CARES Recommends Continued Search for District 100 Superintendent

Dear District 100 Board of Directors,

Berwyn Citizens Aligned to Renew Education for Students (Berwyn CARES) is writing this letter to express concern about the two final candidates for Superintendent of South Berwyn District 100.

At a focus group conducted by the board a few months ago, hosted by the Illinois Association of School Boards, the community clearly articulated that the new superintendent possess the following qualifications:

• Superintendent experience at the elementary school level, with a proven track record for success at the elementary school level

• A proven track record of engaging and energizing the Latino community

• A proven track record of addressing the achievement gap between non-minority and minority students, and middle class and low income students

• A resume beyond reproach, that will exhibit a pattern of stability and logical career moves, in consideration of the recent short tenures of District 100 superintendents

We believe the board did the right thing in soliciting the input from the community via focus groups regarding the qualifications of an ideal candidate. However, we are concerned that neither of the final two candidates meet the criteria identified in the focus groups. We believe that the two candidates possess few – if any – of these qualifications.

One candidate does not appear to have experience at the elementary school level, and has exhibited a series of job moves that raise questions - with recent short-lived assignments and resignations in nearby school districts.

The second candidate’s background indicates little or no experience with the Latino community (present district is less than 1% Latino), and despite working with smaller class sizes and less minority and low income students, that district’s academic performance has not fared much better than ours.

Accordingly, it is the opinion of this organization's board, and it is our recommendation to the District 100 board, that the search continue, and that an interim superintendent be appointed until a qualified candidate can be found. However, we do recognize that it is ultimately the responsibility of the District 100School Board to choose the Superintendent. BerwynCARES is committed to working with whomever the Board chooses as Superintendent to eliminate the achievement gap in Berwyn and offer a world-class education for ALL students.

Sincerely,

Berwyn Citizens Aligned to Renew Education for Students
Shelley Titzer - President