skwirut’s public comment.
Skwirut came to the board meeting to speak on the disappointing eighth grade girls’ basketball season. She advised she felt there was a disparity of attention between basketball and softball, noting there was “basically no coach” at the start of the season. She also explained she tried to address problems that came up during the season but felt the board should be made aware while offering her help.
Burke and Pacheco both explained that, ultimately, it falls on Pacheco’s shoulders to address any issues brought up by the public during public comments. Board meetings allow the public to air their grievances or thoughts; it is their time. Burke affirmed the board does not discuss or engage with people, but the superintendent is charged with getting the answers and following up with the speaker.
Before wrapping up the conversation, Burke commended Skwirut and Aultz for coming to the meeting and sharing their comments, noting it was appreciated.
Stephanie Irvine is a freelance reporter.