Two abrupt changes at the superintendent level in south suburban districts suggest the maneuvering of local school politics for which the region is famous, all at the expense of the proper administration of schools and leadership for classrooms.
First, in South Holland, Ill.-based Thornton Township High School District 205, John Arrington has been appointed acting superintendent of schools, according to the district’s website. Mr Arrington holds a master’s degree in public administration from the John F Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and completed his undergraduate work at Chicago State University. He has served since 2007 in the district as a human resources director, and he’ll retain those duties while acting as superintendent.
He takes over for the current superintendent, John Thomas, who still has two years left on a three-year contract. The board suspended Mr Thomas with pay last week, purportedly pending the outcome of an investigation into some legal bills he refused to approve. Those bills, for $2,700, originated from the law firm Robbins Schwartz, and according to a June 14 report by Casey Toner in the Southtown Star, they were for the firm’s investigation into his qualifications as superintendent. Lawyers determined Mr Thomas was indeed qualified to serve as superintendent, but he claims the district never authorized the work.
At the same time and in the same school district, board President Kenneth Williams has been under fire from the Cook County state’s attorney, who is suing to remove him from the board because he was convicted of felony forgery in Indiana back in 1985, for which he served 22 months of a five-year sentence. If true, a felony conviction would make him legally ineligible to hold public office in Illinois, despite favorable election outcomes in 2009 and again in 2013.
His case goes before Associate Judge Rita Novak in Chicago on June 19. The state’s attorney has been working on it since December, according to a report in the Northwest Indiana Times.
Rich Township School District 227
Just slightly south of the above action, Rich Township School District 227, based in Matteson, dismissed Dr Donna Simpson Leak, the district’s superintendent since 2010. Quotes from board members in a Southtown Star story suggest details of her dismissal, when revealed to the public, will show her to be an ineffective superintendent. However, other board members contend that like the public, they didn’t know all the details, either. Three of the seven board members voted in a losing cause not to dismiss her.
Her appointment was somewhat controversial, according to the report in the Southtown Star. It was reported that a tape obtained by the newspaper of a closed-door meeting reveals the board colluded to misrepresent the results of a public-opinion poll and appoint Dr Simpson Leak despite the poll.
Although this action, if true, would be considered unworthy of the public trust, I don’t find it illegal. A school board isn’t obligated to represent the opinion of people who responded to a certain poll, and discussions about personnel matters can take place behind closed doors. Furthermore, the poll could have been biased, in which case the school board shouldn’t follow it. However, we feel it was dishonest to meet behind closed doors and decide to spin the poll results. Board members should have been more forthcoming.