Superintendent's Message

Last week, I sent an email asking you to read the District's latest online newsletter, which includes important information about school funding issues that directly affect your child's education. Many of you have told us that the newsletter was informative and helped you understand the financial challenges District 57 faces. If you have not yet read the newsletter, please review it at http://d57.org/sites/default/files/D57_OnlineNews_FinancialUpdate.pdf. Thank you for becoming informed, and also for helping spread the word about these important issues.

The online newsletter is just one of many efforts we have made this school year and last to improve communication with District 57 parents. Many of you told us that you wanted more and better communication from the District office. We heard you loud and clear! As a result of your feedback, we stepped up our efforts, and we did so without hiring an employee or spending a lot of money. Many parents have told me that they value the information we send out and that they feel much better informed about their children's education.

One of the things we did is start sending these Superintendent Messages to share important news that affects you and your children. We also put more news from administration in the schools' Friday packets, because past surveys indicate that is a place you like to go for information about District 57. In addition, we published two newsletters this year. In order to save money, we posted them on our web site and distributed them through various email channels (even targeting community members who do not have children in the District). As I said, we received positive feedback, but we know there are still many parents who are not reading the newsletters. I know how busy everyone is, but I hope parents will spend five minutes becoming informed about where we are now and what the future holds. These issues affect each of our schools and each of our students.

District 57 also has stepped up its media relations efforts. You might have seen stories about the District and our schools in the local newspapers. This enhanced press coverage is important, because it helps community members -- especially those who do not have children in the District -- understand our successes and challenges. If they don't know anything about District 57, we can't expect them to support our efforts.

The Strategic Plan Advisory Group (SPAG), which is made up of parents and community members and advises me on the Strategic Plan and other issues, has contributed to some of these enhancements. I am extremely grateful to this dedicated group of volunteers for all of their input and hard work throughout this school year. They bring important issues to the forefront and offer ideas for helping the District move forward in a successful and productive way.

As we head into summer vacation, I also would like to thank District 57 parents for their involvement. Our District faces challenges, but there are also many exciting things happening within each of our schools. Thank you for all of your contributions to your children's education. We couldn't do it without you!

The School Board will act on this hiring at its April 26 meeting. I would like to thank members of the interview team, which included administrators, staff members and parents, for finding Dan and completing the process in such a timely manner. The interview team included Una Durkan, Erin Freeding, Kim Galloway, Mary Kalogeropoulos, Michele Logar, Cathy O’Donnell, Ann Sherrick, and Dr. Susan Woodrow. I also want to thank April for her many contributions and for playing an important role in the transition at Fairview.