Letter to the editor: District 65 has to answer many questions

As a former District 65 reading specialist from 1986 to 2009 and a mother of two former District 65 children, I am concerned about how schools are doing today. Back then, many of us District 65 teachers, like teachers everywhere, lived for our jobs. Here are my questions and concerns in the areas of staff turnover and the district's financial stability:

Job turnover: Recruiting and retaining staff nationwide is difficult, but we must effectively address the challenges facing our community. Do district leaders conduct exit interviews when employees leave the district? If so, what do they do with the results of those exit interviews? If they are conducted, does the school board review them? How long do principals stay in office on average? An informal average from 25 years ago was 15 years, and many stayed much longer. Do today's principals even come close to that number?

Financial stability: Why was the District 65 board unaware of the financial crisis? Why were the problems not made public? Why has the number of administrative staff who were never needed before and whose work does not directly benefit children increased so dramatically?

School superintendents must do two things well: they must hire and retain excellent school leaders and manage the district's finances to ensure stability. The most important job of school superintendents is to hire and retain excellent teachers and staff. The most important job of the school board is to hire and retain excellent school superintendents. That is certainly a difficult job, but those two points should be the criteria by which they are judged and held accountable. The most important job of Evanston voters is to elect school board members who agree with those criteria and hire the best school superintendent.

As in any organization, I believe that quality, effectiveness and accountability start at the top and cascade down from there. I would ask the school board to address staff turnover and hold superintendents accountable for solving the staffing and financial problems. School District 65 should become a national model for diversity, equity and inclusion and a place where great principals and teachers thrive.

Nobody says it's easy, but if not here, where? Go Evanston, go!

Mickey Silverstein,
Retired Reading Specialist of District 65