Schools: Interim superintendent job to be discussed at Friday board meeting
Online Staff Report
An interim superintendent is expected to be discussed tonight at a special meeting of the Rockford Board of Education.
The board will meet at District 205 headquarters, 201 S. Madison St., at 5 p.m.
Last week, Dr. Theresa Kallstrom, former Kennedy Middle School principal, was named acting superintendent.
Meantime, the school board is working off of a list of 29 candidates for the interim job and what was earlier reported as a list of 37 for the long-term position.
The board is expected to pare the list of interim candidates to three and begin interviewing May 14.
Kallstrom has not applied for the interim or permanent position.
A timeline for hiring a permanent superintendent has not been released.
Sources told The Rock River Times earlier this week that about 300 teachers–let go in Sheffield’s early round of massive budget cuts–will be be rehired for the 2011-12 school year.
The school board is seemingly still operating based on Sheffield’s budget deficit of $50 million for fiscal 2012, which begins July 1.
How the reinstatement of teachers will affect next year’s numbers isn’t known.
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4 Comments
I hope and pray that some of these non-tenured teachers are kept in their present jobs. We have some GREAT non-tenured teachers at West Middle School. They are young, energetic and they KNOW how to effectively deal with these at-risk adolescents. Ms. Brewington has done a GREAT job of making a “team” out of these non-tenured teachers. IF these teachers are let go, I fear that the tenured teachers who have little or no experience with dealing with at risk adolescences, will undo all the good that has come around for the past 2 years. Remember we are to do what is BEST for the children, NOT for the downtown administration or the UNION!!
What good occured the last two years? Name one thing that really was better. The children who wanted to learn were ignored and others allowed to run rampant. It is really sad. Tenured teachers have much more experience working with at risk students than the new ones who are still taught in old ways. Do not blame the union. The parties that brought so much distruction into the district are leaving or gone, let us look to the future and hope we get an administration that cares about children more than their own egos.
I imagine if someone has tenured-it take four years- they might have a better idea of how to work with at -risk students. Non-tenured teachers usually take at least two years to get very comfortable. Though some are great from day one. Everyone is different. That is why most districts, successful ones at least, have a strong mentoring program. The real shame is that all the untenured teachers were fired. That action destroyed the buildings.
Apology, I clicked send in error.
It should read- If someone has been tenured-it takes four years-he or she might have a better idea how to work with at-risk students. New teachers often take at least two years to become competent with the curriculum and develop behavior management skills. Some new teachers are great from day one. Everyone is different. Most districts, at least the successful ones, have great mentoring programs. The real shame is that all non-tenured teachers were fired. It was unnecessary, put people at odds with one another, and hurt all students.