D300 plans administrative changes

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Updated: August 4, 2011 4:20PM

CARPENTERSVILLE — Community Unit School District 300 announced the elimination and creation of several administrative positions Thursday, all part of Superintendent-elect Michael Bregy’s plan to shift the district’s top priority to core “teaching and learning.”

At a meeting with administrators and staff Thursday, Bregy outlined Phase I of his plan for that priority shift, according to the Carpentersville-area district. That shift is based partly on the district’s current financial crisis and partly on a study of the district by the ECRA Group Inc., presented at Thursday’s meeting.

“Because our financial resources are increasingly limited, we must ensure that administration’s energy is focused on our core mission of teaching and learning,” Bregy said. “My plan will shift our top priority to this area, which our students need and deserve.”

District 300 spokeswoman Allison Strupeck characterized that priority shift as a “reprioritization of our energies and our dwindling financial resources.”

“Our priorities were somewhat fragmented in the district,” Strupeck said. “This is an effort to refocus them to what is and should always be our focus: the education of our students.”

Eliminating and creating several positions is at the heart of that shift, as well as ensuring every position -- even in the district’s technology, communications or human resources departments -- exists to support the education of students, she added.

Positions to be cut for the 2011-12 school year include District 300’s director of assessment and accountability, a position now held by Carole Cooper, who is retiring this summer; and director of pupil personnel services, now held by Barbara Kelley, who is moving to another school district at the end of the year.

The district also will eliminate the assistant superintendent for operations after Sarah Kedroski, who now holds that position, is promoted this summer to associate superintendent. That’s not a new position but one that has been second in command of the school district for more than 10 years, Bregy said.

Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Tom Hay will move into a new position this summer, when his current post is eliminated.

Hay will become assistant superintendent for instructional services, which will assume some of Cooper’s responsibilities and oversee the district’s alternative education and summer school programs.

District 300 also will eliminate some assistant principal and dean positions that have not yet been determined, according to the district.

Other positions that will be created include four assistant superintendent for teaching and learning positions that will report to the superintendent — one each for elementary- and preschool, middle school, high school and education services. Education services will oversee special education, nursing, counseling, homeless students.

Those new teaching and learning positions will help ensuring consistent expectations and support among grade levels across the district, according to Bregy.

The superintendent-elect still is determining what shifts, reassignments and eliminations he may make to the district’s support staff structure, both at its central office and school offices, although the district said Thursday he doesn’t anticipate numerous layoffs.

“Now is also a perfect time to shift our priorities to mirror the national shift toward Common Core State Standards,” he said. “Illinois’ newly adopted Common Core Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn in the areas of Language Arts and Math.”

The priority shift toward teaching and learning also was the top area for improvement in district administration, according to ECRA, a Rosemont-based education research firm, whose report was presented Thursday.

ECRA, which conducted District 300’s last strategic plan in 2006, spent the past few months conducted focus groups and interviews with staff, analyses of job duties, comparisons to similar districts and data collection, according to the district.

The district plans to have its 2011-2012 administrative team in place and announce Phase II of the priority shift May 2.

The second phase will include details of a comprehensive overhaul of the district’s special education program, which has been hinted at in its budget discussions.